0069 78 Bone-heavy, divinely cold, heavenly temple artifact

At the entrance of the Great Hall of the People, vehicles come and go, and judging from their license plates, these people are either rich or powerful.

Inside the Golden Hall.

The wedding venue was already decorated, but unlike the romance of the engagement party, the wedding was more solemn and magnificent. Golden light was embedded in the ceiling of the conference hall, and the red carpet was festive yet also somewhat serious.

The footsteps on the carpet were soft, but the crowd was large and the noise was considerable. Perhaps because the wedding venue was indeed somewhat unusual, everyone wore a smile, but inwardly they felt like they were there for a meeting. They gathered in small groups, discussing recent events and gossip.

As Ye Rouxin entered the golden hall, she attracted a lot of attention. After all, she was a member of the Ye family, and her swaggering appearance at the Ling family wedding was somewhat puzzling. Ye Rouxin ignored their gazes and walked straight inside.

As Ye Rouxin walked down the slope, she observed the people attending the wedding. Not many were the bride's friends; most were relatives of officials close to the Ling family. Since it was inconvenient for the officials to attend in person, their relatives' presence represented them.

After walking a few steps, several men in black suits appeared out of nowhere—they were wearing headphones with transparent wires disappearing into their collars, clearly security guards—and blocked Ye Rouxin's path.

"Mr. Ye, hello, the bride and groom's dressing room is just inside..."

Ye Rouxin nodded. "I know. I'm friends with the bride and groom. There's nothing wrong with me going over to say hello, is there?"

"Secretary Ling instructed that it's best not to disturb them before the wedding begins."

Ye Rouxin smiled, "Since Secretary Ling has given the instructions, then please take me to meet Secretary Ling."

The guards exchanged a glance. "Please wait a moment, I'll go ask."

One of the guards walked away, and Ye Rouxin pulled out a chair next to her, sat down, crossed her legs, and looked around at the people. Those who met Ye Rouxin's gaze quickly looked away. Ye Rouxin was already someone they were paying attention to, not to mention that a group of guards had blocked her way, making quite a show of force.

"How many people came to this wedding? Are there seven or eight hundred?" Ye Rouxin suddenly turned to ask them.

The guards remained silent, as if they hadn't heard him.

Ye Rouxin raised an eyebrow and looked over, then shook her toes. "Tsk...you really are the Ling family's good dogs, your character is exactly the same as your master's."

The guard's expression shifted, but he remained silent. Ye Rouxin didn't speak again, leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed. Continuing would be taciturn, and it would make her seem like she was there to cause trouble. But Ye Rouxin had no interest in the bride or the groom, and she wasn't planning to steal the bride; she was merely there to "comfort" the Ye family's enemies.

If he ruined someone's wedding, Ye Rouxin wasn't sure if he could leave here alive. Thinking of this, he chuckled.

Looking around, Ye Rouxin noticed that at least seventy of the hundred people were bodyguards. With her eyes closed, she listened carefully to the sounds around her. A hurried footstep came from afar; it must be that bodyguard. As the footsteps drew closer, the heavy thumping sounds grew louder.

"Mr. Ye, please come with me."

Ye Rouxin didn't open her eyes, but a smile flickered across her lips for a second.

"Mr. Ye?"

Ye Rouxin slowly opened her eyes, stretched like a fox that had just woken up, and stood up. "Let's go."

"Smack—"

The lighter clicked, and a flame shot up.

"Smack—"

The flame disappeared again.

After several rounds, Ling Xingzhi watched Ye Rouxin's little tricks with a smile on his lips and no impatience in his eyes.

"We have received the gifts from the Ling family, thank you."

Ye Rouxin glanced at Ling Xingzhi, put away the lighter, and said, "Those are their gifts. I also brought a generous gift for you." He slowly reached into his pocket, took out a USB drive, and placed it on the table.

Ling Xingzhi's gaze fell on the USB drive. "What do you mean by this?"

