"You trust me that much, sir?" Han Feng said.
"We've discussed it, and only your abilities qualify you to be the commander of this operation. Besides, the lab in Country R is even deeper than we imagined," Lin Zhengguo said in a low voice, despite the room being equipped with the highest level of security measures. "They used the earthquake reconstruction as cover to build a complete gene-editing center thirty meters underground."
Han Feng opened the document, his pupils contracting slightly—the seemingly ordinary medical research center in the photo had a floor plan showing a five-story underground structure, with the bottom floor even marked with the words "Bio-isolation Zone".
"Am I going alone?" Han Feng closed the file and looked up to ask.
Lin Zhengguo shook his head: "You can bring a small team, three to four people is best. Their identities must be completely concealed, and they must enter the country under the guise of a business trip." He paused, "Too many people will easily expose us, too few people and we might not have anyone to rely on if something goes wrong."
"When will the operation take place?"
"Two months later," Lin Zhengguo sipped his tea, "R Country is hosting an international medical technology summit. Delegations from various countries will be present, making it the perfect cover."
Han Feng silently noted down the date, his mind already searching for suitable candidates. Various combinations rapidly formed in his head.
"Have you made any preliminary selections?" Lin Zhengguo asked.
"We still need to observe for a while," Han Feng replied cautiously. In this kind of cross-border operation, any mistake in any link could lead to utter ruin, so he had to ensure that every member was absolutely reliable.
As the conversation ended, dusk had already enveloped the western mountains. Lin Zhengguo rose to see him off: "Have some dinner before you go? The kitchen has prepared braised carp."
Han Feng glanced at his watch, then thought of the two women at home: "No, dinner should be ready by now."
Lin Zhengguo's eyebrows twitched slightly, then he burst into laughter, patting Han Feng on the shoulder: "Young man, go on, go on."
However, when Han Feng pushed open the door, he was greeted by a burst of exaggerated laughter. In the living room, Liu Mengran and Su Wanwan were curled up on the sofa, with a popular variety show playing on the large TV in front of them. Liu Mengran was laughing so hard that tears welled up in her eyes, while Su Wanwan was rolling around hugging a cushion without any regard for her image.
"Hahaha, he actually jumped!" Su Wanwan pointed at the screen, then turned her head and saw Han Feng standing in the entryway. "Oh, Mr. Han is back?"
Liu Mengran immediately jumped up from the sofa, hurriedly tidying her slightly messy hair: "Have you eaten?"
Han Feng shook his head and tossed the keys into the tray in the entryway: "You all seem very happy."
"Who told you to say you weren't coming back for food?" Su Wanwan pouted. "We'll just finish yours too."
"It's okay, I'll just cook a bowl of noodles." Han Feng walked towards the kitchen, but was stopped by Liu Mengran.
"You sit and rest, I'll do it." She gently nudged Han Feng's arm and turned to go into the kitchen.
For a moment, only Su Wanwan and Han Feng remained in the living room. The variety show on TV was still playing, but the laughter suddenly became somewhat jarring. Su Wanwan picked up the remote and turned down the volume, but her eyes remained fixed on the kitchen.
"Sister Mengran's cooking skills have improved so much lately," Su Wanwan said casually. "She studies recipes every day, just so someone can have something hot to eat when they come home."
Han Feng pretended not to notice the hidden meaning in his words: "Oh? Really? The ones you made before were quite delicious too."
"Tch, playing dumb." Su Wanwan rolled her eyes, then suddenly leaned closer to Han Feng and lowered her voice, "Seriously, when are you planning to confess?"
Han Feng was taken aback by the direct question and was about to retort when Liu Mengran's voice came from the kitchen: "Han Feng, would you like a fried egg?"
"Yes!" Han Feng answered almost reflexively, then realized how eager he was. Su Wanwan covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.
"Are two enough?" Liu Mengran asked again.
"Enough...enough." Han Feng felt his ears getting hot, and he felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Su Wanwan.
"Ah!" A sudden soft exclamation made Han Feng immediately get up and rush to the kitchen. Liu Mengran was blowing on her fingers, and two fried eggs were sizzling in the frying pan on the stove.
"Did you get burned?" Han Feng grabbed her hand and examined it without saying a word. There was a small patch of red skin on her index finger.
"It's nothing, just a little oil splatter." Liu Mengran tried to pull her hand away, but Han Feng gripped it even tighter.
Han Feng turned on the tap and rinsed her fingers under the cold water: "When frying eggs, wait until the oil cools down a bit before cracking them in."
The two stood in front of the sink, so close they could smell each other's scent. Liu Mengran was still using that gardenia-scented shampoo. Han Feng was momentarily captivated.
"Hey, hey, watch the camera!" Su Wanwan's voice came from the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe, waving her phone. "I took pictures of everything. Tsk tsk tsk, they really are a perfect match."
Liu Mengran hurriedly withdrew her hand and turned to check on the eggs in the pot. Han Feng cleared his throat and took two steps back: "I'll go get a bowl."
Dinner, or rather, late-night snack, ended in a subtle atmosphere. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, the yolks still runny. Han Feng wolfed down his food and then volunteered to do the dishes.
When he came out of the kitchen wiping his hands, he found that Su Wanwan had already gone back to her room, and only Liu Mengran was still sitting on the sofa with the TV muted.
"Wanwan said she was a little sleepy and went to sleep first," Liu Mengran explained, patting the seat next to her. "Come sit down for a while?"
Han Feng sat down beside her and naturally took Liu Mengran's small hand in his.
"Where did you go today?" Liu Mengran blushed and pulled her hand back, but her eyes remained fixed on the silent television screen.
Han Feng tapped his fingers lightly on his knee: "Um, some work-related stuff."
\"Is it dangerous?\"
This question made Han Feng turn his head. Liu Mengran's profile was illuminated and dimmed by the changing light of the television, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow.
"It's not dangerous." Han Feng gave an ambiguous answer, "I might need to go on a business trip for a while."
Liu Mengran finally turned her head and looked him directly in the eyes: "Need any help?"
"Thank you, but I don't think I need to this time," he politely declined. "They're all technical meetings; I can take the technical team."
Liu Mengran nodded without asking further questions. The two fell silent again, with only the exaggerated expressions of the variety show viewers playing out on television.
"I'm going to sleep. Qin Chuan said there's a morning meeting tomorrow." Liu Mengran finally stood up. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Han Feng watched her walk towards the guest room, then suddenly spoke, "Mengran."
"Hmm?" She stopped at the corner of the corridor.
\"Thanks.\"
Liu Mengran nodded slightly and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Han Feng sat alone in the living room, the television light casting shifting shadows on his face. He already had a preliminary list of people in mind for his trip to R Country two months later. Aside from himself, Liu Xiaoran understood the family's influence better, so bringing him along was the right thing to do. Plus, there was a junior who understood R Country... His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his phone vibrating.
It was a message from Su Wanwan: "Don't fall asleep on the sofa, older men are prone to catching a cold :)"
Han Feng looked up at the second floor; a sliver of light was still shining through the crack in Su Wanwan's door. He replied, "Not asleep yet?"
"Reflecting on life," Su Wanwan replied instantly, followed by another message, "While I'm at it, I'm also thinking about when that blockhead will finally come to his senses."
Han Feng stared at the message, his finger hovering over the screen for a long time before finally replying with just "Goodnight".
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