The distressing loss of contact
At six o'clock, the time to leave work, the streetlights were on, and crowds were surging. Qingcheng sat in the office, lost in thought.
Wang Renyong has disappeared again!
Since that day they parted, Wang Renyong had never contacted her again. She always maintained one-way communication with Wang Renyong, and would also go to Rui Rui in emergencies. Unfortunately, now she didn't know where Wang Renyong and Rui Rui had gone.
After visiting several transportation stations that Wang Renyong had contacted directly, Qingcheng found that they had already been notified to go into hibernation and wait for the organization to wake them up again. Their situation was no different from his own. Qingcheng then went to four or five more hidden large stations, but they were all deserted.
Finally, she went to the church to find Father Tong, but the church was surrounded by secret agents who were monitoring it. She could only ask the surrounding residents indirectly. It was said that Father Tong had led a mission to the countryside to preach for about ten days, and the church was temporarily closed to the public. Qingcheng guessed that they were probably also on hiatus.
She had tried every possible avenue, but to no avail. The situation was even worse than she had anticipated. She could no longer find her organization, and she and her downlines were now like kites with broken strings.
What should I do? Do I have no choice but to wait for the organization to contact me? The more Qingcheng thought about it, the drier she felt. She gulped down a large glass of water, and the cool, sweet water temporarily relieved her feverish mind.
Should we send a telegram to Sister Cai in France? This absurd idea was immediately rejected by Qingcheng. The current situation is difficult; let alone seeking help abroad, even seeking help across provinces is difficult. Forget it, let's not add to Sister Cai's troubles.
The retreat that day was too costly. She had to rest for several days in a row but still couldn't recover. Qingcheng put down her teacup listlessly, fatigue once again engulfing her. Feeling extremely sad, she simply lay down on the table to replenish her strength.
The cool glass tabletop absorbed some of the residual heat, and the temperature of her head gradually decreased. Rui Rui should report the traitor's matter to the organization, so it shouldn't be a big problem. Qingcheng thought of Li Sheng again. Comrade Li Sheng had rashly saved her last time, and Zhang Chong had caught him red-handed, so he kept talking about conspiracy theories in front of Commander Xiong.
Commander Xiong already had some suspicions; Comrade Li Sheng's situation wasn't good either. As his superior, he had to ensure his safety. He needed to find a way to bring down the persistent Zhang the Madman and help Comrade Li Sheng escape danger.
...Ah~ I can't think of anything. Kiyosumi scratched her head in frustration, unable to find a single breakthrough.
Dodo.
Xu Bian's voice came from outside the door: "He Bian, we've gone to buy food. What would you like to eat?"
"Oh, any meal will do, thank you." Kiyosumi glanced at her watch and sighed deeply. She'd better continue with the previous task.
She was on duty today, and took this opportunity to get the fake documents that were meant to fool William out. She couldn't let Secretary Yu and Xiao Tang continue to suffer in jail.
"Uh—Editor He, we won't be bringing it for you this time." Editor Xu's voice was trying not to laugh.
Why? Qingcheng was completely confused. Before she could ask, the wooden door was pushed open, and Gao Junxiao's upright figure appeared in the doorway.
Ugh, barging in without knocking! But upon seeing her fiancé, Qingcheng couldn't hide the upturn of her lips, showing no sign of blame, and took the initiative to hold Gao Junxiao's large hand as he was tidying the table for her.
"It's so messy, don't you feel like you have nowhere to put your arms? How are you going to find anything?" Gao Junxiao walked around to her side, a hint of disbelief in his expression.
How could he not find it? There's a certain charm to chaos. If he were to organize it properly, he might actually lose things, which would be counterproductive.
Pretending not to notice the man's change of expression, Qingcheng deliberately changed the subject: "If your desk is too clean, the boss will think you're slacking off, so leave my desk alone."
"Don't doubt it, I married you so that I could rightfully take control of you. Nobody can take you from me." Gao Junxiao said this nonsense with a straight face.
"Hmph, so honest," Kiyosumi said, giving the man a sidelong punch. "Finally admitting you're a control freak."
“Because I don’t know what I should do to be good to you so that you would be willing to accept it, I can only try everything.” Gao Junxiao held her hand to his heart, his eyes full of affection. “If you really think I’m being nosy, you have to tell me to my face. Don’t keep it to yourself.”
"No, I'm just kidding. If you treat me badly, why would I marry you? Do you think I'm stupid?" Qingcheng gave a sweet smile.
