Chapter 84: Joining forces to fight the enemy, husband and wife are united
The icy night wind scraped across Su Wanqing's cheeks like a knife, but it was nowhere near as sharp as the chill of betrayal and deception that pierced her heart. She stumbled out of the Huo family mansion, tears blurring her vision. Old Master Huo's cold truth and Huo Tingxiao's heavy "I know" echoed repeatedly in her ears.
So that's it! It turns out that the redemption, warmth, and unique love she thought she had were all built on a cold bargain and unbearable lies from the very beginning! She was just a tool used to cover up the scandal and balance the interests! A "hidden danger" that needed to be strictly monitored!
The immense humiliation and despair almost tore her apart! She ran aimlessly in the empty courtyard, wanting only to get away from that suffocating place, away from the two men who were playing with her like a toy!
"Wanqing! Su Wanqing!" Huo Tingxiao's anxious shouts and hurried footsteps came from behind.
She ran faster, tears streaming down her face, her heart aching as if it was about to explode.
Huo Tingxiao caught up with her in a few steps and grabbed her arm with such force that she couldn't break free.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Su Wanqing struggled hysterically, her voice hoarse and broken, "Liar! You are all liars! Let me go!"
Huo Tingxiao held her tightly, ignoring her kicks and thrashing, and forced her to turn around so she was facing him. In the dim light of the street lamp, she saw his face was pale, his eyes filled with unprecedented panic and pain, and his tightly pursed lips trembled slightly.
"Wanqing! Listen to my explanation! It's not what you think!" His voice was extremely hoarse, with an urgency that was almost pleading, "I admit, at the beginning... I did know! I married you for the reasons Grandpa said! At that time, I... I was a bastard! I took my anger out on you! I..."
"Shut up!" Su Wanqing interrupted him crying, trying to shake off his hand. "I don't want to listen! What's the point of your explanation?! It was fake from the beginning! It's all fake! Your kindness to me is also fake! Isn't it?! Is it because of responsibility?! Because you have to keep an eye on me?!"
"No!" Huo Tingxiao suddenly growled, his eyes bloodshot, and veins popped in his arms from the exertion. "At first, yes! I admit it was at first! But then I..." He took a deep breath, as if he had exhausted all his strength, staring into her eyes, and spoke each word with a resounding force, "I fell in love with you! Su Wanqing! Not because of responsibility! Not because of promises! It's because of you! You!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement, but it was filled with unquestionable sincerity and...desperate love.
Su Wanqing's struggle suddenly stopped. She looked at him with tearful eyes, and her heart seemed to be hit hard by something.
"I know it's hard for you to believe anything I say now!" Huo Tingxiao's voice was low and rapid, with unprecedented panic. "But I beg you, believe me this once! Just this once! Grandpa is telling you this not to hurt you, nor do I think you're just a tool! It's because..."
Before he could finish his words, the encrypted phone in his pocket suddenly rang sharply! The sound was particularly piercing in the silent night, instantly breaking the tense confrontation between the two.
Huo Tingxiao's brows furrowed, his eyes instantly returning to their usual cold and alert state. He impatiently pulled out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and his expression suddenly changed.
It's Assistant Chen! And it's the highest emergency level encrypted line!
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his surging emotions, and used his eyes to signal Su Wanqing to be quiet. Then he quickly picked up the phone, and his voice instantly returned to absolute calmness and majesty: "Speak!"
On the other end of the line, Assistant Chen's voice was hurried and solemn, even carrying a rare hint of nervousness. "Chief! Emergency! We've just intercepted and deciphered an encrypted communication from abroad, and the content points to... to your wife! They're using every possible means to investigate your wife's background, especially... all the details of the related transactions between her biological father, Su Bingtian, and the old chief (Huo Mingyuan), and any remaining evidence! They seem to be trying to use your wife as a catalyst to rekindle the old case, targeting you and your father!"
Huo Tingxiao's face instantly darkened to the point of dripping water, and a terrifying aura of hostility emanated from him! He suddenly glanced at Su Wanqing, his eyes filled with extreme complexity—shock, anger, and even a bottomless worry and fear!
"Is the source of the information reliable? Who is the other party?" His voice was as cold as iron.
"Preliminary judgment is that the remnants of the 'Vulture' teamed up with a foreign intelligence agency! They may have already obtained some clues and are digging deep! They intend to throw them out at the critical moment to create a storm of public opinion, to hit you, or even shake you..." Assistant Chen paused and didn't dare to continue, but the meaning was self-evident.
