Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The stares of her classmates in the classroom were like a spotlight. Gu Nianzhi couldn’t stand it anymore and acquiesced to Huo Shaoheng quietly. “Huo Shao, it’s my fault. Can we leave now?”
“Your fault? What did you do?” Huo Shaoheng sat there as still as a statue. He averted his gaze from Gu Nianzhi’s direction but kept her in view from the corner of his eyes.
Gu Nianzhi thought about it. She really had apologized too quickly. Had she even made a mistake here? She only wanted to experience dating like her other classmates got to… But she discovered it really wasn’t appropriate when she attempted it. Huo Shao wasn’t a normal student, so it was a major mistake to apply the standards of how normal people dated to him. She couldn’t have her cake and eat it, too. How could she be so greedy? Gu Nianzhi’s mind spun because she now understood that she had really been in the wrong.
“Huo Shao…” Gu Nianzhi pulled the corner of Huo Shaheng’s shirt from under the table, her expression nervous. “I shouldn’t have made that kind of request of you… I won’t do it again…”
Huo Shaoheng glanced at her and took her hand calmly. “There’s no such thing as ‘shouldn’t have,’ it’s only whether you are willing or not.”
Gu Nianzhi’s heart warmed as she glanced at him. “When did Huo Shao get so articulate?”
“Was I not articulate before?” Huo Shaoheng stood up and put his phone back into his pocket as he helped Gu Nianzhi carry her backpack.
Gu Nianzhi put her laptop into the bag with a smile and carried it before walking out of the classroom with Huo Shaoheng. It was already evening by the time they returned to Gu Nianzhi’s dorm. Huo Shaoheng walked her out of the car and gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Wait for me to come home.”
Gu Nianzhi nodded seriously. “Huo Shao, take care.”
“Call Big Xiong if you need anything.” Huo Shaoheng reminded her, “Little Ze is coming with me, so you can’t contact him, either.”
Gu Nianzhi understood they were on official business, so any unanticipated disturbances could result in catastrophic losses. To Gu Nianzhi, this was incredibly important. She wanted nothing less than to give Huo Shaoheng trouble, so she wouldn’t disturb him while he was away on business, no matter how bad the situation was. “I’ll wait for you to come home.” Gu Nianzhi ignored the people milling past the building and got on her tiptoes to kiss Huo Shaoheng’s cheek.
Huo Shaoheng hugged her back. “Go inside.”
Gu Nianzhi walked into the entrance of the dorm building, and when she got into the elevator, she turned around to see Huo Shaoheng still watching her quietly from the car parked in front of the building. She couldn’t help turning around and walking up to Huo Shaoheng. “Huo Shao, why aren’t you getting into the car?”
“I’ll watch you go inside.” Huo Shaoheng smoothed her hair, his deep and mesmerizing eyes gradually softening. Leaning over, he kissed her on the forehead. “Be good.”
Gu Nianzhi hugged his waist and leaned against his chest to listen to his quiet but steady heartbeat. She told herself to be brave and independent. She must wait for him to… come home. After a long time, she arched her neck and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had already calmed down. “I’m going upstairs now. Huo Shao, you should go, too. Call me when you get back.”
“Ok, I’ll be going, then.” Huo Shaoheng looked at his watch to see it was about time. He still had to rush back to the base and get his supplies and identification, then make it to the airport. No longer hesitating, Huo Shaoheng got into the car and waved at Gu Nianzhi before starting it and speeding away.
In the end, Gu Nianzhi ended up standing in front of the building to watch him leave. When she could no longer see Huo Shaoheng’s car, she finally walked back to the dorm with her head hung. They hadn’t even separated officially yet, and she was already miserable from missing him. Gu Nianzhi knocked her head in warning. She couldn’t obsess too much over Huo Shaoheng. He had a job, and so did she. She couldn’t let love over take her mind and waste her life. But love was not a faucet that could be easily turned on or off at one’s whim. It was normal to lose control over one’s emotions.
