“Yes, that’s right, on the bed next to me.” He Zhichu was in a bad mood and didn’t bother speaking courteously.
Huo Shaoheng was speechless. As soon as He Zhichu had finished speaking, the computer in front of Huo Shaoheng had just completed GPS positioning. The coordinates of the address appearing on the monitor was the Professors Building in B University where He Zhichu lived.
Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch blankly. It was already half past three in the morning. He walked to his personalized vehicle and drove over to the Hepingli Precinct where Gu Nianzhi lived. At the same time, he turned on the satellite positioning system on his personalized vehicle to find where Gu Nianzhi was.
Even though he knew that she was probably sleeping at this time, nevertheless, he still kept calling her phone while searching for her. He was still hesitant about calling her at that hour and worried that it would scare her. He never thought that he himself would be the one in shock.
Huo Shaoheng rubbed his forehead and restrained his voice as he said, “He Zhichu, don’t mess around. Nianzhi sees you as family.”
“I’m messing around?” He Zhichu sneered while putting a fresh ice pack on Gu Nianzhi’s forehead. “What if I want to mess around? It’s better than every time she’s in danger, you’re not around to help her. Huo Shaoheng, let me tell you this, do you really think you have her wrapped around your finger? If I wanted to, I could make her leave you at any second!”
Huo Shaoheng couldn’t restrain his emotions anymore and roared with rage, “I dare you to!” His right hand clenched into a fist, his bones rattled, and a brutal expression flashed across his face.
Fan Jian, the orderly driving the car, was startled and accidentally stepped on the brakes. The wheels of the bulletproof car made a loud screeching noise on the highway.
Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and calmed himself down. He calmed himself down so quickly that his momentary loss of control seemed like an illusion. Fan Jian felt that he must have been hallucinating and seeing things.
Seeing Huo Shaoheng react so fiercely made He Zhichu feel satisfaction inside. He was actually sort of relieved, since it showed that Huo Shaoheng cared about Gu Nianzhi. If Huo Shaoheng hadn’t cared, He Zhichu would have taken back his “treasure” in a heartbeat.
He Zhichu hung up and looked at Gu Nianzhi with a conflicted expression. Her temperature had dropped and was only 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) now. For ordinary people, it was still an extremely high fever, but for her, it meant that she was already out of danger and in a normal state.
He held Gu Nianzhi’s hand and kissed it with affection. She was his responsibility, and he would do anything for her. She was a “treasure” that he would cherish all his life. As long as she was happy, he was willing to sacrifice everything. As long as she was doing well, he didn’t care about anything else.
He Zhichu knew that he was by no means a generous person, let alone a noble and selfless person. He was manipulative and ruthless, and used all means to get what he wanted. Yet before Gu Nianzhi’s eyes, he became a “saint.” If the people in his hometown saw him like this, they would definitely be taken aback. He Zhichu smiled bitterly and placed Gu Nianzhi’s hand back under the quilt.
…
Huo Shaoheng’s elbow rested by the window, and he glanced at the bright lights outside the window with a cold expression. It was early spring in the capital, and the night lights were still shining brightly outside, as if the city itself couldn’t sleep.
Huo Shaoheng was secretly deeply anxious, but his face remained impassive as he waited for his personalized vehicle to drive onto B University’s campus. After receiving instructions, Fan Jian exited the highway towards the Hepingli Precinct, turned towards the Fourth Ring Road, and drove for another half an hour. Then he saw the South Gate of B University not far away.
In the night sky, the South Gate of B University appeared to exude an air of simple solemnity. The bright iron gates could not be entered directly. Fan Jian started honking at the gate.
The night guard at the South Gate raised his head in alarm and squinted at the flashing headlights. Looking at the license plate of the honking vehicle and finally realizing who it was, the guardsman was suddenly wide awake. He flashed the lights twice, then pushed the button to open the iron gate, letting Huo Shaoheng’s car in.
A convoy of seven to eight vehicles followed Huo Shaoheng in, but only his bulletproof car was allowed into the school, and the other cars quietly parked on the side of the road. The black military vehicles exuded an air of imposing solemnity, so much so that the other vehicles on the road could not help but slow down and make way in deference.
…
Huo Shaoheng arrived at the building where He Zhichu lived and once again called Gu Nianzhi’s cell phone. With Gu Nianzhi’s cell phone in his hand, He Zhichu walked towards the window, opened the curtains, and looked down. Under the illumination from the street lights in front of the building, a modified black Hummer military vehicle, which appeared longer and wider than a typical Hummer SUV, was parked. It was rumored that it had the same steel plate normally reserved for armored tanks.
He Zhichu answered the phone and decided not to further enrage Huo Shaoheng. He simply said coldly, “Nianzhi is sick and has a fever.”
Huo Shaoheng didn’t reply at first. He thought about it for a moment, then pushed open the door and got out of the car. “I’ll come and take a look.”
“Is Major General Huo sure he doesn’t have any mission to accomplish?” He Zhichu then said, “If Gu Nianzhi doesn’t make it this time, I’ll visit her grave on your behalf.”
Huo Shaoheng’s expression grew dark and sinister, and he kicked the door shut with a loud banging noise. He walked briskly to the lobby of the Professors Building without looking back.
He Zhichu pursed the corners of his mouth, lowered the curtains, and went to the kitchen to make coffee. When the doorbell rang, He Zhichu had just put the ground coffee into the coffee maker. He turned on the coffee maker and went to open the door for Huo Shaoheng.
