Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After hanging up, He Zhichu took a glass of red wine and sat in front of the window. His gaze got lost in the beauty of the night view in front of him, and he felt exceptionally relaxed. He had finally managed to wait for this day to arrive. All his preparations needn’t be brought out anymore. Winning, even without needing your troops, was something only the cleverest commander could achieve.
He raised his glass into the air. “Happy birthday, my Princess.”
…
Gu Nianzhi fell asleep immediately after hanging up. She did not have a good sleep. Even though there were no dreams, it did not feel like she had slept deeply. Her heart was left hanging, and she did not feel comfortable at all.
When she woke up in the middle of the night due to thirst, she remembered Huo Shaoheng saying that he would agree to the breakup if she agreed to a condition. So why should she agree to that condition? She was the one who wanted the breakup. It didn’t exactly matter whether Huo Shaoheng agreed or not.
As for agreeing to agree to his condition, Gu Nianzhi merely wanted to end things well, to put a full stop to his care and teachings after all these years. Although there was no more love, she still respected him. Huo Shaoheng was someone who was worthy of respect. Having him was the Hua Xia Empire’s fortune.
Gu Nianzhi rolled over and fell asleep. When she woke up again, it was already past eight in the morning. Gu Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and got up slowly. She only woke up fully after her shower.
She opened her wardrobe and took some time to decide on her outfit. Eventually, she chose a red knitted turtleneck dress with puffed sleeves matched with a pair of Stuart Weitzman long boots. Leaving her hair down, she had decided to go bare-faced. Her perfect complexion was something that no makeup could achieve. This should be able to leave both parties with the best impression.
She put on some moisturizer quickly before her phone rang. “The rain is falling, but the story remains the same. I heard that you are still on your own…” It was Huo Shaoheng’s personalized ringtone.
Gu Nianzhi answered the call, and Huo Shaoheng’s voice came from the other end of the line. “Nianzhi, I’m here.”
“I’ll be down in a moment.” Gu Nianzhi took the Hermes Verrou bag that she had bought on her own in Germany and left her dormitory.
Ma Qiqi was having breakfast in the living room. Seeing her coming out from her room in red, Ma Qiqi was mesmerized by her beauty. She covered her eyes and shouted dramatically, “Oh! My eyes! My eyes!”
Gu Nianzhi kicked her playfully and left quickly. She saw Huo Shaoheng standing beside his silver-gray Mercedes Benz SUV the moment she went to the lobby. He was in his full uniform instead of civilian clothing. The stars on his shoulders could blind anyone anytime.
Gu Nianzhi blinked and thought, I did not expect that Huo Shaoheng and I were thinking the same thing… They both wanted to end this relationship properly. This was indeed the Huo Shao that Gu Nianzhi knew. Decisive and firm. Gu Nianzhi smiled and walked over. “You look really good in uniform.”
Huo Shaoheng raised his eyebrows and did not hide the surprise in his eyes. “You look really good in red dresses.” Then, he opened the door as a gentleman and let Gu Nianzhi in.
Gu Nianzhi sat in the passenger seat in front. She realized that there was no one else in the car. It seemed like he was seriously talking about a breakup with her this time around. Chen Lie wasn’t there, and Brother Xiong and Brother Ze weren’t there, either.
Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief. Had she known that Chen Lie was in the car yesterday, she wouldn’t have said something so cruel. She should respect Huo Shaoheng a little in front of others, shouldn’t she? However, she had decided that she wanted a breakup no matter what, so it didn’t matter if there was any respect.
Huo Shaoheng got into the car and drove.
“Where are we going?” Gu Nianzhi looked in the direction the car was heading. It seemed like they were heading towards the headquarters of the Special Forces.
She felt uneasy.
“Headquarters.” Huo Shaoheng glanced at her. “It’s not like you haven’t been there, right? Even if you were to break up with me, it wouldn’t mean that we won’t be contacting each other ever again, would it?”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless. Actually, she really intended to not have any contact with him except for work. Just take today as my last time at the Special Forces headquarters, then. To be honest, she still had some feelings for the place and the people there. They had protected her for seven years, and they were continuing to do so. The two of them who died in Germany because of her came to her mind. She felt a pang of sadness again.
Gu Nianzhi moved her gaze away and looked at the other end of the car. She remained silent. Huo Shaoheng had stopped talking as well. Both of them remained silent until they arrived at headquarters. Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Huo Shaoheng had not stopped his car in front of his mansion. Huo Shaoheng opened the door and let her get out. Gu Nianzhi looked up at the building. “Why did you bring me here?”
They stood at the empty grounds in front of the headquarters building. Maple trees surrounded them. The clear blue sky above them had fluffy white clouds. Some pigeons flew past occasionally, and their chirps could be heard.
Huo Shaoheng brought her to the small meeting room beside his office. He looked at her and asked for the last time, “Nianzhi, you really want to break up with me?”
Gu Nianzhi looked up at his beyond handsome face and nodded quietly. She had said it many times and did not want to repeat herself again.
Huo Shaoheng stood in front of her and looked at her. “I said yesterday that I would agree to the breakup if you agree to a condition.”
Gu Nianzhi nodded again. “As long as it’s not against the law and morals, I’ll agree to it.”
Huo Shaoheng smirked and picked up a set of documents in a big envelope. “Confidential” was stamped on it.
