Chapter 235 Tenderness in the Storm
Anderson's face was a mixture of pale and flushed as he stared intently at the black Hongqi sedan across the street and the man leaning against it, his posture casual yet sharp as a drawn sword.
Lu Jingyan!
The name exploded in Anderson's mind, sending a sharp buzz through him. How could he be here? Appearing so brazenly in his sight in such an almost provocative manner!
This is no coincidence; it's a warning! It's an undisguised show of force by the mainland!
From the window of the upstairs private room, Bai Shu said with a cold smile, "Dean, do you believe me now? I didn't come alone."
Benjamin made a gurgling sound in his throat. He looked at the man across the street, then at the seemingly weak but actually incredibly bold woman beside him. He was so shocked that he couldn't even speak.
Downstairs, the burly men in black behind Anderson exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why their boss had suddenly stopped.
Anderson took a slow breath, his chest heaving violently a few times. Finally, he raised his hand and made an extremely subtle downward gesture. Then, without a word, he turned and left. His retreating figure carried a hint of dishevelment, but even more so, an intense, suppressed ruthlessness.
A group of people came with great fanfare, but left without a sound.
The patrons in the teahouse dared not utter a sound until the group of menacing figures completely disappeared around the street corner, at which point a murmur of relief and relief erupted.
"Let's go." Bai Shu's tone regained its composure.
She calmly lifted the bamboo curtain, stepped onto the wooden stairs, and walked downstairs step by step. Qin Zheng and Yi Yue, who appeared out of nowhere, immediately came to greet her, standing on either side of her.
Throughout the entire process, she did not look at Benjamin once more.
Back in the Peninsula Hotel's penthouse suite, the door closed, shutting him out of the outside world. Benjamin could no longer hold on; he collapsed onto the expensive carpet, panting heavily, his white lab coat soaked with cold sweat.
"You're all insane...you're all insane..." he muttered incoherently. "Nightingale Island...that's a den of demons! You have no idea what's inside! Forcing your way in is suicide! Suicide!"
Bai Shu ignored his breakdown. She walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the bustling view of Victoria Harbour outside, and said in a calm voice without any ripples: "Qin Zheng, send the Dean away, give him some money, and tell him to find a place to hide, the farther the better."
"Yes, Miss." Qin Zheng stepped forward and lifted Benjamin off the ground like a chick.
“I’m not leaving! I’m not going anywhere! Anderson has his eye on me, I’m dead…” Benjamin was still struggling.
Bai Shu turned around, her cold gaze falling on him: "You've already placed your life in my hands by showing up here today. Whether you live or die, look at me, not Anderson. Now, get out."
Her words immediately shut Benjamin up.
The door closed, and the suite fell into a deathly silence.
Su Wantang maintained her strong facade as "Bai Shu" and calmly walked to the table, unfolding the simple structural diagram that Benjamin had obtained at the cost of his life. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the "Moon Goddess's Box" spot, one tap after another, the frequency increasing, revealing her inner anxiety.
One week, only one week.
With three layers of defense—land, sea, and air—infrared alarms, pressure sensors, and more, this is beyond the scope of what human beings can contend with.
Lu Jingyan came out from the inner room. He didn't say anything, but just looked at her quietly.
Su Wantang could feel his gaze, a gaze she had never seen before. She looked up and met his eyes.
When this man heard the news that his sister, who had been missing for ten years, was still alive and trapped in a hellish place, he showed neither elation nor rage; he remained eerily calm. But Su Wantang could see that his hands, hanging at his sides, were trembling slightly uncontrollably, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging.
His heart is experiencing a tsunami.
At that moment, she was no longer Bai Shu, who was strategizing and planning, but his Su Wantang.
She walked around the table to him, said nothing, but stretched out her arms from behind and hugged his strong waist tightly.
She could clearly feel the instant stiffness in his back muscles, and then, in the warmth of her embrace, his tense body gradually relaxed.
“Jingyue…she’s still alive.” Lu Jingyan’s voice was low, with a slightly hoarse tone and an almost imperceptible tremor.
"Yes, she's still alive." Su Wantang pressed her cheek against his broad back and whispered in response, "We'll bring her back. Bring her back safe and sound."
He didn't say anything more, but simply turned around and took her hand that was wrapped around his waist. His palm was large and warm, with rough calluses, yet it gave her an unprecedented sense of security.
That evening, Lu Jingyan did not discuss any action plans regarding "Nightingale Island" with her.
He somehow found a videotape and played a currently popular old Hong Kong movie. The people in the movie were crying and laughing, loving and hating, full of everyday life.
He just sat there with her, quietly watching from the sofa. When he saw something interesting, he would turn his head and tell her some amusing stories about the military.
"...That new recruit, the first time he threw a grenade, he pulled the pin and held it in his hand, forgetting to throw it. His face turned pale with fright. Luckily, the squad leader was quick-witted and snatched it, throwing it into the trench next to them. After that, that kid didn't dare to speak loudly for a month."
His voice was steady, with a unique magnetism, as he recounted these ordinary and somewhat clumsy past events that had nothing to do with bloodshed or danger.
Under extreme pressure, this most ordinary warmth became the most effective antidote. Su Wantang leaned on his shoulder, and as she listened, her nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed completely, and she actually fell asleep.
She was awakened by thirst late at night.
I opened my eyes and found myself lying on the big bed in the bedroom, covered with a soft, thin blanket.
Only a dim wall lamp was left on in the suite; Lu Jingyan was not by his side. The sound of running water came from the bathroom.
She got out of bed and walked barefoot to the French windows. Outside, Hong Kong Island shone brightly, its lights creating a dazzling, star-studded spectacle. Yet, she felt an unprecedented calm within her.
The bathroom door clicked open.
Lu Jingyan emerged from the steamy air, wearing only a white towel around his waist. His skin, still flushed from the shower, was glistening with water droplets that trickled down his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles, past his sexy V-line, and disappeared into the edge of the towel.
It is full of primal and wild masculine tension, like a beast that has just finished surveying its territory.
Su Wantang's heart skipped a beat.
She looked at him, and he looked at her.
Something in the air was quietly fermenting and becoming scalding hot.
"Lu Jingyan".
She sat up in bed, her silk nightgown sliding down her shapely figure, outlining a breathtaking curve.
Lu Jingyan stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her.
In the dim light, the woman's peach blossom eyes seemed to be filled with shattered starlight, shimmering and captivating.
She reached out her hand to him, hooked her finger around his, and spoke in a lazy, husky voice, like a kitten's claws gently scratching at his heart.
"come over."
Lu Jingyan's Adam's apple bobbed. He threw down the towel in his hand and walked a few steps to the bedside.
Before he could even speak, Su Wantang had already climbed up to him, hooking her arms around his neck and pulling him toward her.
A kiss filled with longing was pressed heavily onto his lips.
There was no probing, no skill, only the purest taking and dependence.
Lu Jingyan was stunned for a moment, then took the initiative.
He leaned down and responded to all her unease and longing with a deeper, more aggressive kiss.
The neon lights outside the window flickered, casting dappled shadows into the room, illuminating the intertwined figures on the bed.
Tonight, there is no Bai Shu strategizing, no avenger burdened with deep-seated hatred.
She was just his Su Wantang.
Su Wantang, who needs him and belongs only to him.
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