As soon as the door opened, there was a whistling sound as a fist forcibly smashed into He Zhichu’s face! He Zhichu had actually been prepared for something like that happening, yet he still did not escape the punch. The corner of his left eye was gashed, and in an instant, his eye was swollen with purple bruises.
It was the sheer brute force of this punch that made He Zhichu realize that the last time they fought each other, Huo Shaoheng had been holding back. He Zhichu turned sharply to the right while simultaneously forcibly kicking at Huo Shaoheng’s chest. Huo Shaoheng would have to step back if he wanted to avoid being kicked, then He Zhichu could seize the opportunity to lock him out and teach him a lesson!
Yet he did not expect Huo Shaoheng to hold his balance as steady as a mountain, then quickly deliver a powerful flying kick towards him. In an unexpected twist, He Zhichu was the one who had to take a step back so he didn’t lose his balance. Taking advantage of He Zhichu’s retreat, Huo Shaoheng entered He Zhichu’s residence and rushed to the room where Gu Nianzhi was.
When He Zhichu finally regained his balance, Huo Shaoheng had already entered the guest room. He Zhichu sneered and wiped the blood from his mouth, then closed the door and went into his bedroom to check the injuries he had sustained from the physical alteration just now.
…
Huo Shaoheng came to the room where Gu Nianzhi was, and as soon as he entered, he saw that she was sleeping serenely on the bed, wrapped in a quilt, and had a small ice pack across her forehead. Her breathing was even and steady, her brows were relaxed, and her lips appeared plump. Except for the fact that her face was too pale, he couldn’t tell that she was sick simply from her appearance.
Huo Shaoheng watched her from the door for a while, then slowly walked towards Gu Nianzhi’s bed. Huo Shaoheng bent down and took off the ice pack, then he touched her forehead with the back of his hand. Even though her forehead had been covered with an ice pack all that time, her forehead was still scorching hot.
Huo Shaoheng looked around the room and saw a small first-aid kit placed not far away from the bed. The pill box was half open, so Huo Shaoheng figured He Zhichu had probably used it. Huo Shaoheng walked over, found the electronic thermometer, and took it from the box to use on Gu Nianzhi.
The thermometer read 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Huo Shaoheng was relieved, as her fever was not as severe as he had anticipated. He had seen Gu Nianzhi burning with more “explosive” temperatures during fevers in the past, so 40 degrees was indeed not that “severe” for her. Yet fevers could catastrophically damage a person’s vitality. Even if 40 degrees was not the highest temperature for Gu Nianzhi, the torturous burning sensation experienced by her body was no different from what other people experienced.
He stared at her lips. Her lips appeared so tender and delicate, like petals in appearance yet fluffy as a feather, as if they would be blown away by the slightest gust of wind. When he thought of He Zhichu’s harsh words of “visiting her grave on his behalf,” Huo Shaoheng felt bitter and sour. He pursed his lips tightly, put the ice pack back on her forehead, and then reached into the quilt and touched her back. It was still hot, but there was no sweat. The fever wouldn’t subside if she wasn’t sweating. Huo Shaoheng originally wanted to take Gu Nianzhi back with him, but when he saw her like that, he knew he couldn’t just take her away in that condition.
He Zhichu came over, knocked on the door, and said, “I made coffee. Would you like to drink a little?”
Huo Shaoheng was not sleepy at all, and it was unlike him to eat and drink food prepared by others without caution. He waved his hand and said, “No, thank you.”
He Zhichu was not surprised by his reaction. He Zhichu carried the cup of black coffee, sat down on the other side, and asked Huo Shaoheng courteously, “Did you ask her to go with the German delegation to China today?”
Huo Shaoheng was momentarily speechless. He stared at Gu Nianzhi without blinking, then slowly shook his head as he said, “If I said no, would you believe it?”
“I believe it. Why wouldn’t I?” He Zhichu shrugged. “Reinitz was there. If you asked her to go to the banquet knowing that he would be there, then I really misjudged you.”
Both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng knew very well what Reinitz was capable of. Neither of them believed for a second that he had any sincere feelings for Gu Nianzhi.
They were all men, so they all knew how to feign interest. If Gu Nianzhi had been a naive little girl, then Reinitz would have seized the opportunity to take advantage of her.
Huo Shaoheng remembered the scene he witnessed on the big screen in C City, and that sullen feeling in his heart he had first felt was still lingering inside him. However, he didn’t bring it up with He Zhichu and merely asked, “Why did Professor He go to the Senate to pick up Gu Nianzhi?” His question was shrewd and straight to the point, and it momentarily left He Zhichu at a loss for words.
After a while, He Zhichu spit out, “I just couldn’t stand Reinitz’s pretension. If I hadn’t gone, then it would be Reinitz instead of me taking care of her here today.”
Huo Shaoheng looked up sharply, and while looking at He Zhichu, his voice went flat. “What are you talking about? What happened?”
All Reinitz and Gu Nianzhi did was have a light toast at the banquet. How did things progress and escalate to the extent that he was on the verge of taking care of her while she was sick?! Huo Shaoheng couldn’t figure out what he had missed.
“Nianzhi saw the aurora in C City, and it greatly disturbed her,” He Zhichu said in a matter-of-fact manner. “She had a nightmare in the middle of the night and was persistently calling for her father.”
Huo Shaoheng was dumbfounded.
