Chapter 43
Starting in the evening, the alert level gradually escalated, reaching its highest point the following morning.
The sky outside the window darkened at a visible speed, the wind whistled, and the window shook frequently.
Among the guests, Li Wan had the most experience in dealing with typhoons. She joked that she was unlucky, as she always seemed to run into a typhoon, whether she was on vacation or working. "The hotel I was staying at was right by the sea, and the glass door in the lobby on the first floor shattered!"
She naturally took the lead, taking stock of the purchased emergency supplies, arranging instant noodles, bread, and bottled water on the table with a serious expression, as if she were setting up a sand table.
"There's plenty of bottled water, and a self-heating pot too. Hmm, everyone can sneak a snack today and put aside their figure management for now." As she spoke, she placed several large bags of potato chips on the top shelf.
On the other side, Li Xu stood by the window, hissing as he pulled out a long strip of wide duct tape to stick a crooked "米" (rice) character onto the glass.
After he finished pasting the lines, he stepped back to examine them. Still not entirely reassured, he added two more diagonal lines. "That should help disperse the wind and prevent the glass from shattering, right?"
The others checked each room and did other tasks. The potted plants on the balcony were moved indoors, and the power banks lit up their charging indicator lights.
Wen Zhiling and Lu Siyi filled the water buckets by the pool, put the lids on them, and placed them in the corner. Water and power outages were common occurrences, so it was better to be prepared.
Even in areas out of the camera's view, the staff were busy preparing. After the last layer of tape was applied and the last piece of clutter was moved into the room, the wind suddenly picked up and howled sharply.
For safety reasons, the power to the villa was turned off. The guests sat around the sofa, chatting about their feelings and thoughts during this period. After taking photos for about an hour, the power went out throughout the villa.
Filming was paused, giving everyone a short break. Li Wan suggested playing cards, and they played until after 7 p.m. when it got dark and the emergency lights in the villa came on. The card game then turned into telling ghost stories.
Li Wan had just started talking when Lu Siyi jumped up first, saying she was scared. She wouldn't listen and grabbed Wen Zhiling's arm, saying, "I want to go to the bathroom, sister, come with me."
The restroom was at the end of the corridor. Wen Zhiling waited outside for a while, during which Lu Siyi kept talking to her, so it seemed she was really scared.
On the way back, Lu Siyi tugged at Wen Zhiling's sleeve, "Let's go to the storage room and get a few more flashlights. The power's out now, and we don't know how long the ones we have will last. I don't want to come back later."
The storage room was shrouded in darkness. Wen Zhiling pushed open the half-closed door and went inside. The door behind her clicked shut.
Everything went dark.
Wen Zhiling's heart skipped a beat; someone was in the room.
"It's me." A deep male voice rang out from close range, "Lu Qin."
He turned on the flashlight, placed it on the storage shelf, and pointed it towards the corner. In this dim light, Wen Zhiling could see his tall figure in the darkness. He stood quietly in the shadows, calmly watching her.
Wen Zhiling took a step back defensively.
Lu Qin sighed, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I can't act as well as you, and I don't like surprises, so I'll stick to my plan."
Wen Zhiling: "What are you planning?"
"Time is short, so let's get straight to the point." Lu Qin's voice was calm and without a trace of emotion. "Come with me after the show."
"Zong Linhan had someone send the aperture back to the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. Soon their researchers will discover that a part of the data remains undecipherable. Then, anyone with a modicum of intelligence will be able to deduce from the data that this part is related to you. The Bureau of Paranormal Investigation is direct and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. You will be locked up in the lab when you return."
The darkness and silence amplified the weight of his words, making them even more somber than the horror stories Li Wan had begun. The negotiation terms were straightforward, and the warnings and threats were naked and blatant.
"Why is this related to me?" Wen Zhiling frowned. "And who are you?"
“There are many things I can’t tell you right now.” He sighed. “The people who arranged for you to go to the hospital were our people. They took you away for your own good, but the more they didn’t want you to get involved, the more you followed Zong Linhan into the quagmire.”
Wen Zhiling: "Why should I believe you? Can you prove you're a good person?"
Lu Qin was silent for a moment, then said, "I can't."
Wen Zhiling: "I will not go with you."
Lu Qin took a step closer, his eyes sharp. "You have no idea how complicated things are here, how many dirty things have happened. Back in the real world, facing the Bureau of Surveillance is not like this childish variety show. You should realize that, right? A little emotional fluctuation or a small amount of scent agent can directly cause you to lose control. I even used the lowest possible dose."
His shadow almost completely enveloped Wen Zhiling. In that instant, Wen Zhiling's elbows were close to her waist. If he used force, she would retaliate in kind.
Unexpectedly, upon seeing the wariness on her face, Lu Qin lowered his eyelashes and softened his tone, "Is the time you lose consciousness getting longer each time? People who are being drained of blood will also become more dependent. Going back to be with Zong Linhan will only kill him."
Lu Qin coldly reminded him, "Even so, you still want to stay and go back to face the surveillance of the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations with him?"
