Let's go to Xuzhou to suppress the bandits!

The train station is always bustling in the morning. The long platform corridors are crowded with people, the cries of babies, the farewells of relatives and friends, and the complaints about the hot weather, making the whole platform seem full of life.

Passengers hurried past him. Lu Xian glanced at his watch and the steaming buns and fried dough sticks. There were still 5 minutes before departure. He struggled to squeeze forward and finally managed to get on the train before letting out a sigh of relief.

After passing through the narrow train and opening the compartment door, three people dressed in civilian clothes were seen sitting inside—Gao Junxiao, Chen Yao, and Zhang the adjutant. A topographical map was laid out on the small dining table. When Zhang the adjutant saw the breakfast, his eyes lit up, and he immediately rolled up the map to make room for the food.

In the bustling crowd, a figure in a camel-colored hunting outfit blended in, complete with a black parasol, brown leather trunk, and yellow straw hat. Shiny leather boots pattered on the cement ground, like a scene from a foreign adventure movie.

After the train whistle sounded three times, accompanied by the deafening roar of the train starting up, the carriages began to vibrate rhythmically, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from the hustle and bustle of the city to the lush green of the countryside.

Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door, and everyone assumed it was a train attendant and didn't pay much attention.

"Bonjour (Good morning), gentlemen." Qingcheng's head peeked slightly into the private room, revealing two deep dimples on her rosy face.

The four people in the carriage froze and remained silent, like a still photograph. Suddenly, Zhang, the adjutant, coughed violently. It turned out that the steamed bun he had just put in his mouth was stuck in his throat.

Chen Yao reacted the fastest, pouring Zhang Lieutenant a glass of water while scolding him for being useless. He patiently introduced Zhang Lieutenant to Qingcheng and then asked her why she was in the car.

Kiyosumi proudly pulled a telegram from her pocket and said, "You can see for yourselves. I almost missed my train while waiting for this telegram."

Chen Yao, sitting opposite, picked up the telegram and read it aloud. It turned out that Commander Xiong had instructed the Publicity Department and the Political and Economic Section of the State Council to jointly produce a special report on the bandit suppression. Gao Junxiao hadn't expected that she had actually obtained Commander Xiong's order.

"Last time, Inspector Gao promised me an exclusive report on the bandit suppression. A gentleman's word is his bond." Qingcheng, ever the friendly one, plopped down next to Lu Xian. Lu Xian could only silently lean towards the window, accidentally squeezing into Gao Junxiao's window again. Caught between the two, Lu Xian resignedly forced a bitter smile.

"What's wrong with you? Who sent you?" Gao Junxiao said rudely, but moved closer to the window.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Chen Yao asked, "Qingcheng, you don't want to be a war correspondent, do you?"

These words immediately alerted Gao Junxiao, who stared intently at He Qingcheng. If she dared to say "yes," he would definitely kick her off the train at the next stop. What was this little girl doing as a war correspondent?

Seemingly sensing Gao Junxiao's murderous gaze, Qingcheng fearlessly glared back at him, then reached out her hand to the door and beckoned, "Xiao Li, come in, I'll introduce you to some of your superiors."

No wonder she didn't close the door earlier; she had an accomplice with her. A young man with a camera around his neck and black-rimmed glasses walked in. He closed the door behind him and introduced himself as Li Raotang.

Gao Junxiao remembered this person; wasn't he the one who had been kidnapped by bandits, fainted from fright, and then took random photos at Mr. Tang's ball?

Qingcheng enthusiastically introduced Xiao Li to everyone, saying he was the most capable reporter under her command—by "capable," she meant the fastest runner. She added that as a war correspondent, it was best to live and eat with the soldiers to preserve the most precious documentary footage, and that it was easier for a male reporter.

That makes sense. Gao Junxiao thought that since the commander had given the order, they should bring one more person. It didn't matter that Reporter Li was timid; he could train her.

"You all just take Xiao Li and train him normally every day. He will work hard to become a qualified war correspondent and will definitely not hold the bandit suppression team back," Qingcheng said, patting his chest.

"Wait a minute, since it's a male reporter accompanying the military, why is He Qingcheng also getting on the bus to join in the fun?" Gao Junxiao gave Qingcheng a look, signaling her to go outside to talk. Qingcheng was currently dressed in hunting attire and leather boots, looking like she was going on an adventure into the deep mountains and forests, which was very strange.

