Gu Qingjiu left right after the school assembly ended.
Because she had hurried earlier on, she didn’t even bring her phone with her.
She went to the address Lu Ziyang gave her, and it was already night time by the time she arrived.
After all, the school was too far away from this place.
Only upon arrival did she realize that this was a bustling and prosperous commercial street.
So prosperous that it didn’t seem like an appropriate location to meet.
It was like the sort of place people would meet to shop at.
She changed into a simple set of casual clothes before coming out and wasn’t in her military uniform.
When she arrived at the location, she saw that there was a shopping mall in front. Apart from the ordinary citizens coming and going, there wasn’t anyone who seemed suspicious.
But just then, from the underground garage next to the building, came a small gray car.
The car was a rather low-key one, with an ordinary car plate number and brand.
No one could tell that there was something special about it.
But the car came up behind Gu Qingjiu and from within rang the deep voice of a man. “Get into the car.”
Gu Qingjiu looked over and saw that it was a man who seemed to have experienced the vicissitudes of life. From the looks of it, he was in his thirties.
There was a black stubble around his mouth, making him resemble a young artist who had been leading a wandering life for many years.
It was the sort of look you would see on a male lead in a commercial road film in recent years.
With a cigarette between his jaws, he didn’t even cast a glance at Gu Qingjiu as he spoke again. “Lu Ziyang asked me to bring you there.”
Upon hearing the name Lu Ziyang, Gu Qingjiu instantly understood.
She paused for a moment, then got into the car. “If you said it at the onset, I might not have hesitated.”
“No, you ought to have hesitated.”
After Gu Qingjiu got into the car, the man stomped on the accelerator without even fastening his seatbelt.
“If you’re someone who easily gets into someone’s car and doesn’t have any sense of alertness, you won’t fit the profile of someone Lu Ziyang typically picks.”
With one hand on the steering wheel, he smoked with his other hand. Taking in the smoke that drifted its way with the wind, Gu Qingjiu frowned slightly. “If I considered that, I wouldn’t have even shown up today. One’s alertness depended on the occasion.”
If she had considered that much, she wouldn’t have believed Lu Ziyang’s words right from the start.
“Really?”
The man cast a sideways glance at her. No idea if it was because he sensed Gu Qingjiu’s aversion to the smell of cigarettes, but he directly tossed the cigarette away anyway.
But the man didn’t speak throughout the journey after that.
He made several turns as he maneuvered his way in the city.
It was already late at night. If it was an ordinary person, they would probably think that Gu Qingjiu was about to be dragged somewhere and sold off.
But the car remained in the city center. Then, when they arrived at an alleyway commonly seen in the capital, the car stopped.
“Get out of the car.”
The man climbed out of the car first, then asked Gu Qingjiu to do the same.
Gu Qingjiu got out of the car with him. Seeing him walk straight into the alleyway, she naturally followed.
With no lights and no sound around, it felt quiet and creepy.
But when they entered the alleyway, behind an ordinary arched door, there was a courtyard. The courtyard seemed to be an ordinary residence inside the alleyway. But the man seated beside the door was seated in an upright position, as though he was a soldier. Also, Gu Qingjiu saw that there was a gun at his waist.
He got to his feet and nodded at the man before Gu Qingjiu.
The man merely waved a hand in response and said, “Newcomer, but we’ll be colleagues in the future. She’s still a young student. Let’s get to know each other.”
Gu Qingjiu froze.
Colleagues?
What does this mean?
