Chapter 89
Derek refused to meet with Ding Huihui, while Iris made an appointment with Ding Huihui, who surprisingly also refused to let Derek come. Caught between the two, Iris decided to wait and see. With this matter at hand, she couldn't afford to get involved with Yu Xueli's situation. After thinking for a moment, she sent a text message to Su Wenqiang informing him of Larine's arrival and then stopped. She had never been good at handling relationships between three people.
More than half a year after Ding Huihui's pursuit, this was the first time Ding Huihui and Iris had arranged to meet. Iris's anger had subsided. Although she no longer considered Ding Huihui a close friend due to her actions of poaching her boyfriend, she was still willing to lend a hand when she could, considering their past acquaintance and the good times they had shared. Before sitting down, Iris thought that facing each other would inevitably be awkward, but surprisingly, apart from having less to talk about, not much had changed. Ding Huihui had clearly moved on as well. When Zhuang Zhuoyuan was mentioned, she didn't show much emotional fluctuation; there was no nervousness or regret. The occasional small bursts of excitement were only because Derek had been implicated. For a moment, Iris thought Ding Huihui was a pretty good girl; at least she dared to love and hate.
"You've really lost your mind!" Derek cursed inwardly. He didn't agree with Iris's momentary misconception. He used Larine, who was trying to steal Su Wenqiang's girlfriend, as an analogy, and compared it to Iris's behavior of only pursuing Zhuang Zhuoyuan after confirming that he didn't have a girlfriend. He clearly stated that his and Ding Huihui's attitudes towards handling relationship issues were completely different and irreconcilable, intending to cut off Iris's thoughts of playing matchmaker.
But the problem wasn't with Iris. Today's meeting with Ding Huihui was entirely dominated by Ding Huihui; Iris had little to add. Ding Huihui hadn't asked her to be a judge, to determine who was right and wrong between them; she clearly had her own new perspective. "Calm down, Derek," Iris waved for him to sit down, relaying Ding Huihui's words, "Huihui said she's carefully considered every possible reason for your rejection, even a thousand possibilities, but these possibilities can't be considered valid without testing them. Therefore, she wants to get closer to you and confirm the possibility between you two."
“No way!” Derek exclaimed urgently. “What does she think my job is? A game? Iris, don’t play along with her nonsense.”
Having anticipated his reaction, Iris reassured him, "I did not grant her previous request. Tangyuan already has enough people to take care of her; she doesn't need another older sister."
Derek suspected there was more to come, and Ding Huihui did indeed have a backup plan. "Huihui said that when she came to my house last time, none of my family was home. Later, she went back and thought about it for a long time, and decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to compress the time and explore the possibility of a relationship under ideal conditions."
"What do you mean?" Derek squinted.
“Well,” Iris shrugged, “Huihui wants to ask you if you’d be willing to have a one-month relationship with her. She asked me to give you half a month off, and once you agree, she’ll also ask for half a month off. That way, you two can have half a month to date in an idealized way, doing whatever you want. And for the remaining half month, you’ll experience a real relationship. She’ll continue being her flight attendant, and you’ll continue being her bodyguard. Let’s see if you can adapt to this long-distance relationship.”
Derek began to understand why Iris had changed her opinion of Ding Huihui; her face was filled with appreciation for the idea. It was essentially a trial marriage, and Derek wanted to refuse as soon as he realized it. Regardless of whether Ding Huihui had considered things further, he felt it was a huge pitfall he shouldn't step into. However, whether Ding Huihui had anticipated his reaction or Iris had extended an extra hand, in response to his refusal, Iris added, "Huihui also said that if you still can't fall in love with her after a month, she will never bother you again; she will completely give up on you. You have time to think about it, a week."
It didn't take that long. Derek gave his answer that very night. He called Ding Huihui directly, and they started dating a week after Zhuang Zhuoyuan returned from his mission. Ding Huihui was instantly overjoyed, inadvertently revealing her secret: "I originally planned for a week, but when I was talking to Iris, I had a sudden inspiration and changed it to a month! Derek, you promised me, you can't go back on your word!"
Derek choked, suddenly realizing that this woman wasn't the idiot Pauline had described; she had a bit of cleverness about her. He was emotionally hurt, but rationally unaffected, so he made the promise and didn't intend to haggle with Ding Huihui anymore. It was only a week; he was always giving her the cold shoulder, and he didn't believe she could stand it. Ideally, Zhuang Zhuoyuan's mission would end, and she would be assigned a long-haul flight, so they wouldn't have to see each other for most of the week.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan's mission was nearing completion. Five days passed quickly, and early on the sixth day, Yu Xueli, who had been discharged from the hospital, returned to the team to continue the protection operation. That same morning, accompanied by Interpol officers, Myanmar judicial personnel arrived at the safe house. Zhan Hantao handed over documents to them, confirmed their identities, and then arranged for a vehicle to escort Xu Qixia to the airport.