At the connecting point between the carriages, Gao Junxiao beckoned to Qingcheng with his finger, and as she approached, he preemptively asked, "Miss He, may I ask which mountain valley you're going to explore dressed like this?"

The sunlight shone brightly on Qingcheng's face, making her smile even more radiant. With her hands behind her back, she explained that she was on her way to interview German mine owners in Tongshan. She wondered why the Germans had recovered so quickly after the war; shouldn't we learn from them? As the chief writer for the political and economic section, she felt obligated to report on their advanced experiences.

Mentioning Tongshan would have been fine, but the moment it was mentioned, Gao Junxiao exploded: "You're not allowed to go! The Tongshan mining area is in chaos. There's a large-scale battle going on in the Central Plains, and refugees are constantly pouring into Jiangnan from the west of the mining area. Several hills to the north of the mining area are still occupied by bandits. Do you even know what fear is?"

“I know, it’s a dot, a vertical stroke, a left-falling stroke, a vertical stroke, a horizontal stroke, a right-falling stroke, a horizontal stroke. The Shuowen Jiezi says: ‘怕’ (pà) means ‘to be fearless.’ It is composed of ‘心’ (xīn, heart) and ‘白’ (bái, white) as the phonetic component.” Qingcheng deliberately used his professional expertise to explain the word ‘怕’ thoroughly, and then added in a low voice, “I understand German.”

Does knowing German ward off evil spirits? Gao Junxiao was so angry at her nonchalant attitude that he spun around in a circle. After finally calming down, he couldn't believe that such a large newspaper as Shen Bao couldn't find another person who knew German. If all else failed, he could find a translator.

"Where are there so many journalists who understand both German and economics?" Qingcheng blamed her boss for all the problems with Gao Junxiao. Mr. Shi was a capitalist; more people meant more travel expenses. Even if they hired someone locally, wouldn't translation fees be free? Did they think their boss was stupid?

"Are you stupid, being exploited like this by your boss?" Gao Junxiao tapped Qingcheng's head with exasperation. "I'm going to fight a war, not to travel and have fun. I don't have time to take care of you. Get off at the next stop."

"Of course I don't need you to take care of me while I'm on a business trip." Qingcheng slapped the man's hand away, her face changing, two flames burning in her eyes. "Why should I listen to you when I get off the car? How can you be so dictatorial?"

"What did you say? I'm a dictator. If you get into danger, I won't be able to face your family." Gao Junxiao's heart sank.

"Can't you wish me well for once? I'll be in Xuzhou tonight. Our newspaper has a special car to pick me up and drop me off at the mining area. What could possibly go wrong?" Qingcheng declared as she put her hands on her hips and cornered Gao Junxiao. "Besides, whoever is good at writing news gets the job. Everyone speaks based on their abilities. I, Jin Xiaoyin, am the most professional political and economic reporter in the newspaper."

He Qingcheng practically had her professionalism written all over her face. Because she was making so much noise, she attracted the attention of passersby, and even the train conductor came to check on her. Gao Junxiao quickly pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

Under the train conductor's questioning gaze, Gao Junxiao finally saw the person off. Then, he patted Qingcheng's head and whispered, "That's not what I meant. I was really worried about you. Don't wander around in dangerous places. It will distract me when I'm fighting bandits."

"Then I'll trouble you to focus all your energy on suppressing the bandits. On behalf of the local people, I thank you, Inspector Gao." While she still had some sense left, Qingcheng took the matter seriously and, not daring to look at his disappointed expression, fled the scene as if her life depended on it.

In the second-class carriage, Kiyosumi rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the ever-changing clouds outside the window, a faint sense of melancholy in her eyes, her thoughts drifting back to three days ago.

A sharp whistle pierced the quiet night sky, and hurried footsteps echoed through the narrow, dark alley. A tearing pain shot through her chest, but the footsteps behind her grew closer. Qingcheng could only muster the last of her strength and run desperately.

The street in front of her spun rapidly. She leaned against a dark corner, holding her breath, and only let out a long sigh of relief when the sounds of pursuit faded into the distance. She didn't know which traitor had informed her, which had led to the search by the police in the concession. Everyone had hurriedly evacuated from the church after receiving a tip from the lookout.

No wonder Lao Wang made her practice running first. Qingcheng stood up shakily, leaning against the wall, her heart still pounding, and her stomach was also throbbing with pain.