Huo Tingxiao clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles crackled. He glanced at Su Wanqing, who was still tearing up, but looked surprised and puzzled by the fragments of information she had just heard. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly.
He instantly understood why his grandfather chose this moment to expose his wounds! It wasn't out of cruelty, but because the old man had likely sensed the rumors beforehand! He had to let Su Wanqing know the truth so she could be prepared, rather than being caught off guard by the enemy's plot, or even making a wrong judgment because she was kept in the dark!
This is not abandonment or exploitation at all, but the most painful and most necessary... protection!
"Immediately activate the Level 1 countermeasure plan! Mobilize all resources and cut off all overseas investigation channels! Seal all relevant historical archives and increase the encryption level to the highest level! Provide the highest level of security protection for my wife! Immediately!" Huo Tingxiao spoke at an extremely fast pace, issuing a series of cold and decisive orders into the phone, each word carrying an unquestionable murderous aura.
"Yes!" Assistant Chen immediately accepted the order.
After hanging up the phone, Huo Tingxiao turned around abruptly, grabbed Su Wanqing's shoulders with both hands, and stared directly into her still tearful and confused eyes. His voice was low and rapid, but filled with unprecedented solemnity and... a hint of pleading:
"Wanqing! Did you hear that? Now is not the time for us to fight among ourselves! Someone is trying to make a fuss about your father's affairs! They want to use you to attack the Huo family and me! Their target is you! Your safety is now threatened!"
Su Wanqing was completely stunned, forgetting to shed the tears on her face. The content of the previous call exploded in her mind like thunder! Foreign forces? Investigating her? Using her? Attacking Huo Tingxiao? Her safety was threatened?
This sudden crisis, which went far beyond personal emotions, was like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the grievances and anger in her heart, leaving only huge shock and... fear!
"They...how could they..." Her voice was trembling.
"Because you are my wife! Because your father's matter is the most sensitive old wound in the Huo family!" Huo Tingxiao's tone was firm. "Listen! Wanqing! I know you hate me, blame me, and don't trust me now! We'll talk about this later! I swear to you, I will use everything I have to prove my heart to you! But now, please, believe me this time! We must immediately unite to face the outside world! You and I are now tied in the same boat! If they touch you, they are touching me! I will never allow anyone to hurt you! Do you understand?!"
His eyes were burning and determined, carrying an unquestionable desire to protect and a resolute will to fight!
Su Wanqing looked at the undisguised worry and anger in his eyes, saw his jawline tense with nervousness, heard him say, "I will never allow anyone to hurt you," and thought back to the murderous phone call just now...
All the grievances and resentments suddenly seemed less important in the face of a greater and imminent crisis.
Yes... no matter how shabby their beginnings were, no matter how hurtful the truth was, now they truly shared a common destiny! The external enemy had bared its fangs, directly targeting her weaknesses and her safety! If she still immersed herself in her own emotions at this time, wouldn't she be playing into the enemy's hands? Wouldn't she be putting herself in even greater danger?
She took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress the emotions churning in her heart, raised her hand and wiped away the tears on her face, her eyes gradually becoming clear and... firm.
She raised her head and met Huo Tingxiao's nervous and expectant gaze. Although her voice was still a little hoarse, it was unusually clear and calm.
"I see."
"What do you need me to do?"
She didn't say "I believe you", but her choices and actions were the best answer.
Huo Tingxiao watched her quickly calm down and even proactively ask for advice. A huge sense of relief and an indescribable mixture of pride and heartache instantly flashed in his eyes! His Wanqing was far stronger and smarter than he had imagined!
He squeezed her shoulders firmly, his tone quickly regaining the calm and measured composure of a commander. "First, from now on, your whereabouts must be kept absolutely confidential, and you must be under Assistant Chen's 24/7 protection. Second, think carefully about your father. Did he leave behind any relics, notes, or anything he might have entrusted to someone that could be used? Any detail could be crucial!"
Su Wanqing frowned, thinking intently. She had been young when her father died, so her memory was hazy, and her mother had never mentioned it much... Suddenly, she suddenly remembered something!
"Wait! Before my mother passed away, she gave me a small wooden box and said it was the only thing my father left behind. She asked me to keep it safe, but she never told me what was inside... I always thought it was just some ordinary relics, so I kept it in the attic of the Su family's old house and never opened it!"