Opening the dorm door, Gu Nianzhi saw Ma Qiqi walk out of her room with dripping wet hair. “Hmm? Nianzhi is back? Why do you look so dejected?” Ma Qiqi noticed something with Gu Nianzhi was amiss. “Why are you sad?”
Gu Nianzhi touched her cheek. “Is it that obvious?”
“Of course. You’re just missing the words, ‘I’m miserable’ on your forehead in bold letters.” Ma Qiqi gestured at her face with a giggle. “Tell me if something’s bothering you. I’m the caring friend who can help you analyze it.”
Gu Nianzhi pushed her gently with a smile. “It’s fine. Go dry your hair or you’ll get cold. I’m ok, I was just tired from doing too much homework.”
Ma Qiqi finally saw that Gu Nianzhi was carrying a laptop bag and wearing a backpack. She exhaled sharply and shouted in an exaggerated tone, “Nianzhi, you’re amazing for going to study, even on Sunday! You are a walking example of being smarter and working harder! But how will the normal, simple people like me even live?!”
“Even live? You’re exaggerating. Aren’t you living rather nicely?” Gu Nianzhi giggled with her a bit before going to her room and shutting the door.
Ma Qiqi also hurried back to her own room to dry her hair. She had an evening date with the older classmate interested in her, and they were going to the campus hall to see the Moscow National Ballet perform. This time they were playing her favorite, “The Nutcracker,” so she wanted to enjoy it fully.
After going back to her room, Gu Nianzhi took out her laptop and continued doing homework. She lost herself in her studies and had no stray thoughts, so time passed by especially quickly. By the time she finally finished her paper, it was already past 9pm.
At the same moment, Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze had boarded a plane to the United States. Both he and Zhao Liangze had put on disguises, and of course, while their identification was fake, the visas were genuine. Huo Shaoheng’s face was disguised. His nose had a high bridge to begin with, and now that it was padded, it appeared jarring and reduced his attractiveness. His jawline was also padded to form a boxy square-shaped face and paired with specially-equipped black-framed glasses, he appeared to be a normal IT engineer at first glance. Even Gu Nianzhi would have a hard time recognizing him. Zhao Liangze was also in disguise and also wore specially-equipped black-framed glasses that made his nose appear a bit squashed. The corners of his mouth always drooped as he constantly chatted away.
The two men sat in the economy class of the international flight, and just like all the other normal people, there was nothing noticeable about them. They were using the identity of employees of a Huaxia Imperial private enterprise with a branch in New York. They carried L-1 visas for high-level employees of multinational companies.
After a full 12-hour flight, they arrived in New York at a little past 7pm. Once they got through customs, the employee from the private enterprise held up a large sign by the exit to greet them. Zhao Liangze saw the sign and pulled Huo Shaoheng’s sleeve. “Huo Shao, this way, please.”
Huo Shaoheng followed him over. A woman in her mid-forties had come to greet them, and she asked curiously, “Mr. Huo and Mr. Zhao?”
Huo Shaoheng nodded. “Thank you. Where are we staying tonight?”
“I already booked the Hilton Hotel for you. You can stay there for the first few days and move once the company finds a place for you.” The middle-aged woman was very chatty and continued to explain the company situation to them during the entire ride. She emphasized how the company was working well and making lots of money.
Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze listened to her intently and chimed in from time to time. The middle-aged woman was actually also a member of the Special Operations Forces. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been asked to pick up Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. She only knew that these two men were colleagues from the Special Ops, and because they were in disguise, she didn’t actually know their true identities. “Enjoy your stay. We can talk about the rest tomorrow.” The woman briefed them with a smile before leaving the hotel.
As soon as she left, Zhao Liangze took out all his devices to check the security and to see if there were eavesdropping devices the room, as usual. He then drew the curtains and made the plan for the next day. “Huo Shao, tomorrow someone will be taking us to Tan Guiren’s dorm at Juilliard to have a look.” Zhao Liangze reported the next day’s plan to Huo Shaoheng.
Huo Shaoheng answered, “Go sleep now. We are going to the scene tomorrow and have to be very careful.”
