The Rich Spring of the Southern Dynasties, Storms in the Wind and Rain Tower (5) Part 2

Sun Kai froze for a moment, holding the phone and looking back at the number. It was correct.

“Who are you?”

The person on the other end was also stunned, but quickly recovered. “You must be Sun Kai, right?”

“Who the hell are you?!” Sun Kai grew anxious.

The other person said, “Don't worry. I'm Fang Yan's classmate. There was a class reunion tonight, and Fang Yan got drunk. She's in my car right now. I'm taking her home.”

“Who the hell are you kidding? If she's drunk, why are you answering her phone?!”

The other person sighed helplessly. “I'm Fang Yan's ex-boyfriend. Believe it or not, I'm just taking her home tonight because she's drunk. I know you two are getting married soon. I won't ruin your relationship.”

After saying that, the other person hung up directly.

Sun Kai was on his end, frantic and scratching his head. When he called back, the other person refused to pick up.

Damn it!

He slammed the wall with a muffled thud.

...

At one in the morning, the night was as cool as water. The hazy moonlight spilled through the corridor window like a thin veil of gauze, enveloping Yu Hao's small figure. She had been throwing up in the bathroom for over an hour, eventually even throwing up bile. She was almost completely pale, and the dim moonlight made her look even more ghastly white.

She was sitting on a bench outside the interrogation room, leaning her head back against the wall, replaying today's interrogation process and every expression on his face in her mind, like a slow-motion playback.

'The beard.'

'He wasn't a person who habitually wore a beard. Because the beard was very thick, and there were shaving marks by his ears, which proved he had just grown it. Was growing a beard a bluff, or did he need to cover something up?'

'The skin.'

'His skin was painted, not naturally tanned. It was applied. Yu Hao had seen his thighs and noticed he had almost no leg hair.'

'His gums were ulcerated; his body must be suffering from a very serious illness.'

But all these fragmented clues, when pieced together, were like a tangled mess of yarn with no beginning. However, one thing was certain: he was not an extremist militant.

Yu Hao was almost certain of this after her first time out of the Solitary Confinement Room.

'He's not an extremist militant. He's trying very hard to disguise himself as one. When he realized Yu Hao might see him as one, his pupils dilated slightly, showing a state of being very pleased with himself. It was fake.'

'When the school was mentioned, his expression was disdainful. That was real. Could the school be the only safe location?'

At three in the morning, in the vast darkness.

Moonlight cascaded onto the cold, quiet street like flowing water, weaving a web as thin as gauze. It was shrouded in a thick fog. A few dog barks seemed to come from the depths of an alley, echoing through the empty streets.

A military vehicle sped along and stopped outside the Border Defense Station.

The sentry was just about to get out of the car to question them when he saw Lu Huaizheng, travel-stained, get out of the car. Immediately after, Sun Kai came out from inside to greet him.

The two finally met.

Lu Huaizheng took his bag from the car, bent down to salute the driver in the driver's seat goodbye. The driver returned a crisp military salute and prepared to drive away. Lu Huaizheng slung the bag over his shoulder and looked at Sun Kai.

“Is Yu Hao asleep?”

Sun Kai shook his head, looking at him with a helpless expression. “She's very insistent, determined to wait for you to come back.”

“Where is she?”

“In the Conference Room opposite the Solitary Confinement Room.”

Lu Huaizheng nodded. “Is someone guarding the door of the Solitary Confinement Room?”

“Yes. You should go over and see her. I'm heading into town now to check on the search results.”

“Alright, you go first. I'll come find you later.”

Just as he was about to leave, Sun Kai called out to him again, “She might have been a bit frightened just now. That pervert pulled down his pants, and for some reason, Yu Hao started throwing up. She threw up for over an hour. Zhao Dailin said she even threw up bile. You should comfort her properly. Everyone's had a tough night.”

...

Lu Huaizheng didn't go back to the dormitory, heading straight for the Conference Room instead.

A bright incandescent light shone from overhead, illuminating the entire Conference Room in the dark night.

