Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Yamaguchi Youko?! She was actually still alive!” Yin Shixiong almost knocked the wine glass off the bar when he jumped up. “Is it true?! That Yamaguchi Aiko was actually Yamaguchi Youko?!”
Yamaguchi Youko and Yamaguchi Aiko were both being investigated by the Special Operations Forces, so Yin Shixiong considered the possibility.
“It’s almost certain.” Huo Shaoheng calmly set down his wine glass before standing up. “So we must leave here as soon as possible to safely escort Gu Xiangwen back.”
Yin Shixiong understood what Huo Shaoheng implied. “Mr. Huo, you want to do it earlier…?”
“Right. I’m only telling you—the operation the day after tomorrow is not a drill but the real thing,” Huo Shaoheng replied as he strode out. His tall and strapping back faced Yin Shixiong; it seemed like it could bear all the burdens of the world.
Yin Shixiong sat alone in the half-lit bar, carefully mulling over the entire operation the day after tomorrow. He was shocked to find that there was pressure even though they were changing it to a formal operation. And because they had informed Gu Yanran that it was just a visit, even she was fooled…
“Hahaha! Amazing! This is amazing!” Yin Shixiong’s mood brightened. Downing the remaining wine in the bottle with his lifted glass, he stumbled drunkenly back to the living room to rest.
The next day, Gu Nianzhi woke up very late. She was only awakened because of He Zhichu’s visit.
…
“Professor He is here?” Gu Nianzhi quickly got up to dress and hurried to the bathroom to wash up. She chose a heavy silk dress in marine blue to hide her pale complexion for He Zhichu’s visit.
He Zhichu sat on a sofa in the corner of the living room, chatting with Yin Shixiong. Gu Nianzhi quickly glanced over to find that Huo Shaoheng wasn’t anywhere to be found. She didn’t ask anything else before walking over to He Zhichu with a nod. “Professor He, I was about to go see you. I didn’t expect you to come.”
He Zhichu nodded, regarding Gu Nianzhi from head to toe with a faint smile. “Nianzhi, how are you feeling? Are you still in pain?”
Gu Nianzhi had a fair complexion, and because she was physically exhausted, her skin was devoid of any color. But the marine blue color only made her appear slightly fragile instead of haggard. Gu Nianzhi extended her hand with a smile and spun around. “See, I’m totally fine. I made Professor He worry.”
He Zhichu beckoned her to sit down. “Don’t take it too lightly, and make sure to rest for another two days. I just came to see you and will be going back to the Empire now.”
“Professor He is leaving?” Hu Nianzi sat next to He Zhichu. “You’re not going to stay a few more days?”
He Zhichu keenly sensed that Gu Nianzhi was treating him differently than before. Gone were the constantly shunning and evasion, she now regarded him normally like her other friends. She didn’t give him any special treatment, but he was already delighted by this fact. His biggest gain on this trip was to have Gu Nianzhi treat him normally. “No, I came here suddenly, and there are still many things to take care of at school. I can’t leave your fellow classmates alone for too long.” He Zhichu gave a half smile and glanced at her before taking the initiative to say, “Are you curious why I came to Barbados?”
Gu Nianzhi smiled sheepishly. “Then will Professor He unravel the mystery for me?”
“Of course.” He Zhichu rested a hand on the back of the sofa, crossing his legs and leaning into the sofa. He looked at Gu Nianzhi. “It was a simple inference. I had just helped you obtain the medical records and dental records of the youngest daughter from the Gu family in Barbados, Gu Nianzhi-—then Mr. Huo made a visit to Cuba. I already knew back then that he had an ulterior motive for the trip, and next was the incident of Prime Minister Dou at the airport. Gu Yanran rushed back to Barbados, and then you request a vacation right after. When I called you, your phone was already outside of the service area. If I still couldn’t guess where you went, then I would have no right to be your instructor.”
Gu Nianzhi blinked in thought for a while and asked quizzically, “Fine. But even if you guessed that I came to Barbados, then… How did you manage to come to the blue hole’s waters near Barbados at the perfect moment?”
Before they’d left, they had only told the consulate staff that they were going out to sea to fish and barbecue crabs. Huo Shaoheng and his men diving in the blue hole’s waters was a secret operation, so they didn’t mention it to anyone.
This was not an easy question to answer, and it was easy to reveal too much if he wasn’t careful. Luckily, He Zhichu had already prepared well for the question before coming. “That can only be said to be a coincidence.” He Zhichu calmly leaned over to pick up the coffee cup from the table and take a sip. “I originally wanted to find you, but then the consulate staff told me that you went out to sea to fish for crabs. I had my staff check the whereabouts of all the commercial and private ships that went out to sea in Barbados today, then easily found the location of your Millennium Ota.”
