Zhou Mingli waited outside, holding Jiang Ci's wristwatch in his hand. He would glance at the watch from time to time, but his gaze was mostly fixed on the front gate of the Shan family's house.
Halfway through the time had passed, and Jiang Ci hadn't come out. Instead, a rather young man emerged from inside, rode his bicycle, and quickly left the Shan family's residence.
Zhou Mingli looked at his back, but since he had never seen him before, he didn't know who he was.
After waiting for another half hour, just as Zhou Mingli was about to leave to find Cheng Wenyun, a person walked out of the main gate.
It's Jiang porcelain.
He immediately pushed his bicycle forward.
He looked her up and down to make sure Jiang Ci was alright before his tense mood eased slightly.
Zhou Mingli didn't ask anything, and said in a low voice, "Let's go home."
Jiang Ci nodded. She sat in the back seat, raised her hand and half-wrapped around Zhou Mingli's waist, her arm quite strong.
Zhou Mingli paused slightly, sensing her pressure. He didn't say anything, but took her hand and quickly rode his bicycle away from the area where the Shan family lived.
The two returned home without saying a word.
Zhou Yang, Zhou Miao, and Huang Zheyue went out to play together, and there was no one else at home at the time.
Zhou Mingli parked his bicycle, poured Jiang Ci a glass of water, and placed it in her hand.
Jiang Ci took a sip, finally breaking free from the intense emotions she felt with Shan Shengshuo.
"A cunning and treacherous old fox, a difficult one to deal with." Jiang Ci leaned back and let out a long breath.
Zhou Mingli held the back of her head, looking at her with concern in his eyes, "Are you alright?"
Jiang Ci shook her head. "It's nothing."
Dan Shengshuo is an extremely difficult person to deal with. Jiang Ci dared not be careless at all when dealing with him, for fear that if she revealed anything wrong, he would seize on it.
Jiang Ci was always on high alert when dealing with those difficult ambassadors.
Zhou Mingli remained silent, his hand moving down the back of her head, across the nape of her neck, and into her collar, pressing against her back.
It's wet.
It was all covered in sweat.
Jiang Ci felt itchy, leaned forward slightly, and raised her eyebrows at Zhou Mingli, "What are you touching me for?"
"Don't give me that smirk." Zhou Mingli said seriously. "Shan Shengshuo is more difficult to deal with than Guo Zhen. His motives are unclear. It's safer to stay away than to test him."
This was the first time Jiang Ci had heard Zhou Mingli mention backing down.
She was incredibly surprised and looked Zhou Mingli up and down. "I never expected the word 'stay away' to come out of your mouth."
Zhou Mingli frowned and pinched her cheek. "Did you hear what I said?"
Jiang Ci's cheeks pouted slightly from being pinched, and she slapped his hand uncomfortably, "Let go of me..."
He used a bit too much force, and when he released his grip, the mark he left was clearly visible on Jiang Ci's fair face.
Before she could answer Zhou Mingli, her arm brushed against the slender sandalwood box she had casually placed on the table.
Jiang Ci turned his head and then remembered that there was this thing.
She reached out and took the box, then opened it.
Inside was a fan and a card.
Jiang Ci opened the fan.
Plum Blossom Painting, created by Tang Yin of the Ming Dynasty.
Jiang Ci was shocked.
Zhou Mingli was also stunned when he saw this thing.
He picked up the card from the box: 'March 31st, waiting quietly at the Shan residence.'
Zhou Mingli merely glanced at the string of words before his gaze settled on the corner of the card.
It wasn't just that Shan Shengshuo wanted to show off his status or prove his abilities in a different way; this hard card had a pattern printed on it.
A five-clawed dragon, its head held high, surveys the entire world with disdainful disdain.
And this pattern is exactly the same as the jade seal that Zhou Mingli of Jiangci saw in the photo taken by Huang Zhiyuan!
Upon seeing this pattern, Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli both froze on the spot.
The truth that she, Zhou Mingli, and the Cheng family had been searching for in vain, shrouded in mystery, was now emerging before them!
The pattern that suddenly appeared before them after going around in circles seemed to be foreshadowing something.
The room remained quiet for a long time.
The sounds of conversation in the courtyard were incessant, but Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli broke out in a cold sweat once again.
It was an invisible hand bringing down darkness with a black cloud as heavy as a city. Even Zhou Mingli and Jiang Ci, who had seen a lot in the world, couldn't help but shiver.
The veins on the back of Zhou Mingli's hand, which held the card, were bulging. He gripped Jiang Ci's arm and uttered a few words with difficulty but determination from his throat, "You can't go anymore."
Jiang Ci looked into Zhou Mingli's eyes and could clearly see the emotions hidden within them.
She picked up the glass of water Zhou Mingli had poured for her from the table, drank it all in one gulp, and her trembling mind finally calmed down.
She looked at Zhou Mingli and asked him, "If you were in this situation, what would you have done?"
Zhou Mingli remained silent.
With the unknown truth right before his eyes, Zhou Mingli would certainly not let this opportunity slip by.
The two had such a good understanding that even if he didn't speak, Jiang Ci understood what he meant.
Jiang Ci chuckled softly, "See? You think the same thing as me."
"If it were you, I couldn't stop you either."
Zhou Mingli was still holding her arm, his hand trembling slightly.
That wasn't because he was afraid.
It is not because of his current weakness.
He hated his own incompetence.
In the 1970s, when all avenues for upward mobility were fairly clear, power and money were not easily obtained.
His character design after transmigrating into the book, the best job arrangement when he came to the capital, and so on, have now all become shackles that imprison him, making him like a powerful character banned in some kind of game plot, with stacked weakening buffs that make him completely unable to use his abilities.
He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Ci walked into the most dangerous vortex, while he was utterly useless.
Zhou Mingli's eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was heavy.
Jiang Ci easily sensed the deep emotions in Shan Shengshuo's voice, but she said in a light tone, "The fact that Shan Shengshuo would print this on a card like a logo proves that he didn't know we were also looking for it."
"He wants to get me involved, which proves that he won't cause me any real harm. Before danger comes, I can investigate why he has this jade seal and what he's actually doing."
"Once I find out why he got this jade seal, I will immediately withdraw from it."
"We don't know who Shan Shengshuo has implicated, so no one can say anything about it for the time being."
"I won't let myself get hurt, nor will I get too involved."
Jiang Ci looked at him and asked, "Is it okay?"
Zhou Mingli pursed his lips into a thin line, and after a long while, he spoke in a dry, hoarse voice, "If it were you, would refusing me be of any use?"
Jiang Ci pressed her forehead against his, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "It's precisely because I've realized that I have a weakness now that my emotions and thoughts are almost identical to yours."
"Because we are so similar, the choices we make when we stand at a crossroads will inevitably be the same."
The hidden dangers must be eliminated.
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