Ye Rouxin sighed, leaned back in her chair, and tapped her fingers on the armrests as if dancing. Then she yawned and said lazily, "Why don't you just take a look and see?"

The door to the lounge opened, and laughter drifted out. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Secretary Ling. It's an honor to be your friend... I won't be attending the wedding. I wish the newlyweds a long and happy marriage..."

Ling Xingzhi got up to see the guest off. His attitude was as calm and gentle as ever, but Ye Rouxin's attitude had changed very obviously.

"Then I won't see you off. I'll have my guards escort you out. Be careful on your way."

After giving instructions, Ling Xingzhi stopped and waited until Ye Rouxin's figure disappeared before turning back to speak to the guards. "You can go about your business," he said, then turned and walked to the other side. His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, but the smile on his lips gradually disappeared, and his eyes became gloomy, like a deep sea with turbulent waves.

Ye Rouxin had just walked out of the Great Hall of the People when a car pulled up at the entrance, and Xue Cheng got out.

"Mr. Ye, the minister sent me to pick you up."

Ye Rouxin looked left and right before finally casting a few glances at Xue Cheng. "Pick me up? I think you've been waiting for me here all along... You dare to kidnap me in broad daylight?"

Xue Cheng smiled and said, "You're joking. The minister said it's not safe for you here. Whether you go back to Cuba or to the United States, I'll take you there."

Upon hearing this, Ye Rouxin nodded without any anger and said cooperatively, "I'm going to Panama, so I'll have to trouble you with the visa and plane ticket."

"Okay," Xue Cheng stepped aside, opened the car door, and invited Ye Rouxin to get in.

Ye Rouxin was very sensible. There were so many of them that she knew she couldn't beat them or escape. So she decided to ask them to do her a favor, which would save her the trouble of dealing with the visa herself.

"By the way, I need a new name for my visa and passport."

Xue Cheng nodded and closed the car door.

A deafening roar swept past, the sound seeming to burst forth from the head.

As the sound faded, everything around him trembled.

Zhou Pei suddenly woke up with a start.

What met his eyes was still the same small square window, white walls, hard bed, and a simple toilet and washbasin. A throbbing pain shot through his head, and Zhou Pei frowned. His lips were already chapped, and the door to the left of the bed remained tightly closed.

He was locked up for four days, and food was delivered to him every day, but no one told him what was going on.

On the day he left Beijing, he boarded a plane. Upon arriving in Lanzhou, he lost consciousness as soon as he boarded the helicopter. When he awoke, he was trapped in this room. Looking out from the small square windows, all he could see was a meadow and scattered trees.

He is in the south.

Zhou Pei quickly calmed down. He didn't know why this person had imprisoned him, but he was certain there was no danger. Sometimes, he could hear the sound of airplanes. Listening to these sounds, Zhou Pei felt more and more that he was trapped in a war zone.

The rumbling sounds at night could be from tanks running over, or the explosions could be from a drill. In any case, Zhou Pei felt he was not in danger. As for who arrested him and why, Zhou Pei thought about it for a moment. The most classified information he had ever handled was about Tibet.

How could the South's influence reach so far? It couldn't be spies arresting him; something else must be waiting for him. He decided to face whatever came his way, to calm himself down and not worry about himself at all. Then, his mind started wandering back to Zhou Xiye's upcoming marriage.

He thought he had acted impulsively, which was why he couldn't accept it. Now, calming down, he still couldn't accept it. But there was nothing he could do. He didn't have the qualifications or ability to have Zhou Xiye for life. He kept thinking about finding Zhou Xiye and asking her clearly: was it because he wasn't strong enough to give her a strong support that she chose someone else?

But asking like that would only cause him unnecessary trouble, because it was the truth. Zhou Pei smiled self-deprecatingly. She was his sister, so good to him, she couldn't bear to say a harsh word to him.