The girl he hadn't seen for over ten days was currently sprawled on the huge conference table, sleeping soundly and adorably. The flesh on her face was squished together, her mouth puckered like a bird's beak, a completely unladylike sleeping posture. Lu Huaizheng leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, studying her thoughtfully for a while before directly pressing the light switch by the door.

The entire Conference Room was instantly plunged into darkness.

Lu Huaizheng walked over and opened the window. The moonlight cast a faint glow inside, landing just right on the table, not too hard, not too soft. It made her face look as white as porcelain. Perhaps the light fell directly on her eyes, because Yu Hao, still asleep, couldn't help but frown while lying on the table. Seeing that she was about to wake up, Lu Huaizheng quickly pulled the curtain to adjust the angle, gently moving the beam of light to her shoulder.

Yu Hao's furrowed brow then slowly smoothed out, like a dissipating cloud.

Lu Huaizheng breathed a sigh of relief and walked over from the window. Scattered on the table were some random documents, most of which were handwritten by Yu Hao. There was also a crudely drawn, half-finished map. This paper was under half of her face; it was probably the last thing she was drawing before she fell asleep.

Lu Huaizheng tried to gently pull it out. Yu Hao's head moved, and he quickly used his hand to gently pat the back of her head to soothe her, while slowly pulling out the paper. He didn't stop until she was still again, then he withdrew his hand and looked down at what was on the paper.

It was a map of the town.

He compared it with the documents at hand. She was probably eliminating locations.

Lu Huaizheng put all the documents aside, bent down, and scooped her up from the chair into his arms. Yu Hao's hands draped over Lu Huaizheng's neck, and she woke up. She opened her eyes in a daze, and upon seeing the familiar Military Uniform and scent, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice filled with pleasant surprise:

“You're back!?”

Lu Huaizheng carried her out of the Conference Room, looking down at her as he walked. He smiled and asked, “Are you surprised?”

Yu Hao lowered her head, her hands around his neck tightening their grip slightly.

“I knew. Captain Sun said you changed your flight. I was going to go out and pick you up at three, but I couldn't hold on and fell asleep. What time is it now?” she suddenly remembered.

“Three. I just arrived,” Lu Huaizheng said, carrying her down the stairs.

“Where are you taking me?” Yu Hao looked down.

Lu Huaizheng lowered his eyes, looking at her with mischievous intent as he asked, “How about my dorm?”

Yu Hao's mind cleared instantly. Then she heard him let out a casual, soft chuckle. “Just kidding. I'm taking you back to your dorm to sleep. You can leave the rest to me.”

“What about you? Aren't you going to sleep?”

Lu Huaizheng carried her steadily into the Dormitory Building. As he went up the stairs, his breathing was still even. Just as Yu Hao was marveling at how good this man's stamina was, she heard him say, “If we sleep, who's going to defuse the bombs outside? If we can't evacuate in time tomorrow, I'll arrange for you and Senior Sister Zhao to leave first.”

Yu Hao was about to say something, but he cut her off in a cold, flat tone. “No discussion. If you don't leave, there's nothing for us to talk about.”

“You're threatening me with this?” Her temper flared up too. “Fine, then we won't talk.”

At that moment, they had just entered the dorm room. It was empty; Zhao Dailin hadn't come back to sleep.

Lu Huaizheng placed her directly on the bed, propping his arms on either side of her head. He bent down, looking at the girl on the bed, his gaze slowly and meticulously roving over her, as if trying to see through her, right into her bones.

He smiled slightly. “Do you know what I'm thinking right now?”

Yu Hao's hair was spread out on the white bedsheet, making her look exceptionally clear and pure. She shook her head.

“I don't want to leave tonight. I'll stay here, what do you say?”

In the faint moonlight, his usually seemingly inattentive eyes were now exceptionally serious, yet they held a hint of ambiguous...lust.

Yu Hao suddenly raised her head to kiss his lips. There was no technique to speak of; she just clumsily bit his lower lip, only to be quickly bitten back by a chuckling Lu Huaizheng.