Chen Hede was worried about Xu Zhuohua, so he insisted on pulling her aside and persuaded her to agree to go back and wait for Cheng Muyun.
"No one can just come and go as they please in the military camp," Chen Hede told Xu Zhuohua. After being exposed to the scorching sun, Xu Zhuohua's mind cleared up considerably, and she realized that she couldn't act impulsively.
The deeper reason, Chen Hede didn't dare tell Xu Zhuohua.
The entrance to the military camp is now packed with reporters, waiting to interview Cheng Muyun, or grabbing anyone from the Dongzhou military camp and bombarding them with fabricated questions, each one leading them to smear Cheng Muyun.
The fabricated reports had already been written, so these people were all there to smear Cheng Muyun.
If Xu Zhuohua were to appear in the military camp and be discovered, she would certainly be surrounded.
To avoid trouble, Chen Hede simply didn't tell Xu Zhuohua about the situation in the military camp.
Chen Hede's car came to a stop in front of Cheng's mansion, and Xu Zhuohua's movements as he opened the car door were somewhat hesitant.
He didn't leave immediately; he just sat in the car, his gaze following the figure as it stepped onto the stone steps.
Xu Zhuohua's shoulders slumped slightly, as if weighed down by something invisible. With each step forward, he would deliberately shake his shoulders, as if trying to shake off a heavy burden, but he could not shake off that melancholy.
The iron gate slowly closed behind him, the soft clanging of metal like a needle, unexpectedly piercing Chen Hede's heart.
He couldn't explain where the panic came from; it was as if he were watching something important being locked behind a door, and he could only stand outside, without even the right to reach out.
Not far after the car drove off, Chen Hede had the driver stop at a teahouse on the street corner.
The second-floor window seat offers a perfect view, allowing you to see the direction of the Cheng Mansion without appearing conspicuous.
He ordered a pot of Biluochun tea, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the warm rim of the cup, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd downstairs—peddlers carrying their wares walked by, rickshaw bells jingling, gentlemen in suits and ladies in cheongsams chatting and laughing…
The more bustling the street scene became, the calmer he felt inside, so calm that he could hear his own heartbeat, tapping out the rhythm of waiting.
After an unknown amount of time, faint footsteps came from the stairwell.
Chen Hede looked up and saw Hu Moli standing at the entrance of the teahouse.
She wore a plain white cheongsam with a few pale ink plum blossoms embroidered on the collar. The lace parasol in her hand was gently folded at her side. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her fair wrists, like they were covered with a layer of scattered gold.
She paused before the bamboo curtain, her slender hand gently lifting it. Amidst the soft clatter of bamboo strips, she looked up and her gaze met Chen Hede's.
"Master."
Hu Moli's face showed signs of fatigue, the result of keeping a close eye on Chairman Luo for several days in a row.
Chen Hede glanced at her, put down his teacup, and asked, "Is there something going on with Chairman Luo?"
Hu Moli turned around, lifted the curtain, and came in. The hem of her plain white cheongsam gently swept across the threshold with her movement, bringing with it a faint fragrance of gardenias.
She walked straight to the tea table, pulled out a chair and sat down, her umbrella casually leaning against the corner of the table, the lace edge still warm from the sunlight.
The teapot on the table was still steaming. She picked up the empty cup and poured herself more than half a cup. As she slightly raised her wrist, the pearls on her earrings swayed gently with the movement.
Before the tea had cooled down, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. The movement of her throat was unusually urgent. The last few drops slid down the corner of her lips and she casually wiped them away with her fingertips.
"You know perfectly well that I haven't had a moment's rest these past few days, yet you still chose to meet me at the teahouse when the sun is at its hottest," she said, setting down her cup and lightly tapping the scalding cup with her fingertip, her tone tinged with reproach.
"Isn't this just deliberately trying to cause me trouble? Look—" She raised her hand to fan her cheek, her fingertips tracing her delicate sideburns, "My carefully applied makeup is probably all melted and ruined by sweat by now."
Chen Hede paused, holding the teacup, then picked up the teapot, and poured the emerald green tea into the empty cup in front of her, creating fine bubbles.
"There's plenty of tea," he said calmly, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. "We'll refill it when it gets cold; it'll always help cool you down."
Hu Moli glared at him, the rouge at the corners of her eyes smudged slightly by the heat, adding a touch of coquettishness to her appearance.
She gave a soft hum and then a heavy sigh—there wasn't a trace of guilt on this person's face for waking her up from the sweltering heat. He clearly looked confident, as if he was certain she would keep the appointment.
"Alright, alright," she said, picking up the cup she had just filled and gently swirling it between her fingertips. "Tell me about your urgent matter first, so that I won't be left hanging and unable to appreciate even the best tea."
Chen Hede's smile deepened, and he tapped the teapot lid lightly twice with his fingertips. He had many people under his command, but Hu Moli was the only one who dared to speak to him with such reproach from beginning to end.
Normally, his face is always covered with an unyielding indifference, and the aloofness between his brows and eyes is like a thin layer of ice. He always maintains an indifferent demeanor towards everyone.
Not to mention the lowly clerks, even influential figures often dare not breathe loudly in his presence, and have to carefully consider their words, for fear of saying something wrong and incurring his wrath.
Pianhu Jasmine is an exception.
Those playful jokes, if spoken by anyone else, would probably make their legs go weak. But coming from her, they were like iced tea with honey, carrying a special flavor.
Chen Hede poured some more tea into her cup, his tone completely calm: "Only you dare to say that. If there's no movement from Chairman Luo, go to the Cheng Mansion and visit Xu Zhuohua to see how she is doing."
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