In the silence, apart from his own breathing, he heard a very faint sound behind him, like a mouse dragging something. He thought to himself, "No way, they're still here?" But he couldn't fire his gun; the sound would attract more police.

Just as the other person was about to pat him on the shoulder, he swung his pistol at the other person's head. Unexpectedly, the other person snatched the pistol and covered Qingcheng's mouth. Only then did Qingcheng see that the person had knocked the other person's hand away. He muttered, "You're crazy, Section Chief Wang, you scared me to death."

"Why are you getting more and more reckless? Is this how you use a gun? Oh dear! You're even looking at people sideways. That's a bad habit." The man who came was Wang Renyong, who had just returned from an inspection tour of Northeast China. He still had his signature smug smile on his face, but his accent had become a little strange.

"If you need anything, just call me. Come on, let's find a quiet place to talk." Qingcheng shook her hand, which was twisted in pain, and snatched the pistol from Wang Renyong, then put it back in her waistband.

"Alright, please go ahead." Wang Renyong smiled and gestured like a waiter serving a customer.

Moonlight streamed through the stained glass, casting beautiful shadows on the floor. Ai Rui Rui drew the red velvet curtains and poured two glasses of cold water for the two of them. Qing Cheng sat on the sofa, polishing a gun with a handkerchief. Old Wang's eyes hadn't left Ai Rui Rui since he entered the room.

"Stop staring, your eyes are practically popping out of their sockets. What fun things are there to do in Northeast China?" Qingcheng couldn't help but tease Old Wang for his infatuated look.

"It's fun, but am I just here to have fun? Our group members sneak out at night and have to pretend to be CC people during the day. Ugh, it's tough!" Wang Renyong's words were clearly meant for Ai Ruirui, but she didn't react at all, silently sweeping the floor with her back to the two of them.

"Stop complaining. You're the section chief. It's a fine tradition of our Party for leaders to take the lead in enduring hardship," Qingcheng teased, putting his gun back.

"What kind of tradition is this? I don't know anything about it. I don't acknowledge it." Wang Renyong, a grown man, actually threw a tantrum on the sofa. Only after being surrounded by the disdainful looks of the two ladies did he calm down and sit up straight. He then changed the subject and asked Qingcheng, "When are you going to submit your marriage application? She's already bought her wedding ring."

"Huh? Gao Junxiao proposed to you." Ai Ruirui threw down the broom and sat down next to Qingcheng, asking with concern.

"You're really well-informed. Yes, that's true. But he just tentatively asked if we wanted to get engaged first. I pretended not to know since I hadn't seen the ring." Qingcheng looked up at the sky and sighed. It turned out he had already bought the engagement ring.

"You can't agree to that; you have to wait for the organization's approval." Wang Renyong shook his head, acting completely unserious.

"How am I supposed to write the report? I've never been married before, and I've been stuck for months. I've never been stuck on a paper for this long before." Qingcheng looked blankly at Wang Renyong and then at Ai Ruirui.

“Oh, I know this well. Let me teach you. Just write, ‘I love him, I want to marry him.’ Then sending the telegram is the key. If it were me, I would send six telegrams a day, every single day. Even if they refuse, I would send another one until the people in the Organization Department get annoyed. Then it would be done.” Old Wang laughed heartily after saying that.

Before she could laugh for long, Ai Ruirui knocked her onto the sofa with a cushion. Ruirui turned to Qingcheng and said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. If he really did that, he would have been kicked out of the revolutionary ranks long ago. But Gao Junxiao hasn't backed down yet, so your marriage application will most likely be rejected."

“Well, let me give you a successful example. Commander Yang of the Northwest Army married one of our female comrades two years ago.” Wang Renyong got up from the sofa and said, “After the organization’s research, it was found that the commander’s wife’s identity would make it easier to carry out the work. Since the two were in a free-love relationship, the organization did them a favor.”

“Can we not cite exceptions? General Yang was a warlord who took the initiative to align himself with the Soviet area. His wife was the one sent to negotiate with him. Moreover, the local land reform work also needed supervision before the organization agreed to it,” Rui Rui explained.

“Okay, let’s leave the special cases aside. What’s up with that Commander Du? His rank isn’t high, and his wife is the Women’s Director of our Red Fourth Army.” Wang Renyong, still not giving up, cited another couple that he considered quite ordinary.

