Chapter 76 Three people face to face. Someone like her is most likely to cause a fight...
The sky was just beginning to lighten when the rain stopped.
Sang Li was awakened by a backache.
She moved, only to find her entire back stiff as a brick that had been pressed down all night, while the culprit lay beside her, perfectly unharmed, looking at his phone.
Indeed, married couples usually sleep in separate rooms after marriage, although this analogy is inappropriate.
She had initially wanted to tease Bai Heng, saying he seemed quite innocent, so why didn't he react much when she took the initiative. But thinking about the way Bai Heng hugged her later, she figured he was just inexperienced. Plus, she was so tired after sleeping all night; he must have really put her through a lot last night, even though she didn't know anything about it and couldn't remember anything.
She reached out and pushed him, her voice hoarse: "Bai Heng, my back is about to break from your hug. When I take the initiative, you play hard to get, remaining unmoved, and then in the middle of the night when I'm asleep, you sneak around doing this and that, right? Director Bai, that's not good."
Bai Heng's eyes were clear and bright, indicating he had slept very well: "You don't believe me? Or do you feel it's a pity?"
“I,” Sang Li said, a man who never backs down in a verbal exchange, “I just think that men are all the same.”
"The same?" Bai Heng asked, "How many men have you seen?"
"..."
Sang Li: "There are men everywhere. Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely. Under my absolute domination, you couldn't resist, and then you did some shady things. I see you looking refreshed and happy."
Bai Heng's eyes held a subtle pleasure: "You slept well. It feels like it's been many days since I've felt this at ease."
She rolled her eyes, wrapped herself in the blanket, and complained weakly, "I can't sleep at all. I feel like I've been a human body pillow all night."
Bai Heng smiled, didn't refute, picked up his phone from the bedside table to check the time, and stood up briskly: "I ordered breakfast, it's very plentiful. I can have them deliver it now. Didn't you say you were exhausted yesterday? Eat more to make up for it."
"Hmm, what did you order?" Sang Li got up.
"We have both Western and Chinese food, just in case you're picky about food."
Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Sang Li's eyes lit up, and she struggled to climb out of bed.
The food cart was pushed in.
These are all foods I like to eat.
Milk, oatmeal, and raisin porridge; peanut and banana toast sandwich; smoked salmon and Eggs Benedict; and fresh asparagus and a perfectly golden-brown baguette garnished the plate.
Jams are also readily available.
It's completely to my own taste.
While at the shelter, I would always ask Bai Heng to order breakfast for me during my physical examinations.
Bai Heng's meal was rather simple: steamed buns, porridge, and wontons.
The hotel also provided two complimentary hot Americanos.
"Thank you for your help yesterday." Bai Heng sat at the table opposite Sang Li's bed, his finger casually tracing a circle on the inside of his coffee cup. "Please continue to help me if I need anything in the future."
His voice was calm, but the phrase "if you need it again in the future" made Sang Li blush instantly.
Yes, it is necessary.
There will be a frequent need for this in the future.
She and Bai Heng were now completely entangled in an ambiguous relationship.
Never mind, judging from Bai Heng's expression, I probably don't have that much influence.
A kiss, a hug, and a piggyback ride are all you need.
Otherwise, we could extract her genetic sample, make it into a special reagent, and provide it to Bai Heng for use.
Anyway, she's willing to make some sacrifices.
Sang Li hummed in agreement, then bent down to cut the egg. She used a little too much force, and the yolk spilled out, leaving a golden rim around the edge of the plate.
Bai Heng: "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you. It was safe last night too, that anomaly should be far away by now."
Sang Li: "Go back and get a checkup."
"good."
She looked at Bai Heng and suddenly noticed a rose in a glass vase next to the dining car. It was a very deep red, like a flower that quietly blooms at night.
Or like the roses found in vampire rooms in movies.
Is service this attentive and meticulous nowadays?
She doesn't really care much for flowers and doesn't buy them, but this one looks excessively beautiful.
Sang Li took the rose and examined it closely.
The fragrance isn't overpowering; it's refreshing with a hint of indescribable sweetness. It's not as pungent as artificial fragrances, nor as monotonous as ordinary flowers and herbs. It seems to contain something else, making you want to take another deep breath.
The color was also unusual; it wasn't the common rose red, but a deep, rich color, slightly darker than blood and lighter than ink, like strong wine dripping from the night, slowly spreading across the paper and forming the shape of a flower.
