With a half-smile, Ning Bingyu said to Commissioner of Police Evan, "So Superintendent Zhou is the parachuted-in god you personally selected as a senior. My apologies! No wonder he holds such a high position at such a young age."
Evan laughed heartily, patted Zhou Yan on the shoulder with satisfaction, and said in Cantonese, "Not at all, he's my disciple. We're all doing our part for the security of Hong Kong."
Zhou Yan's gaze fell on Ning Yuan's face again, and a subtle smile appeared on his lips: "Miss Ning seems very agitated, are you alright?"
Ning Bingyu calmly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Ning Yuan, who was still under Ning Bing'an's control.
He said gently, "Young lady, this Superintendent Zhou doesn't look like your old friend. You must be mistaken."
Ning Yuan continued to stare intently at Zhou Yan, tears finally welling up in her eyes and silently streaming down her face.
She wanted to shout, scream, question, and hug, but her pressure points were sealed, leaving her weak and unable to move.
Ning Bingyu patted Ning Bing'an on the shoulder, signaling him to take Ning Yuan away, and said to Evan and Zhou Yan, "Please excuse me, my little sister is not feeling well, I'll have someone take her back first."
Governor Richard smiled casually: "Miss Ning doesn't look too well. Why don't you go sit in the lounge for a while?"
Several consuls and their wives also offered a few token words of concern to Ning Yuan.
After thanking them, Ning Bingyu glanced at Zhou Yan a few times without making a sound, then patted Ning Bing'an on the shoulder: "Take the little sister to the rest room. Hongyu, you go and take care of her too."
Ning Bing'an understood, and helped the still stiff Ning Yuan, and left the banquet hall with Chu Hongyu.
It was just a minor incident at the dinner party, and no one paid much attention to it. The others then went back to chatting with other guests.
In the lounge, the crystal chandelier cast a soft glow, reflecting off the plush sofas and thick carpets, creating an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere.
"Young Master Bing'an, I'm all you need here," Chu Hongyu said softly as she closed the door, glancing politely at Ning Bing'an with a hint of barely perceptible worry in her voice.
Ning Bing'an knew they had something to say, and although he had some doubts, he didn't ask any further questions.
He released Ning Yuan, who immediately slumped down. If Chu Hongyu hadn't caught her quickly, she probably would have fallen to the ground.
Ning Bing'an nodded apologetically to Ning Yuan: "Little sister, I acted hastily just now and offended you. Now calm down and talk to Miss Hongyu properly."
After saying that, he turned and left, gently closing the door to the lounge behind him.
Ning Yuan was like a puppet with its strings cut, her face pale and her eyes vacant. Supported by Chu Hongyu, she slumped helplessly onto the sofa.
She sat down on the sofa on the balcony. The cool night breeze caressed Ning Yuan's face, but it did nothing to calm her down.
She turned around and hugged Chu Hongyu tightly, her body trembling violently, like a leaf in a storm, about to be blown away at any moment.
“Sister Hongyu…it’s him, it really is him…” Ning Yuan’s voice was hoarse and broken, with suppressed sobs.
Chu Hongyu gently patted Ning Yuan's back and softly comforted her, "Yuanyuan, I know, I know how you feel..."
How could she not know? When she saw that senior superintendent named Zhou Yan just now, she was startled, her heart almost jumped out of her chest, and she nearly screamed.
A "dead person" that had been searched for all over the world for almost two years suddenly appeared, and in this identity and in this setting.
Even though she prided herself on being worldly-wise, she was stunned for a long time, let alone Ning Yuan.
Fortunately, Ning Bingyu reacted quickly and calmly, preventing the situation from getting out of control.
"Yuanyuan, are you sure it really is Rong Zhaonan? I mean, is it possible that he just looks like him?"
Chu Hongyu asked hesitantly, feeling that something was not right.
"I mean, this Zhou Yan, a British citizen with backgrounds in the NCA and Interpol, and a senior superintendent... Could it be that Rong Zhaonan went undercover for two years after his disappearance?"
But how could Rong Zhaonan, an undercover agent, be so brazen as to appear in front of those who knew him in this way?
Of all the people in the Hong Kong government, only she, Ning Bingyu, Ning Yuan, and Madam Ning the Second had ever met Rong Zhaonan. Even Ning Man'an, who had been to Shanghai, had never met Rong Zhaonan.
Isn't he afraid that in their shock, they might accidentally call out his name or do something that would expose his undercover identity?
This... doesn't make sense!
As Ning Yuan listened to Chu Hongyu's analysis, her mind was still in a state of confusion, with all sorts of guesses galloping through her mind like wild horses.
Her eyes shone with hope as she grasped Chu Hongyu's hand, stammering, "Has he lost his memory? Like in those TV dramas, he was bombarded and fell into the sea, he must have lost his memory..."
Chu Hongyu was speechless. During her time in Hong Kong, she had indeed watched quite a few novels and TV dramas from Taiwan and Hong Kong.
She said, half-laughing and half-crying, "My dear lady, this isn't some melodramatic Hong Kong TV series or Taiwanese novel. It's not that easy to lose your memory! Besides, even if you did lose your memory, you couldn't possibly forget your own name, could you? And the way he looked at you..."
Chu Hongyu recalled the way Zhou Yan looked at Ning Yuan earlier. It was a look of unfamiliarity mixed with scrutiny, not like the look one would give to a long-lost wife, but more like the look one would give to a stranger, even... scrutiny.
This is completely unreasonable!
Ning Yuan's face grew even paler. She leaned weakly against the sofa, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh, trying to calm herself down.
Chu Hongyu's analysis was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the hope that had just been ignited in her heart.
After a while, Ning Yuan's emotions gradually calmed down, but the confusion and pain in her eyes became even more intense.
She closed her bloodshot, tear-filled eyes and whispered, "I don't know... I don't know why he did this... I don't even know if he's really still alive..."
Chu Hongyu sighed and pulled Ning Yuan into her arms: "Don't worry, Ning, let's figure it out slowly."
"Whether he has genuine amnesia or there is another reason, we must be careful and not act rashly, understand?"
"You are the most mature and calm person. Think of Jiajia, you need to calm down!"
Ning Yuan nodded silently, rested her head on Chu Hongyu's shoulder, and tears streamed down her face again.
The lounge was silent, with only the soft breathing of the two people and the faint sound of music coming from outside the window.
Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door of the lounge. A waiter came in and respectfully asked, "Which one of you is Ms. Chu Hongyu? Mr. Ning Bingyu wants to see you."
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