“Commander Du joined the Kuomintang after entering the Whampoa Military Academy, while Ms. Cao joined our party after entering university. However, the two were already engaged before they started studying, and they got married after finishing their studies. How could the organization not approve of a common-law marriage?” Rui Rui said helplessly.

Qingcheng was drinking water when they teased her, causing her to choke and cough violently. She and Gao Junxiao weren't engaged beforehand, he wasn't a warlord, and most importantly, he hadn't aligned himself with them; her future looked bleak.

"You'd take the blame for him, but you chickened out when it came to writing the marriage report. Never mind, I won't provoke you anymore." Wang Renyong started getting serious.

With the Central Plains war raging, Zhang Xiaoliu in the Northeast is happy to watch the battle unfold, planning to strike at the most opportune moment. However, he also knows that whichever side the Northeast Army sides with will gain control of the Central Plains, so everyone wants to work on him. Qingcheng is more curious about who has done the work more thoroughly and which side has a better chance of winning.

The covert struggle is intense right now, so it's hard to say. But Lao Wang thinks Chiang Kai-shek has a better chance of winning. According to his understanding, more than half of Zhang Xiaoliu's trusted generals have been bought off by Chiang Kai-shek. These people are whispering in Xiaoliu's ear every day, and he estimates that Zhang Xiaoliu will not hesitate for long before he completely sides with Nanjing.

"Oh, what does that have to do with us?" All Kiyosumi knew was that after the new round of warlord conflicts, even if a winner was determined, it only turned the warlords into feudal lords, which was still incomplete.

“If the Northeast Army announces its participation in the war or handles post-war matters, a large number of elite Northeast Army troops will enter the pass. Zhang Xiaoliu, with his limited mind, will not think of returning to defend. This may lead to a vacuum in the defense of the Northeast, and the border will become unstable.” Wang Renyong looked worried.

"Zhang Xiaoliu has no brains, and do his men have no brains either? They're all old warlords who fought alongside the old general, and they don't even understand how to defend." Qingcheng still didn't understand the problem.

Rui Rui, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up: "When the old marshal was alive, the generals below him were quite loyal. But the Japanese wolves bombed the old marshal to death, and the loyalty of the people below was also destroyed. The factions within the Northeast Army are no less numerous than those within the Central Army. Zhang Xiaoliu's prestige is simply not enough to suppress them."

"In Harbin, besides the Nationalist government's spies, the people I saw most often were Japanese spies. They had infiltrated the upper echelons of various organizations. They used various pretexts, whether money, women, or guns and ammunition, to further divide the Northeast Army. They were so poor back home that they could hardly afford to eat, and they were clearly looking to rob their neighbors." Wang Renyong slammed his hand on the table.

"They've been eyeing Northeast China for a long time, but flies don't land on eggs without cracks, and in the end, it's the local people who suffer," Ai Ruirui lamented.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense. "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos"—this saying was never just empty words. Kiyosumi broke the silence, asking, "So what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"If there really were to be a war, what would you do first?" Wang Renyong began to prompt Qingcheng.

"An army marches on its stomach. Oh, we're going to sabotage their supply lines in China? No, you're overthinking it. How could a few of us possibly do that? Didn't you read my report on the Japanese garrison's deployment in Hongkou? That tiny area in Shanghai is practically a block of iron." Kiyosumi waved his hand, indicating it was impossible.

"Nonsense, we can't do this by force, we have to outsmart them, you know?" Wang Renyong fanned himself with his hat, looking confident.

Seeing Old Wang's confidence, Ai Ruirui asked doubtfully, "You have a plan?"

"No," Old Wang said curtly, only to be hit by a cushion thrown from the other side. Unperturbed, he pulled a Colt pistol from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table for the two ladies to examine.

"A Colt M1911? You think you can cause trouble with just a gun? Dream on." Rui Rui picked up the gun and examined it but couldn't see anything wrong with it. Qing Cheng also took it and weighed it in her hand; the weight seemed fine.

Something about the muzzle looked off. Qingcheng disassembled it and took out the barrel, only to discover the problem: it was a modified gun, but with a larger caliber, which would make it easier for others to die.

“I bought this on the Tianjin black market. It’s not a modified gun, it’s a replica. There’s only one of these. The most amazing thing is that every gun in this batch has subtle differences. I’ll tell you the details later.” Wang Renyong started speaking in riddles again. “Do you remember those Tongshan Coal Mine transfer documents we found at Xu Xi’s house last time?”