Sang Li stared at it, somewhat lost in thought.
Intuition was pulling her in different directions.
They seemed to sense that something was slightly off.
"Have you ever seen roses of this color before?" She held the flower up slightly, and Bai Heng across from her frowned and looked at her hand.
“The smell is different too,” Sang Li handed over the flower, “Take a sniff.”
Bai Heng took it.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then he said, "It's not an anomalous entity."
"Are you sure?" Sang Li asked, but then she immediately denied what she had said earlier, "Never mind, even if we use instruments, they probably won't be able to detect anything."
really.
It's neither Ikemoto's style nor Amber's flavor.
There was no sign of disguise, nor any abnormal parasitic reaction.
Perhaps the resort simply picked out a beautiful rose and delivered it along with breakfast.
The road down the mountain has been cleared, and you can check out smoothly.
Although Sang Li only had one day and one night of fun during the two-day, one-night trip, she was quite satisfied.
Although, a small incident occurred.
But that's life; things can change so unexpectedly.
It certainly wasn't all smooth sailing.
After finishing breakfast, the two tidied up their things briefly.
Sang Li stood at the door with her bag on her back, her hair still hanging softly, and her cheeks slightly flushed.
As soon as I arrived in the lobby to check out, I heard someone call out, "Sang Li."
Sang Li stopped in her tracks, her body trembling slightly as if she had been electrocuted.
Only two words flashed through my mind like bullet comments.
【It's all over, all over, all over!】
Someone's chasing us!
Are they here to kill me?!
He turned his head away.
Lu Jin was standing in front of the glass revolving door, still wearing his trench coat, his hair slightly wet from the rain, his slender fingers resting on his pockets. He looked like he had just returned from the South China Sea, and his whole being seemed to be enveloped in a damp and cold aura.
He glanced at Bai Heng, then his gaze returned to Sang Li's face without making a sound.
"Why did you come here?" Sang Li's voice was dry. She tugged at her bag strap and didn't dare to look him in the eye. "It's so far from here. You must be tired and exhausted."
"I'm taking you home," Lu Jin said calmly.
I knew Sang Li would react this way, looking like she'd been caught red-handed.
Bai Heng subconsciously moved a little closer to her, his voice low and deliberate, "You scared her."
He seemed quite dissatisfied.
Lu Jin's eyes darkened. So he's starting to protect her now?
Who is she to you?
Before he could even speak, he had already abducted the person and was still acting arrogantly.
Lu Jin didn't reply to him. He simply took two steps closer, stood in front of Sang Li, and looked her up and down, scrutinizing her from her eyes to her collar, from her neck to her wrists. His gaze was like a cold knife, sweeping over her inch by inch.
That look was all too familiar, as if it were searching for some trace.
Sang Li felt guilty and shrank back half a step behind Bai Heng.
"Don't move," Lu Jin said in a low voice, like a pet owner scolding a runaway animal. He grabbed her wrist and turned it over. Apart from the moisture and tiny red marks, there was nothing else unusual.
He then breathed a sigh of relief and clicked his tongue meaningfully.
"Nothing good ever comes from being with you."
Lu Jin was referring to Bai Heng.
Bai Heng sneered: "Being with you isn't necessarily that safe."
“I received a location alert.” Lu Jin’s voice was low as he released Sang Li’s hand. “I have absolutely no trust in you.”
Ever since he learned that Sang Li and Bai Heng had gone out in private, he had been restless.
Without even making a phone call, he drove straight up the mountain without even taking off his trench coat after getting off the plane, without even drinking a sip of hot water.
How dare she?
How dare she do that?
Spending the night with someone like Bai Heng?
Lu Jin's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists, and the car sped off. He usually didn't care about her, and even pretended to be indifferent most of the time, but last night he really felt like he was going crazy.
Sang Li is someone who is too prone to getting into trouble.
Despite her seemingly carefree and playful exterior, when she gets emotional, even he can't handle her. Her bottom line is too soft, her emotions too intense; she'll rush headlong into the arms of anyone she likes. It's not that she's unaware of the danger; she's simply utterly fearless.
People like her are most prone to accidentally escalating conflict.
At least, I experienced it myself.
He knew Sang Li too well; he understood her emotions and actions even better than Sang Li herself did.
Lu Jin's sharp gaze slowly swept over Sang Li before landing on Bai Heng's face.
Bai Heng did not dodge.
He stood beside Sang Li, his posture upright and his expression calm.