Gu Nianzhi quietly agreed. “What did Professor He need me for?”
He stared at her fixedly, his eyes only reflecting her. “I came to see if you needed any help since I know this place better than you, after all.” The Hes were the underground godfather, of South America, so He Zhichu was certainly powerful enough to do anything he wanted here.
Gu Nianzhi nodded in conviction and said sincerely, “Thank you so much, Professor He. We really did need your help, and we might not have returned alive if it wasn’t for you.”
“You’re welcome,” He Zhichu said as he glanced at Yin Shixiong who was listening in on their conversation. “Nianzhi is so amazing. You would’ve all survived even if I didn’t come. But without you, there was no way they would’ve survived.”
Yin Shixiong smiled sheepishly. “Yes, that’s right. Without Nianzhi, we would’ve all been goners!”
“Don’t say that, Brother Xiong. You have all saved me many times before, so I was just returning the favor.” Gu Nianzhi didn’t feel nervous in front of He Zhichu and Yin Shixiong, so she acted especially relaxed. She didn’t have to worry about her actions and words offending others or if her posture was not being elegant…
He Zhichu’s face fell. “Nianzhi, you faced many dangers before? Are you saying that Huo Shaoheng couldn’t guarantee your safety even with his power?!”
Gu Nianzhi quickly waved her hands. “No, I didn’t face my dangers. There were a few times when I got dragged into situations as a bystander when Huo Shao, Brother Xiong, and Brother Ze came to help me.”
“Really? For example?” He Zhichu refused to change the topic.
Gu Nianzhi found it hard to talk about, so she mumbled, “Well, Professor He, it was… It was last year when we went on a grad trip that we ran into criminals. It wasn’t anything big…” She instinctively concealed the incident of her being afflicted by an aphrodisiac at Feng Yixi’s birthday banquet. The only reason was that it seemed awkward to tell a man; she wasn’t that open, yet.
“When you finished your undergrad?” He Zhichu frowned in thought. “Why haven’t I heard about it?”
“It was a long time ago and was perfectly resolved. All the gunmen were killed, and the hostages were freed, so everything was good,” Yin Shixiong interjected. “Professor He, our Mr. Huo had personally gotten involved, and typically, this is not the kind of case someone at his level would dabble in!”
“Haha! That’s true. So, it was that incident. I did hear about it once.” He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi with a chuckle. “Nianzhi, when are you coming back?”
“I’ll leave in a few days.” Gu Nianzhi glossed over it because she couldn’t reveal the actual date and time. She also didn’t even know when they were going to leave Barbados and return to the Empire.
“Really?” He Zhichu picked up that she was humoring her but didn’t pursue it any further. “Very well, then. I’ll wait for you at school. You must complete all the homework you left behind.”
“Oh?!” Gu Nianzhi couldn’t help wailing. “No way, Professor He! You especially came here to assign homework for me!”
“That’s right.” He Zhichu stood up in a great mood. “I’ll be leaving first. Call this number if you need anything, and they’ll do everything to help you.” He passed a business card to Gu Nianzhi’s hand. It was a simple design with a passion fruit border around nothing but a phone number.
“Thank you, Professor He.” Gu Nianzhi hesitated before finally accepting the business card.
This time, she truly realized how helpful friends could be when she was in a pinch while away from home. She didn’t refuse He Zhichu’s goodwill because it was better safe than sorry. Gu Nianzhi personally walked He Zhichu out of the consulate and ran into Huo Shaoheng at the door. He was returning from going out.
He was just getting off a cross-country Jeep and wore a camo hunting outfit with a shotgun. He squinted when he saw He Zhichi and Gu Nianzhi come down the steps of the consulate together and walked over to greet them. “Professor He is here. Why don’t you stay for a bit longer?”
“I’m returning to the Empire and wanted to see how Nianzhi was doing today.” He Zhichu was not as aggressive as the other day and appeared elegant and gentle. “Mr. Huo went on a hunt?”
“Yes, I hunted a few wild pheasants at a famous artificial hunting ground in Barbados. I’m going to make a soup to help Nianzhi heal.” Huo Shaoheng turned around to take a few plump, dark grey pheasants out of the Jeep with their wings tied back. He waved them at He Zhichu.
Gu Nianzhi widened her eyes and couldn’t help but swallow hard. These were guinea fowl imported from Guinea in Africa! This was real guinea fowl—a famed delicacy!