Qingcheng nodded, and Wang Renyong continued, "I used some scientific methods to analyze the proportion of various heavy metals in this gun and found that the data is almost identical to the copper and iron ore samples from Tongshan District. The original Colt is closer to the samples from Yellowstone, USA."

"Moreover, the replica guns on the black market only started appearing after the Japanese took over Tongshan. I suspect they're conducting weapons research there, and may even have already built a small arms factory." Old Wang's words were like a bombshell, making the atmosphere in the room even more tense.

“Why copper mine? They could have transported the ore elsewhere and done the research,” Kiyosumi broke the silence.

It was rare for Wang Renyong to speak so seriously: "It's possible. I'm sending you to the Tongshan mining area now. Follow their ore transport route and find this illegal military production site. We absolutely cannot let the Japanese use our ore to make weapons and kill our compatriots."

"What? I'm going alone? Are you kidding me?" Kiyosumi had never actually gone on an important mission alone before.

“Young comrade, you can’t stand still. I think you can do it. Since this is your first time participating in an ‘exploration’ mission, I’ve arranged everything for you. Also, take this reconnaissance camera and remember to keep in touch.” With Old Wang’s sly smile, clear thoughts returned to the vibrating carriage.

She took out a stack of letter paper from her bag, and for the first time in her life, she didn't know how to start writing. Help! How do I write a marriage report?! Oh well, it's not easy to go on a long trip like this, I'm not going to write it.

After an eight-hour journey on the Nanjing-Shanghai Railway, they finally arrived at Xiaguan Port in Nanjing. Immediately afterwards, they rushed to buy ferry tickets and crossed the Yangtze River. But that wasn't all; they were only halfway across when they went to Pukou Station to queue for tickets on the Tianjin-Pinghu Railway.

After some commotion, the group finally boarded the train. The tranquil moonlight streamed through the windows, casting a pale glow. Everyone went to the sleeper section to rest, leaving only Qingcheng in the second-class carriage. She lay on the table, watching the moving grass and trees outside the window.

Ancient people believed that plants and trees possessed spirits and could absorb the essence of the sun and moon. In the eyes of He Qingcheng, an atheist, this was nothing more than a beautiful literary fantasy. Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Gao Junxiao gently draping a blanket over her, and she heard his tender words: "Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold."

The man's deep voice lingered in her heart, and Qingcheng felt a warmth in her chest. But seeing his serious expression, she couldn't help but feel a little teasing. An interesting joke popped into her mind, which she could use to test him. So she touched his arm and complained that she was afraid of the heat and that there was no air conditioning in the second-class sleeper. Where should she sleep now?

After a moment's thought, Gao Junxiao casually remarked, "Of course, wherever I sleep, you sleep."

That jerk couldn't resist testing me, revealing his true nature! Kiyosumi glared at him fiercely as a warning. This is a public place, what nonsense are you spouting!

"Don't overthink it. Give me your ticket, and we'll switch. I have a single room with air conditioning; you can use it for the night." Gao Junxiao's tone was calm, but his face was full of understanding.

Ugh, my thoughts have been seen through. Kiyosumi quickly covered her head with the blanket, leaving only her eyes exposed, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. She didn't hold back, saying, "Hmph! I'm tired, I don't want to move. You can make do with it yourself."

"I won't settle, so after thinking it over, I think you're the most suitable person for me to marry. Or we could just miss our stop." Gao Junxiao had completely lost his shamelessness. He gave her a mysterious smile and made an even bolder suggestion.

"Here we go again, missing your stop and wandering the world?" Qingcheng knew he was talking nonsense, but under Gao Junxiao's burning gaze, Qingcheng's face burned even more.

“No need, come home with me. I want my parents to meet you.” After Gao Junxiao’s reminder, Qingcheng remembered that the final stop of this train was Beiping. The words “say yes” immediately popped into her mind, but the blank marriage application in her bag kept reminding her that she couldn’t do it now.

Qingcheng gripped the blanket tightly, suppressing the surging emotions within her and twisting his meaning: "What, are you trying to get revenge on me because of the three trials at my aunt's house last time?"

"How can you call it revenge? Even a beautiful daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws first, right? They'll definitely like the person I like too," Gao Junxiao said confidently.