“You look,” Sang Li took a breath, trying to make her voice sound natural, “a bit fishy. Oh dear, I know I was wrong, I promise I won’t do it again. I’ll definitely report it beforehand. Don’t worry too much, you see, you’ve seen me now, right, right, right!”
Giving in is the first step in human socialization.
Those who know when to yield are the wise ones, hehe.
"..."
"I am your guardian." Lu Jin tried to soften his tone, but his eyes held a suffocating calm. "You go out without saying goodbye, and you don't answer your phone. Do you think you can do anything without telling me just because you're an adult?"
“I sent a message.” Sang Li avoided his gaze, her lips pressed down, looking extremely wronged, and took a step back. “Acting first and informing later counts too, right?”
This small action was like a spark falling into gasoline.
Lu Jin lowered his eyes and was about to pull Sang Li over when Bai Heng pulled Sang Li to his side first.
Sang Li: !
Lu Jin frowned: "Come here, do you still want to go home with him?"
A flicker of pain crossed his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
Lu Jin smiled at Bai Heng, "She's always like this, without any sense of boundaries. You'd better not take it too seriously. You need to understand who is responsible for her."
Bai Heng paused slightly, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips: "I think she does have a sense of boundaries."
It refers to right now.
Sang Li felt a sudden chill creep down her spine. She glanced up at Bai Heng, then looked at Lu Jin, her head throbbing slightly.
"Alright, stop arguing." She rubbed her temples. "Two grown men, dawdling and whining. Nothing's wrong with me, you don't need to be so nervous. I'm S-rank, a super high rank, who can do anything to me? Don't fight, it's like a courtship scene. Lu Jin, are you trying to show off your peacock feathers?"
Lu Jin chuckled: "Alright, I'll see for myself whether anything's happened."
He grabbed Sang Li's wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Bai Heng's brows furrowed instantly. He took half a step forward and said coldly, "Let her go."
Sang Li said helplessly, "I told you not to make noise."
She pulled her wrist back, her palm slightly warm: "I am no one's property now. Where I go and who I'm with are my own decisions, that's enough."
Lu Jin didn't speak again, but just stared at her, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.
Bai Heng lowered his eyes, his gaze clear and cold, yet his entire being exuded a chilling emotion.
final.
Sang Li gave in and went home with Lu Jin.
She felt that Lu Jin's eyes looked like he wanted to kill someone.
Bai Heng watched the two figures disappear into the distance and licked his lips.
If that's true, it would be great to tamper with Sang Li's data and keep her by my side.
He needs a plan.
***
The rain outside the car window had stopped, but the mountain road was slippery and shrouded in mist.
Lu Jin gripped the steering wheel and didn't say anything more the whole way.
He didn't speak until they were almost at the bottom of the mountain, his voice low: "I was rude just now. I'm sorry."
Sang Li was in a daze when she heard this and couldn't help but turn around to look at him: "Why are you admitting your mistake so quickly? Did you do something to betray me? They say online that when a man suddenly admits his mistake, he must have cheated on me. Of course, the word 'cheating' doesn't quite fit you. Did you do something else bad?"
Lu Jin: ?
“That was then,” Lu Jin said calmly. “Now, when you go out with other people, I get a little irritated.”
Sang Li clicked her tongue, remaining noncommittal.
After a few seconds of silence, Lu Jin changed the subject again: "Didn't you say you wanted to go to the southern islands? I looked up a few places, and some of them are pretty good."
"I don't plan to go out anytime soon," Sang Li said softly, watching the shadows of the trees rushing past the window.
"Why?" Lu Jin glanced at her, his eyes gentle.
Didn't we agree to go out and have fun?
Sang Li bit her lower lip and whispered, "I don't know. Something just feels off."
"What's strange about it?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it, it's like something big is about to happen."
This was Sang Li's intuition.
She was holding the red rose in her hand.
For some reason, the moment Chi Du appeared, their peaceful life was shattered.
It gave me the illusion that all the gods had returned to their rightful places.
She shook her head, as if she couldn't explain it herself, "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night."
Lu Jin didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded: "Okay, then go back and get some rest."
Sang Li leaned back in the passenger seat, her head tilted to one side. After a while, her breathing gradually became long and even, and she really fell asleep.
She had a dream.
Sang Li dreamed of herself.
She sat on the black rocks by the sea, holding a file in her hand.
The file number is an internal secret of the BEAM Administration.
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