Since the hospital attack, the assassin organization has not reappeared. Therefore, the SDU members have been on high alert, wary of any potential enemy attacks. The Burmese side has gone to great lengths to convict Xu Qixia, and Hong Kong will be the last good opportunity for this group to settle their personal scores. Everyone knows that if the assassins appear at this moment, their firepower will be far greater than before.
Iris counted down the days, her heart filled with anxiety. On this day of holiday, she woke up early, but couldn't fall back asleep no matter how much she moved, which ended up waking Tangyuan as well. She touched her belly, propped herself up, and slowly got out of bed. She put on her robe and went downstairs, only to find AK in the living room.
“Hello, my darling! Oh, look at you, my lovely little mommy!” The moment she spoke, AK immediately stopped talking and rose from the dining table to help her up the stairs. He was extremely careful, treating her like a fragile vase. “My dear Shishi, you are now more valuable than any antique.” AK was generous with his words, his manner exceptionally gentlemanly. Iris felt much better and had the energy to joke with him: “If I had known you were coming, I should have changed into a dress. I shouldn’t be so disheveled.”
“Even without washing up, a princess is still just as noble, let alone you who did, right?” Iris chuckled at his nonsense. AK helped her to the dining table, seated her, and handed her a knife and fork. Only after all the food on her plate was cut did he stop, prop his head up, and look at Iris, marveling at her current appearance: “You’re so happy I’m green with envy, Ed. Jennie, I still can’t believe I’m about to be promoted in the next generation.”
Iris laughed at his repeated exaggerations, and after laughing, she asked about the topics they had discussed earlier. She knew that AK would not come to Hong Kong for no reason. Even if he came on a whim, he would always bring some explosive news.
AK gave her a thumbs up and said, "You really can't hide anything from you. I've been traveling in Southeast Asia recently and just heard that the Minister of Justice in Myanmar is going to be replaced. Hmm, let's turn on the TV later and maybe we'll see the news."
Iris was taken aback: "That Xu Qixia is that powerful?"
The sudden personnel change is suspicious, especially since, according to AK's information, the newly appointed minister has a poor reputation. Given the new minister's past "achievements," Xu Qixia might only face a few years in prison upon arrival. One thing Iris couldn't understand was, if Xu Qixia had a gang, why didn't they bribe officials to replace him a few days earlier, when the plane took off from Colombia? If large sums of money could only be moved by Xu Qixia alone, how did he contact outsiders under the tight surveillance of the Flying Tigers?
On the same day, the CIB was also investigating related leads. The SDU escorting Xu Qixia and his personal doctor to the airport was met with heavy firepower. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in the complete annihilation of the enemy, while one of our officers was killed. More precisely, the Burmese police officer, Loot Lat, who had switched identities with Xu Qixia to protect him, was killed.
In many people's eyes, Loot Lat, like the "freedom" in his name, is full of idealism. His country and his society had long accumulated a deep and inescapable darkness. For years, countless people of idealism had risen and fallen, failing to bring about change. Yet, he remained hopeful, undaunted by any difficulties, becoming a pioneer in driving the tide of history. Even so, he didn't consider himself great compared to his predecessors. He was just an ordinary police officer, simply wanting to be a brick in the wall of the nation, helping the people of Myanmar to rise higher, so that everyone could see the vast, clear sky and the white doves soaring within it.
Until his last breath, Loot Lat was still dreaming of a bright future for his country. While waiting for the ambulance, the members of Team A listened to his final words. After learning Loot Lat's true identity, Xie Jiaxing was the most conflicted and heartbroken. During the protection mission, he was the one who clashed with Loot Lat the most, and the one who treated Loot Lat the worst. Even though Loot Lat didn't seem to mind and understood his actions, he still felt resentful and couldn't let go.
As for Xu Qixia, who posed as a private doctor, after the truth was revealed, he reverted to his original vicious nature, swaggering and gloating in front of everyone. He even boasted that after serving two or three years in prison in Myanmar, he would begin traveling the world. His first stop was Hong Kong, where he would thank the Flying Tigers who had protected him, especially Ah Xing.
Xie Jiaxing had several encounters with this fake doctor during his mission. Deceived by his hypocritical facade, he believed the lies fabricated by the drug lord, who wore a mask of goodwill. At that time, the drug lord, still posing as a doctor, told him he worked for Xu Qixia because he had a terminally ill daughter, and he had to abandon his conscience and principles to earn money from Xu Qixia for her medical expenses, allowing her to live longer. At that moment, Xie Jiaxing didn't understand the meaning behind the doctor's name-calling. It wasn't until Zhong Wei'en appeared and negotiated with Zhan Hantao that he realized it was all a trap set by Xu Qixia. The drug lord, sensing Xie Jiaxing's undisguised disgust for Xu Qixia, had crafted a compelling story to evoke sympathy, gradually exploiting his compassion to establish connections with the outside world. That day, he borrowed Xie Jiaxing's phone, claiming to offer encouragement to his daughter undergoing surgery, but in reality, he was using funds held in a Swiss bank for a massive bribe. Now, the die is cast; Xu Qixia has returned to Myanmar, and all that awaits him is a painless punishment.
Xie Jiaxing was on the verge of collapse.
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