Qingcheng felt even more guilty at his sincere confession. Suppressing the sorrow in her heart, she continued to twist the truth: "Now your mouth is as sweet as honey. Who knows how many lovers you brought home before?"

"If you really want to know, let me first count how many girls I've brought home since I was a child." Unexpectedly, Gao Junxiao actually started counting on his fingers.

Goodness, you have so many lovers you could form a group. I underestimated you, Gao Junxiao. Qingcheng pursed her lips and pulled down the man's hand that was counting: "Stop counting. You can have as many as you want before. I'm not one to bring up the past."

"Hey~ that won't do. If it's there, it's there; if it's not, it's not. It's your literary circle that's quite chaotic. You're young, so don't try to emulate those poets and literary giants who come and go as they please." Gao Junxiao didn't reflect on his own romantic history but instead turned the tables on others.

"The literary circle may be chaotic, but it's nothing compared to the gangs of thugs who frequent brothels. You don't even know how many times you've led such an outing." Qingcheng became more and more angry as she spoke, and simply turned her head to look at the changing mountain mists outside the window.

Gao Junxiao smiled and leaned closer to Qingcheng, saying, "Yes, I led the group to visit the women's brothel many times. If you want to know how many lovers I had in the past, go to Beiping and ask my parents. You might be surprised."

"I won't go, I won't ask, I don't want to know." Kiyosumi leaned back in her leather chair and coldly denied it three times.

"Alright, keep this up." Gao Junxiao proudly pulled a palm-sized leather notebook from his breast pocket and handed it to Qingcheng; it only had a dozen or so thin pages.

Seeing the man's serious expression, Qingcheng suppressed her anger, casually took the book and flipped through a few pages. The ink on the last page was not yet dry, as if it had just been written. The more she looked, the more her brows furrowed. Holding up the leather book, she asked him what he meant.

"This is a life-saving manual for you," Gao Junxiao admitted with a smile, though a hint of helplessness lingered in his eyes.

"A life-saving manual? Okay, look at the first section of the first chapter: 'Don't give any money or food to refugees, especially groups of children.' Why?" Qingcheng asked疑惑地, because back in Shanghai, he would give food to beggars with their families.

“If you give to one person, everyone else will swarm in, and you can’t manage too many people. If there’s even one able-bodied adult in the family, they will never let their children beg. There’s actually an organization behind those groups of children, and what you give to the children will eventually end up in the pockets of adults who don’t work for it,” Gao Junxiao explained patiently.

"And this one, don't wander around markets where people sell their children. What's going on here?" When Qingcheng saw this, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a lump in her throat.

"Those kinds of markets are often associated with theft, robbery, and even human trafficking. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Even if you really need maids or servants, don't buy them there. It'll only cause unnecessary trouble," Gao Junxiao said earnestly.

"Doesn't the National Government care?" Kiyosumi asked coldly.

Gao Junxiao sighed: "We can't manage it all! Besides natural disasters, there are also man-made disasters, wars in the Central Plains, and banditry in various places. We have to curb them at the source, otherwise it's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

Yes, these are all just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Qingcheng was well aware of this, and her gaze towards Gao Junxiao softened. She wanted to ask him what he thought was the fundamental problem causing the chaos in this world, and whether he wanted to change it.

"Stop spacing out, sweetie, go to the private room and get some sleep," Gao Junxiao said softly, pulling her along.

"You've put so much thought into this, shouldn't I reciprocate?" Kiyosumi suddenly threw herself into his arms and asked with a bright smile.

"It's up to you. Of course, if you want to do what Lady Zhuang of Chu did with your gifts, that would be even better." Gao Junxiao pinched Qingcheng's cheek, but Qingcheng brushed it away without any politeness.

Shameless! She suspected that Gao Junxiao had left his face at home when he went out and hadn't brought it with him at all. He even brought up the story of how the Queen of Chu gave herself to the King of Chu as a gift, making a fool of himself. Qingcheng forced a smile and told him to get back to his private room.

Gao Junxiao didn't take Qingcheng's order to leave seriously and still insisted on changing rooms, otherwise it wouldn't be a problem for the two of them to stay together. Qingcheng's anger surged, and she kicked him hard under the cover of the table. Unfortunately, Gao Junxiao was like a wooden pillar and didn't budge, so kicking him was pointless.

How can I get rid of him?