When the roaring sound came again at night, Zhou Pei couldn't sleep; the sound was like a cry from the depths of his heart. Zhou Pei was also secretly relieved that they would lock him up after Zhou Xiye's marriage. If they released him before her wedding, he would definitely go out and steal the bride.

Then, he would definitely take Zhou Xiye to a place where no one knew them, whether to imprison her or not, or if she was willing, the two of them had to live together.

There can be no one among them.

Thinking this way, Zhou Pei began to envision what it would be like for the two of them to live together. He knew that for the first two months, they would make love day and night, and it definitely wouldn't be enough. He knew that he had to do it with her for two months first, and after that, he would go out and find a job, and Zhou Xiye could do whatever she wanted.

Ideally, we should work together so I can see her during the day, 24 hours a day.

Where to live? Zhou Pei turned over. Zhou Xiye liked places with distinct seasons... What kind of house? What kind of house did she like? He really didn't know. Zhou Xiye never cared about the style of her room. She just felt that a quilt, an air conditioner, and Wi-Fi were enough for her to live in.

Then decorate it according to his preferred style.

My thoughts were racing when I suddenly heard the sound of gears turning at the doorway.

Zhou Pei sat up, his eyes sharp and wary. The person who entered startled him slightly. "General Hu?"

General Hu, Hu Jing smiled and asked, "How have you been these past few days?"

On the white wall with red characters, Zhou Pei stared at the twelve characters in a daze.

"This is a task assigned to you by the country, and Jiang Yunpeng has agreed," Hu Jing said, placing the documents in front of Zhou Pei. "And you? What are your thoughts?"

Zhou Pei withdrew his gaze and looked down at the red seal on the kraft paper: "Top Secret," the highest level of the three-level security classification. Zhou Pei looked up at Hu Jing, whose chin was already covered in stubble and whose appearance was disheveled, but whose heart was very determined.

"If I open this file, is there no turning back?"

General Hu nodded, adopting an attitude of sacred inviolability, "The Taiwan issue must be resolved in the future. The recent actions of the United States have crossed our bottom line. Soon there will be an exercise in the Eastern Theater Command. Your mission is to use this exercise to complete a top-secret mission."

Zhou Pei pushed the documents back. He had made up his mind that once he accepted this task, his plans to steal the bride and escape with Zhou Xiye would fall through.

“It seems that these few days of confinement have not dulled your spirit,” Hu Jing said calmly. “Do you know why Jiang Yunpeng pushed you here? He is grooming you as his successor. After this task is completed, you can marry his daughter and power will be within your grasp.”

Zhou Pei chuckled lightly, "Power is not important to me."

"Zhou Xiye likes it."

Suddenly, Zhou Pei lifted his eyelids to look at her, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. "I will not use myself to gain power."

"She will."

"Then I must not betray myself."

Hu Jing stared at him. "Then how will you repay her? She raised you, educated you, and sent you to the army. Wasn't she just cultivating a pawn that she could use? You're an idiot. A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on. Your heart and eyes are full of her, but she just abandoned you at the crucial moment. You still want to risk your life for a sister like that?"

Zhou Pei showed no anger whatsoever. How could an outsider possibly comment on the relationship between Zhou Xiye and himself? "General Hu, using provocation is not a good way to negotiate for me—especially when it involves my sister. You'd better give me some tempting terms."

Hu Jing understood his meaning: "After this task is completed, if you don't want to marry Jiang Yunpeng's daughter, you will have more leverage."

"Can I get a promotion?"

Hu Jing smiled. "What do you think?"

Zhou Pei lowered his eyes. Which was better, a forced marriage or a promotion? Hu Jing was right. Zhou Xiye loved power. If he forced her to leave, even if she didn't resent him, she would never be happy. Zhou Xiye wasn't the type to settle down. He had known that all along.

Looking at Zhou Pei, who was deep in thought, Hu Jing felt confident of victory and picked up the tea beside him to take a sip.

A few seconds later, Zhou Pei picked up the top-secret document that was placed between the two of them and tore it open in two.