Wen Zhiling: "The only reason I'm staying is because I trust him."
Lu Qin was slightly stunned, not expecting Wen Zhiling to say such a thing.
He frowned disapprovingly, "Even if he hands you over to the Bureau of Surveillance later?"
Wen Zhiling: "Even if he later hands me over to the Bureau of Surveillance."
Let alone Lu Qin, even Wen Zhiling herself couldn't believe that such words would come from her mouth.
But in that instant, a calm power sprouted in her heart. In just fourteen days, every time he stood in front of her, every time he protected her, every time he comforted her, he made her feel a sense of security she had never felt before.
Therefore, she was willing to trust him, to believe that he would make the most appropriate choice, and to believe that he would protect her and himself.
Wen Zhiling said calmly, "If there is one person in the whole world whom I can trust unconditionally, it is Zong Linhan."
Lu Qin stared at Wen Zhiling for a moment in the dim light.
The hand that had been tucked into his pocket came out, and in his outstretched palm lay a glass bottle about the size of a thumb, containing a small amount of pale liquid.
"Take it." His voice was deep, almost commanding, as he placed the small bottle into Wen Zhiling's hand.
The glass bottle was cold, and the liquid sloshed around.
"This is a higher-level inhibitor that can keep you going until the end of the show." Lu Qin gave Wen Zhiling a deep look, his eyes revealing an indescribable heaviness.
"You..." Wen Zhiling asked, puzzled, "You went to great lengths to make me lose control, and now you're trying to be the good guy?"
Lu Qin smiled slightly, "Because I'm still not very willing to force you to submit by hurting you."
His tone made it sound like he knew her very well, which gave off a strange feeling. Before Wen Zhiling could even grasp it, he pushed the door open past her and said in a calm voice, "Leave it to someone who can be ruthless."
-
The sky after the typhoon passed was as blue as a clean, clear pane of glass.
With warm sunshine and a gentle sea breeze, the last three days of activities proceeded as scheduled. The chemistry between Wen Zhiling and Zong Linhan, who played siblings, deepened as the program progressed, and their interactions became natural. They also symbolically opened up to each other and shed tears during the interview segment.
Lu Qin did not make any more strange moves, only occasionally casting a glance at him with a complex and unfathomable look in his eyes.
In the end, neither she nor Zong Linhan used the inhibitor. Their conversation that night seemed like a small ripple caused by an unexpected storm during a typhoon.
The day of reckoning finally arrived. At the villa entrance, the wheels of suitcases rumbled, and the air was thick with the scent of farewell. Everyone hugged each other, saying, "Keep in touch," and "Let's get together again next time."
Li Wan and Lu Siyi are both very sentimental people. Lu Siyi's eyes were red, and she whispered an apology in Wen Zhiling's ear. Wen Zhiling hugged her. Perhaps because she liked this little sister so much, she chose to forget the guidance she received that night.
Li Xu politely said goodbye to her and Zong Linhan, and arranged to meet again. Lu Qin extended his hand, shook hers, looked into her eyes, and said two words, "Take care."
The plane soared into the sky, leaving the island where the variety show was filmed for fourteen days behind. Outside the cabin were fluffy, cotton-candy-like clouds, as if everything had been left on the island.
After several hours of flight, Wen Zhiling and Zong Linhan returned to Jingnan City. The person who picked them up was the deputy captain of the Surveillance Bureau. While driving, he reported the situation to Zong Linhan, occasionally stealing a glance at Wen Zhiling and giving her a friendly smile.
The vehicle drove into the villa area and stopped in front of a house, where another car was already parked.
Meng Run: "Oh right, I almost forgot to mention that there were too many things to do. It should be your uncle and aunt who came. When I went to pick you up, your uncle asked me for the keys. I thought they were there to deliver something, but it seems they are still here."
Zong Linhan was stunned.
Wen Zhiling's hand, which was holding the suitcase handle, trembled.
Meng Run glanced at Wen Zhiling, "Captain, what did you tell your uncle and aunt before? Did you just give yourself away?"
Wen Zhiling reopened the car door. "Family reunion is a wonderful thing. Deputy Captain Meng, could you please take me home?"
"Get down here." Zong Linhan pulled the person back.
Wen Zhiling glanced into the villa: "What...what am I going to do there?"
It ran like a rabbit, so slippery that it was almost impossible to catch.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a figure rushed out of the house to greet them.
She was a very beautiful woman, dressed in a well-fitting cheongsam, and looked to be about the same age as Lin Li. Wen Zhiling recognized her at a glance as Zong Linhan's mother.
With obvious tear tracks at the corners of her eyes and her eyes red-rimmed, she grabbed Zong Linhan's arm, her voice choked with sobs and ecstasy, "Quick, come in quickly!"
Zong Linhan frowned: "What happened?"
The woman was incoherent, tears streaming down her face, crying, "Your brother, your brother is back!"
Against the light, a tall, slender figure slowly appeared at the doorway.
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