Huo Tingxiao's eyes suddenly became sharp: "The Su family's old house? Exactly where is it? Where is the key?"
"The key is with me! I always carry it with me!" Su Wanqing immediately took out an ancient copper key from her keychain. "The house is in the old district in the west of the city. It's been empty and no one lives there..."
"Great!" Huo Tingxiao made a quick decision. "We must get that box before they do! Assistant Chen!"
Assistant Chen, who had been waiting in the car in the distance, immediately ran forward.
"Arrange a route immediately! Dispatch a team of absolutely reliable people to the Su family's old house! Quickly! Act in secret!" Huo Tingxiao ordered.
"yes!"
Like an arrow shot from a bow, the black SUV silently drove out of the compound and merged into the night. Inside the car, the atmosphere was tense and solemn.
Huo Tingxiao held Su Wanqing's cold hand tightly, his eyes scanning the window warily. Su Wanqing leaned against him, her heart still pounding, but amidst her fear grew a strange courage and... a determination to fight side by side.
No matter what the future holds, no matter what the past was like, at this moment, they are husband and wife, comrades-in-arms, and must face the enemy before them together!
Soon, the car arrived at the long-uninhabited, slightly dilapidated old house. Assistant Chen and his men quickly and silently controlled all the entrances and exits.
Huo Tingxiao pulled Su Wanqing, opened the rusty iron door with the key, walked quickly up the creaking wooden stairs, and headed straight for the attic.
In the dusty corner of the attic, Su Wanqing found the inconspicuous little wooden box that her mother had told her about.
Huo Tingxiao took the box, checked to see if there was any mechanism, and then carefully pried open the lock with a dagger.
There was no gold, silver or treasure in the box, only a few yellowed letters, an old notebook densely filled with numbers and codes, and... a small, peculiarly shaped metal seal.
Huo Tingxiao picked up the seal, took a look at it, and his expression changed instantly!
"Is this... the secret mark of the 'Mole'?!" His voice was filled with disbelief and shock. "Your father... he's not just a businessman! He's... one of ours?! He's working with the old man... as an informant to secretly gather evidence of Huo Mingyuan's crimes?!"
This sudden reversal completely shocked Su Wanqing!
Huo Tingxiao quickly flipped through the letters and notes, his eyes growing brighter and heavier. "That's right... that's right... the old man was able to obtain irrefutable evidence so quickly and deal with Huo Mingyuan with swift and swift means because of the inside information your father provided at the risk of his life! He's not an accomplice! He's a contributor! A hero!"
The truth, at this moment, has undergone a shocking reversal!
Su Wanqing's father was not the creator of the scandal, but an unknown exposer and...victim!
The reason why Mr. Huo was determined to keep Su Wanqing alive wasn't just to fulfill his promise and cover up the scandal, but also to... protect the hero's descendants! And beneath the initial cold calculations, Huo Tingxiao's marriage might actually be a deeper act of... atonement and protection!
Su Wanqing covered her mouth and tears burst out again, but this time, it was no longer grievance and despair, but great shock, relief and... pride in her father!
Huo Tingxiao held her hand tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions: guilt, shock, and a sense of relief. "Wanqing... I'm sorry... We were all wrong... Your father is a hero! We, the Huo family, owe you, the Su family!"
He slammed the box shut and said firmly, "These things must not fall into the hands of the enemy! This is irrefutable evidence proving your father's innocence! It is also the most powerful weapon against the enemy!"
He pulled out his phone and called Assistant Chen again. "The situation has changed! Send the items back to the headquarters' top-secret room immediately! Activate the highest level of security! At the same time, prepare to conduct a reverse investigation! Use these clues to uncover those hidden rats one by one!"
"yes!"
After giving the order, Huo Tingxiao turned around and looked deeply at Su Wanqing. He reached out his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her face. His voice was low and firm:
"Wanqing, now, we are not just protecting ourselves."
"We are clearing your father's name! We are settling the true sins!"
"Will you...come with me?"
Su Wanqing raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, filled with unprecedented courage and determination. She held his hand tightly and nodded vigorously.
"I do!"
The burden of the past is quietly lifted, and the fog of the future is illuminated by the flames of battle.
The misunderstanding may not have been completely resolved, and the relationship still needs time to heal.
But at this moment, with external enemies at hand and the truth revealed, they have the same goal and are of the same mind.
When a husband and wife are of one mind, they can accomplish anything.
Join forces to fight the enemy and start now!
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