"You're so clever. If I didn't treat you with sincerity, you wouldn't pay any attention to me." Gao Junxiao lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "But I feel like you have something on your mind. You look much more haggard. Now that there's no one else around, do you want to share it with me?"
"Yes!" Kiyosumi said earnestly, looking up. "I'm hungry."
Gao Junxiao was speechless for a moment. He pinched her cheek hard as if to vent his anger before telling her that the dinner party tonight was at the hotel where they got engaged, and that they were going to taste the dishes today.
"What are we waiting for?" Qingcheng happily got up, hooked her arm around her fiancé's, and whispered in his ear, "This is the perfect season to eat bamboo shoots!"
Silvery moonlight streamed into the hotel through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Qingcheng stared blankly out the window while Gao Junxiao went to pay the bill. At that moment, two youthful faces were reflected in the glass. They were pressed against the glass, their faces almost squashed, and they were still swallowing hard.
On a whim, Qingcheng asked the waiter for a takeout container and quickly stuffed all the leftover food into it. She ran outside with the container, called the two children over, and watched them wolf down their food. For no reason, Qingcheng felt a lump in her throat, and a suppressed sense of guilt welled up inside her.
I'm sorry, she can barely take care of herself, let alone ensure that everyone has enough to eat. Reality always crushes ideals and beats them to a pulp.
"Miss, is there any more? Please have pity on us, my older sister and mother haven't eaten yet." The boy licked the rice grains from the corner of his mouth, speaking very politely, unlike an ordinary beggar.
Upon closer inspection, the child, who appeared to be around ten years old, seemed familiar to Qingcheng, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before. Wait a minute, there were three children: the eldest was a daughter, the second was a son, and the youngest was also a son. Their ages matched up.
"Little brother, is your surname Li?" Qingcheng grabbed the boy's shoulders, unable to hide her excitement.
The little boy next to him unconsciously hummed in agreement, but the older boy immediately denied it in horror, grabbed his younger brother, and ran away in a flash.
Under the streetlights, Qingcheng excitedly rubbed her palms together. "Great! Sister Ying and the children weren't caught by the spies. As long as we know they're active in this area, we'll definitely be able to find them. After Comrade Li Shifa was exposed, the spies surrounded his residence, preventing him from going home. I must take good care of his family."
Before she could turn around, she was tightly wrapped in a coat, and a warm chest pressed against her. She didn't need to see the face to know who was behind her. Let it be. Qingcheng was like a doll, not moving at all. Her eyes were fixed on the direction where the children had disappeared, and her mind was full of how to find Sister Ying and the children.
"I know you have something on your mind. If you don't want to talk about it now, just tell me quietly tomorrow night. Remember to leave the door open for me." Gao Junxiao pinched her waist meaningfully.
What? Leave the door open? What does she think she is? Qingcheng was so angry she laughed. Who would want to see you at night? What are you thinking? She wanted to turn around and leave, but she was locked in Gao Junxiao's arms and couldn't move. She reminded Gao Junxiao to be mindful of the occasion. How old are you? Why do you have to stick together like this? It's one thing at home, but you have to be mindful of your behavior in public.
After a long while, a man's aggrieved voice came from beside me: "You're not cooperating at all, I regret it."
"I don't regret it, so what right do you have to regret it?" Qingcheng blurted out without thinking, and immediately realized she had fallen into the man's verbal trap.
"Hehe, I regret not turning the engagement party into a wedding party. I'm a little anxious to marry you." Gao Junxiao laughed and breathed hot air into her neck.
"Change it now, I'll definitely cooperate with you." Qingcheng tilted her head slightly, trying to avoid the tingling heat; she was against widespread inflation and waste.
"I won't change it. I just want to see the envious looks on other people's faces when they see us twice," Gao Junxiao murmured.
They're just wasting their time, troubling relatives and friends to travel halfway across China just to satisfy Young Master Gao's worthless vanity. Breaking free from their intimate embrace, Qingcheng wanted to retort, but swallowed the words back. Whatever.
Perhaps sensing Qingcheng's emotional restraint, Gao Junxiao took her hand and led her to the Huangpu River. Dappled light streamed onto the river's surface, rising and falling gently with the waves, as if a magnificent dragon palace lay beneath the river.
The place was remote and sparsely populated. The two were about an arm's length apart and didn't speak. The man probably wanted to bring her to the riverbank for some peace and quiet.