“Yes, we can break up, as long as you give me another chance.” Huo Shaoheng put the envelope in front of Gu Nianzhi.
“What did you say?!” Gu Nianzhi did not believe what she had just heard. She looked at Huo Shaoheng blankly. Her mind was in chaos. She felt that Huo Shaoheng wasn’t going according to the rules again.
“I said that we can break up, as long as you promise to give me another chance,” Huo Shaoheng said steadily, his body language showing that he was relaxed, but his eyes revealed his anxiety.
“But we’ve already broken up. Why should I give you another chance?” Gu Nianzhi tightened her fists. “Huo Shaoheng, you’re not the only one who knows how to play the word game.”
“This isn’t a word game.” Huo Shaoheng stood in front of her. His height felt suffocating to Gu Nianzhi. He lowered his gaze to look at her. “By breaking up, it means that whatever happened in the past has ended. However, it also means that something new has just begun. Do you mean that we will never be able to be together after breaking up? Won’t you accept my pursuit?”
Gu Nianzhi took a step back instinctively, and her eyes widened. “You want to pursue me?” It looked like she had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. She couldn’t believe it.
Seeing Gu Nianzhi’s reaction, Huo Shaoheng felt a tinge of pain. He controlled his emotions and continued steadily, “Yes. I am going to pursue you. As long as you promise to give me another chance, I’ll agree to the breakup.”
Gu Nianzhi used so much effort to calm herself down. Huo Shaoheng actually wanted to pursue her. If she had heard this before going to Germany, she would’ve been so happy…
Gu Nianzhi patted herself on the chest lightly. She looked at Huo Shaoheng for a good while before shaking her head. “No.”
“That isn’t fair. You can pursue me, but you don’t allow me to do it?” Huo Shaoheng folded his arms and took a step forward to be closer to Gu Nianzhi. “How can something like that even exist? Since you are not going to agree to my condition, then we will not break up.”
“Of course we will!” Gu Nianzhi stomped her foot. She pointed at Huo Shaoheng accusingly. “Don’t come any closer!”
Huo Shaoheng did not stop in his tracks. He took another step forward. “Then tell me, do you agree to it or not?”
Gu Nianzhi looked blankly at Huo Shaoheng. Her full lips opened and closed without a sound. After a while, she finally managed to compose herself and reasoned with Huo Shaoheng. “Mr. Huo, I’m happy to hear you say that. However, the problem between us isn’t as simple as you pursuing me.”
“So your best method to solve it is to break up totally?” Huo Shaoheng’s eyes narrowed. “That method doesn’t seem very clever.”
“But it’s the only method I can think of.” Gu Nianzhi was determined. She wasn’t his match. Therefore, she wanted to get lost on her own accord before someone tried to chase her away in the future.
“If I have a better option?” Huo Shaoheng stuck his right hand out. “Come. Let’s return to our topic. You agree to my condition, and I agree to the break up. Deal?”
Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng suspiciously. What does he want?
“You’re not agreeable? Fine, then, we will not break up.” Huo Shaoheng took another step forward. Gu Nianzhi was already confined in between the wall and his embrace.
She pushed him away. “Mr. Huo, this is your office! You wouldn’t want me to scream anything that would reflect badly on you, would you?!”
“Go ahead. No matter what you say, I wouldn’t care, unless you agree to my condition.” Huo Shaoheng was satisfied as he watched her struggle and hesitate, yet also be so determined and brave.
“Okay. I promise you. You can pursue me all you want, but it does not mean that I will need to accept your pursuit.” Gu Nianzhi raised her head defiantly at Huo Shaoheng.
“But you have to agree to give me a chance. If you are not going to accept my pursuit, how is that called giving me a chance?” Huo Shaoheng made everything sound so logical, there seemed to be no other way out. It was the first time Gu Nianzhi realized that Huo Shaoheng was so damn good with his words!
She looked at Huo Shaoheng, mouth agape. There’s something wrong. There’s definitely something wrong! But what?! What’s wrong, exactly?! She wanted to rebut Huo Shaoheng’s words, but she couldn’t find any loopholes anywhere. His logic was as smooth and perfect as a circle.
If she really wanted to rebut, it seemed like the only way out was to go back on her word. However, if she were to go back on her word, Huo Shaoheng wouldn’t break up. What must I do now?!
Just when she was almost at her limit, Huo Shaoheng opened the envelope stamped “Confidential.” He produced two sets of documents and two red booklets. He placed them in front of her.
“Nianzhi, give me another chance. This time ’round, we won’t go through a relationship anymore. We shall get married immediately. I’ve prepared the certificate of marriage. This is a copy of marriage approval from the army, and this is the notice of marriage form that I’ve already signed. As long as you sign these, we will officially be married.” Huo Shaoheng took a pen and pushed it into the hands of the lost and pale Gu Nianzhi. “Don’t worry, there’s also a divorce agreement here. I’ve also signed it. Give me three years of your time. Three years from now, if you still feel that we’re unable to be together, you shall sign the divorce agreement, and our marriage will be immediately void.”
Gu Nianzhi was bombarded time and again by Huo Shaoheng. Her clever brain had stopped thinking. She did not understand. She was here to discuss a breakup. How on earth did it escalate to a marriage?!
