Now, about Hang Yong.
He happened to be passing by and took notice, watching half of what unfolded. In his heart, he was silently screaming, This is bad, this is really bad.
To be honest, he had no idea which one was Commander Lu’s relative.
Afraid that something might go wrong, he could only hurry forward.
Carriage 05.
A man and a woman walked forward shoulder to shoulder. The man looked calm, while panic flickered across the woman’s face.
“Don’t move. Keep walking forward, or you’ll regret it!”
The man said this with a smile, but his tone was vicious.
The woman’s eyes flickered. She pressed her lips tightly, but could only walk forward, unwilling as she was.
She was a researcher from Hua Country, involved in a classified technology.
At this very moment, she was being held hostage by this enemy agent, planning to get off the train at Hai City and leave the country.
Though the man was pressing against her vital points, a flash of resolve crossed her eyes. “Our comrades will surely come to rescue me.”
“Keep dreaming.”
A trace of contempt flashed through the man’s eyes.
Their operation would absolutely never leak.
Besides, apart from him, he had several key operatives stationed at the four corners.
There was a saying in Hua Country that fit perfectly—they had already made everything “foolproof.”
Full of confidence, he spoke in fluent Chinese. “Our technology is the most advanced in the world now, and so are our talents. I’m one of the top experts of our R Country.”
Just then, his eyelid twitched. Something felt off.
Where was the man he had stationed on the east side?
Frowning, his expression shifting—
He and the woman had already reached the corner, passing an elderly man shuffling along slowly.
The corridor was narrow. He said impatiently, “Move aside.”
The old man said in a aged voice, “Young man, don’t rush…”
He slowly shuffled to the side.
“Can you hurry up?”
He finished impatiently, then—”Uh—”
The “old man” suddenly threw a punch, landing hard on his abdomen. Wincing in pain, he was about to strike back, but the other man seemed to have predicted his move. The next second, the old man grabbed his incoming fist and landed another fierce blow to his face.
The “old man” moved with remarkable agility. With just two punches, the man collapsed instantly, silently, without causing any panic.
The researcher was stunned for a moment, then both shocked and overjoyed. “You are…?”
“Lu Zhaoli, Commander of the Third Special Operations Force of Nanyu Island.”
After revealing his identity, Lu Zhaoli had his subordinates take the man into custody. He went to the washroom and changed back into his own clothes. In the mirror appeared a pair of refined, handsome features with sharp, defined contours.
Standing at 1.9 meters tall, his figure was tall and solidly built, his long legs straight and slender, with muscle exactly where it should be—an imposing presence that pressed upon people invisibly.
Just then, Hang Yong walked in. “Commander Lu, do you have a distant relative in Carriage 07? Something happened over there.”
He recounted everything in detail. He had no idea which one was Commander Lu’s relative either.
Lu Zhaoli’s brow furrowed. The makeup on his face had already been wiped off for the most part, though he hadn’t yet had time to change out of the elderly man’s Zhongshan suit. He immediately strode toward Carriage 07.
When he arrived, he saw that beautiful, elegant girl holding the boy in her arms, earnestly treating him, beads of sweat forming on the tip of her nose.
Before long, the boy suddenly burst into loud cries.
He kept staring intently at Shen Zhiyao. She was like a crabapple blossom, standing there gracefully and pure, a gratified smile on her face.
Lu Zhaoli was stunned for a second or two—something that rarely happened to him—and with some difficulty pulled his gaze away, only then realizing that the boy was actually Political Commissar Zhai’s grandson, Zhai Dongdong!
Fortunately, it had been a close call with no real danger. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief and slipped away without a sound.
Having caught the enemy agent, he still had plenty of follow-up work to do—he needed to take him back for interrogation.
As he walked back, his posture was upright, his steps steady, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
So this was the fiancée he’d gotten back in exchange for dissolving the engagement?
Quite capable.
She didn’t stir up trouble, but she wasn’t afraid of it either.
Meanwhile, Zhai Dongdong was still having his face wiped by Fang Guilan with a square handkerchief, tears and snot about to smear all over his mouth. “Gra…nny…”
His chubby little body still felt weak, but his face was full of resignation.
Every time his grandmother washed his face, it nearly suffocated him.
Only then did Fang Guilan let him go.
Once Zhai Dongdong had recovered, he pointed at Shen Zhiyao and said in his childish voice, “This pretty big sister—I bumped into her, I apologized to her, and she didn’t blame me.”
“See, look—there’s still a mark on her arm from where I bumped her!”
He pointed at Shen Zhiyao’s arm, and sure enough, there was a red mark on her fair skin, confirming his story.
“As repayment, I’ve been quiet and haven’t disturbed her while she reads. When I saw other kids making a fuss, I didn’t want them bothering her either! It’s not at all like Sister Zhen said.”
“And besides, Doudou was pushed into it by me. I told him not to disturb the big sister.”
The child’s clear, ringing voice landed like several slaps, striking Mother Zhen hard across the face.
Mother Zhen was utterly mortified, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
They say if a child is untaught, it’s the father’s fault.
Well, if a daughter is untaught, the mother shares the blame too.
It was all because she and Jianguo had spoiled Zhen Zhen.
This daughter had come into the world the hard way—she’d nearly been miscarried several times, and only survived thanks to careful efforts to protect the pregnancy. So they had always indulged her.
When she said she wanted to attend nursing school and become a nurse, they let her. Then afterward she said nursing was too exhausting, that she wanted to take the college entrance exam and go to university.
They didn’t want to give in to her anymore, but who knew the girl would declare she’d rather jump into a pond than be a nurse.
Helpless, they had to arrange for her to take the college entrance exam after all.
Thinking about it now, maybe it was just as well she didn’t become a nurse—otherwise, wouldn’t she have endangered her patients?
Mother Zhen suddenly smacked her palm against Zhen Zhen’s forehead. “Apologize!”
This time Zhen Zhen didn’t dare rebel. The stubborn-mule expression was gone, and she obediently lowered her head. “I’m sorry.”
Shen Zhiyao only gave a cold “Mm.”
She didn’t say anything like “it’s all right.”
She was completely unlike the other girls of this era, which actually made Mother Zhen regard her with a bit more respect.
This girl was neither servile nor arrogant. How unusual.
Zhen Zhen anxiously grabbed at her. “Can’t you forgive me?”
Mother Zhen’s brow twitched violently. “Zhen Zhen!”
On Shen Zhiyao’s soft, fair face there was only indifference. “Whether or not I forgive you is my business, not yours.”
Zhen Zhen was completely out of options.
After hearing what Dr. Chen had said earlier, she finally understood—Shen Zhiyao hadn’t been putting on an act at all; she had real knowledge and skill.
Such a beautiful and capable girl—why couldn’t she be a little kinder and forgive her?
Eagerness flickered in Zhen Zhen’s eyes, but she didn’t dare disturb her again.
Inside, a feeling surged in her—of admiring and fearing Shen Zhiyao all at once.
Fang Guilan led Zhai Dongdong forward. In a loud, clear voice, Zhai Dongdong called out on his own initiative, “Thank you, big sister.”
Only then did Shen Zhiyao smile slightly and pat his fuzzy little head. “As long as you’re all right.”
Zhen Zhen’s eyes stung, and she suddenly felt envious of Zhai Dongdong. She reached into her pocket.