Gazing at the waves of the river, Qingcheng, leaning on the railing, felt even more drowsy. Shaking her head, she mentally encouraged herself: she couldn't sleep; she had to go back and make fake documents for William.
rustling—
The sound of clothes rubbing together caught Qingcheng's attention. Gao Junxiao, who was next to her, threw off his coat and loosened his tie, tossing them on the ground.
Strange, why is he suddenly angry? Qingcheng bent down to pick up his clothes that he had carelessly thrown around, and dusted them off. When she looked up, she saw Gao Junxiao stepping over the railing, his shoes off. The river wind was blowing his hair in disarray, but he didn't care about his disheveled appearance at all, facing the fierce river wind without saying a word.
Qingcheng was even more confused than before, since she hadn't drunk any alcohol at dinner. She quickly ran over and grabbed Gao Junxiao's arm, asking him softly what was wrong.
With a long sigh, Gao Junxiao leaned forward slightly, exclaiming that it was boring and he wanted to go swimming.
Why are you swimming so late at night? He's never been so out of control in public before. Qingcheng had a bad feeling. She climbed onto the railing and hugged his arm tightly, begging him to come back and talk things out.
ah!
The ship's whistle blared across the sky, drowning out Qingcheng's exclamation. When she came to her senses, she found herself held in Gao Junxiao's arms, suspended in mid-air above the river. The chilly river wind made her tremble, and she shrank closer to the man, afraid that if Gao Junxiao let go, she would fall into the turbulent Huangpu River.
The lost memories overlapped with the present, and Qingcheng was certain that if she uttered just one wrong word, the madman would let go of her and throw her into the water. It was the height of summer before, but now the river water was no different from ice water.
However, driven by her pride, Qingcheng, who never asked for favors before, tried to keep her voice steady: "Stop fooling around, I have to go back to my shift. Let go."
"Oh, so you wanted to swim with me. You should have said so earlier," Gao Junxiao replied casually, his smile smug.
Feeling the support she was holding loosen, Qingcheng instinctively shuddered. Whether it was the splashed river water or tears welling up in her eyes, she couldn't tell. The threat of falling into the water was no longer enough to frighten her; the root of her sorrow was her helplessness in the face of the situation.
In fact, Qingcheng wanted to hide in his arms and have a good cry, to pour out all the grievances and bitterness of the past few days, because she was about to suffocate!
Not a word could be said, not even a single one. It was a matter of discipline, but also a way to protect him. Almost using up the last shred of her sanity, Qingcheng's eyes were red as she forced out a few words: "If I have offended you in any way, I apologize. You don't need to threaten me. At worst, I'll just go back and change my clothes."
"Don't be afraid, why are you shaking? And why are you holding me so tightly? You're about to tear my buttons off." Gao Junxiao continued to mutter to himself before Qingcheng could answer, "You usually seem so carefree and easygoing, but when something really happens, you become like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, completely unyielding. But I'm not one to believe in such things, and I'll soften even a gourd by soaking it."
Sensing the sarcasm in the man's words, Qingcheng's face darkened. She felt that he was acting strangely. He hadn't drunk a drop of alcohol at dinner, but the absurd things he was doing now made Qingcheng feel that he had been drinking, and that he had been drinking mixed drinks.
"Do you think I'm drunk? I'm not drunk, I'm just furious. Can't you see me? If you have a disease, I'll spend all my money to cure you." Whether intentionally or unintentionally, every time Gao Junxiao swayed, Qingcheng would take a deep breath. The sound of the waves made her head buzz, and she subconsciously shrank into his arms.
A north wind blew by, and a warm kiss landed on her hair. Gao Junxiao tightened his arms and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I won't let go, I will never let go."
Before he finished speaking, Gao Junxiao had already carried Qingcheng back to the railing. He jumped down next to her, reached out and pulled Qingcheng into his arms, as if to comfort her or to warm himself.
In an instant, the void in her soul was filled by brilliant light. Tears, like broken strings of pearls, trembled and rolled down her cheeks. There was no crying, only tears, clear and unceremoniously wiping them onto the man's shirt. A thousand sweet words are not as reassuring as actions.
After venting her emotions, Qingcheng pouted, feeling quite resentful. She even felt that she had acted somewhat pathetic. She was just enjoying the scenery when he bullied and threatened her, and she was happy as soon as he gave her a little something. He was clearly the despicable culprit.
"You don't trust me at all. How could you believe my joke? How stupid of you." Gao Junxiao's complaints echoed in his ears.
Sitting on the solid object, Qingcheng regained her confidence and snorted coldly: "Who knows? It's not like you haven't thrown it before."
"Hey, are you bringing up old grievances? You took advantage of me being bedridden and deliberately poked at my wound, causing it to bleed again. You're quite ruthless for such a young age." Gao Junxiao gritted his teeth as he recalled the past, grabbing his fiancée's waist to show his dissatisfaction.
The petty man, Qingcheng slapped away the man's sneaky hand that was trying to take advantage of her: "You keep saying that your wound has healed, but you refuse to change your dressing. How am I supposed to know it hasn't healed? I tried to test it, and it turned out that you are just a paper tiger, all you do is roar."
"Me, made of paper? Come on, let's go into the water and have a go, let's see who's really made of paper." Gao Junxiao pointed at the river, trying to carry on with his scoundrel act.
"Don't even think about it. Who knows how many layers of tung oil you've coated yourself with over the years? It's so thick it's practically indestructible, let alone waterproof," Qingcheng said sarcastically, grabbing Gao Junxiao's cheek.
"Is it thicker than the wall of your heart?" Gao Junxiao forcefully pulled the person into his arms and rubbed his head haphazardly.
That jerk gets all excited the moment he sees her, his hair all messed up. Qingcheng huffed and puffed, "I want to be alone. Is that not allowed?"
"What are you thinking about, Jingjing? Think about me!" Gao Junxiao's fierce voice was even louder than hers. "After we get married, I have to make three rules with you: first, think about me; second, think about me; and third, still think about me. No arguments will be accepted."
"You're a dictator, you're a feudal patriarch!" Qingcheng retorted defiantly.
“That’s right, I’m too lazy to pretend to be a gentleman anyway. Let whoever wants to be one be one. It’ll be too late for you to regret it. If you don’t want to get married, I’ll tie you to the wall.” Gao Junxiao pinched her chin, his dark eyes growing deeper. “Or I can strip you naked and throw you on my bed. I’ll have two kids in three years, so you won’t have time to overthink things.”
Ah~~ His skin is ridiculously thick. He blurted out everything, whether he could say it or not. Qingcheng stared at Gao Junxiao in shock and muttered, "He's been exposed, exposed, exposed his warlord style."
"So you have bad eyesight. I only act naked and crazy in front of you, but you think I'm ridiculous. Think about it yourself, is that reasonable? Is that fair? Next time, take your clothes off before you talk to me about fairness." Gao Junxiao said solemnly, tapping Qingcheng's heart.
Though the words were rough, the meaning was sound. Qingcheng knew what he wanted to hear. After several mental turns, she finally found her tongue and confessed that she had been losing at mahjong for several days in a row, only to discover that her opponents were cheating. In order to win one more game and teach them a lesson, she arranged for someone else to cheat as well. Since everyone was cheating, it was a matter of each person relying on their own skills.
With a raised eyebrow, Gao Junxiao found it hard to believe. He hadn't expected Hua Hua to be such a gambler. She wouldn't play with a normal person who cheated, but she dared to cheat herself.
Losing all the time is not a good mood. Qingcheng sighed and said that her luck in gambling has been a bit bad lately. Her starting hand is okay, but she just can't seem to draw the cards she wants. Even if her teammates want to feed her cards, she can't form a big hand to win.
Gao Junxiao nodded in understanding. Although he didn't know much about playing cards, Qingcheng could turn the tables and defend in this situation. If you don't win within ten rounds and no one else wins either, it means they haven't won either. Otherwise, if they were in a winning hand and were cheating, they would have already called for a win.
Only by guarding the tiles well can one have a chance to win. Gao Junxiao gently taught her not to be greedy, to make good use of the scattered tiles in her hand, to either pong or kong, to cut off any chance of them winning, to remain calm and composed, and to wait until she draws the tile she wants to win a small hand.
Oh, I see. Qingcheng connected the dots and got a general idea of what was going on. She hooked her pinky with Gao Junxiao and teased, "You seem to know a lot, don't you?"
"My eyes are healed, and I know a lot more now," Gao Junxiao said confidently.
"Then I'll take you to play cards next time. If you lose, it's on me; if you win, it's on you," Qingcheng said with a smile.
"I'm all yours, why are you being so particular?" Gao Junxiao said, turning Qingcheng's head to rest on his shoulder in dissatisfaction.
Colorful lights illuminated the lovers as they counted the passing boats and nestled together in the April breeze.
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