Chapter 56 An unexpected glimpse
Some things seem unrelated at first glance, but once you make an association, the more you think about it, the more you feel that they are inextricably linked.
Zhu Hechang didn't take Sheng Fenghua's teasing seriously, still comparing the eyes of the person in the photo with the eyes of the classmate Lin in his memory.
On the surface, there is no connection between the two. Just as Sheng Fenghua said, the "Shao Chen" in Zhaoming has the same narrow and long eyes as Shao Qingbai, while Lin Guantang's eyes are somewhat round.
But what if this is the disguise? After all, Sheng Fenghua also said that Ling Chen's identity is a mystery, and even his gender is unknown. Then Ling Chen appeared on the racetrack - even his name was disguised, so it is not impossible that his face and figure have changed.
Zhu Hechang speculated:
"Lin Guantang has blue eyes, and Ling Chen also has blue eyes. One of them is the omega that Huo Shizhen has taken a fancy to, and the other is also said to be Huo Shizhen's favored junior. How can such a coincidence happen in the world?"
Is it a coincidence?
Sheng Fenghua didn't think there was anything strange about this. One-fifth of the people in the empire had blue eyes, and Sheng Fenghua himself knew quite a few people with blue eyes. It couldn't be that they were all related.
But Zhu Hechang seemed to be really thinking seriously about the relationship between the two people, so Sheng Fenghua also recalled the scene when she met Lin Guantang before - although she was outstandingly beautiful, her soul was mediocre, and her desire to rely on her beauty to get ahead was obvious.
If there is anything special about him, it is probably that he is still too young, so his appearance is still lively and his soul is still pure. Even if he has a temperament that despises the poor and loves the rich, it is impossible to dislike him.
As for Ling Chen - even the military academy students knew very little about him, let alone Sheng Fenghua, an outsider. The only thing they knew was that he seemed to be very good at shooting, but Lin Guantang seemed to have never had similar experience.
And no one had ever put these two people together before.
So after some thought, Sheng Fenghua replied:
"I still think you think too much."
Zhu Hechang knocked his head and said with a smile:
"But it's precisely because of my overthinking that I was able to rise from nothing to a prominent figure in Fugan District. Regardless, I need another chance to speak with this classmate Lin up close and personal to confirm whether he truly is suspicious."
Then why not have a chance to meet Ling Ling up close - this is obviously easier to achieve.
After all, he had offended Lin Guantang before. If they met again, Lin Guantang would probably choose to stay away from him, and Eden was the target of the Central Military Academy's pursuit.
Sheng Fenghua looked him up and down and said doubtfully:
"Are you interested in him because his identity is suspicious, or are you really interested in him because you were scolded? Do I need to remind you? In any case, he is Huo Shizhen's man now. Do you really want to compete with him in the imperial capital?"
Zhu Hechang just smiled:
"Is there anything wrong with that?"
You really dare to think so.
Sheng Fenghua sighed and chose to respect the blessing:
"Then I can only wish you good luck. However, I'm afraid you've already left a negative impression on Mr. Lin. He doesn't seem to be someone who would easily forgive. Have you thought of a way to regain his favor?"
This is a question that does not need to be considered, Zhu Hechang said:
"Miss Sheng's birthday party, isn't that an attractive enough reason? Besides, the new products announced at the birthday party—I'm sure he'll be interested."
As expected of a person who can make a name for himself in Fugan District, he really knows how to make use of every opportunity he can.
Speaking of which, Sheng Fenghua had originally planned to invite Huo Shizhen to the banquet, although for other purposes - but think about it, if he could really see the two of them together in person, it would be easier to determine what kind of relationship there is between them, which would be killing two birds with one stone.
Sheng Fenghua had never been so eager for her birthday party to come.
***
When Lin Guantang arrived at the store, he found that the store was filled with a happy atmosphere. After asking, he learned that it was the boss's welfare distribution. Each employee received a gift sent by the boss from other places, which was a specialty food from the Roatan area.
It wasn't a very expensive item, but it was a free gift from heaven after all, which didn't stop everyone from happily thanking the boss. Ding Ruize also said with emotion:
"This is truly an immersive renewal of my military academy career."
Lin Guantang remembered that the last time he met Huo Shizhen late at night, the driver also took something out of the trunk when he got out of the car. After thinking about it for a while, he guessed:
"Could it be that when we were in the military academy, Senior Huo also gave gifts to the people in your executive department?"
Ding Ruize nodded and said with a nostalgic expression:
"Pretty much. He's the young master after all, so giving him gifts to win his heart is a good idea. Even though he's quite sharp-tongued, and will mock and poison anyone who tries to commit suicide if a mission goes awry, the rewards for successfully completing a mission are generous, and you can choose any within the specified range. So I'm really looking forward to going on missions with him."
Lin Guantang: ...
To make an analogy, it is probably like - beating someone with a stick and giving them a sweet date, but the date is so sweet that it is not worth getting beaten with a stick for this sweet date.
Lin Guantang opened his own gift. In addition to the same specialties as everyone else, there was also a brand new terminal.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but after activating and binding the new terminal, I always feel that the system’s breathing seems to be much more flexible, even the flapping of its wings.
In addition, along with the new terminal came the teacher who taught cryptography. Lin Guantang originally thought that Huo Shizhen was just joking, but he didn't expect that he was serious.
The new teacher is an old man in his sixties with a lively and active personality, like a naughty old man.
The class atmosphere was also quite relaxed. The general process was just a simple explanation of the origin and combination of the passwords, and then it was time to do the questions. Although the various password combinations were also very daunting, how should I put it? Lin Guantang felt that this course was still easier than the fighting class.
At least he didn't have to fall around and suffer physical pain in every class, but it certainly increased Lin Guantang's ability to endure pain.
Physical training classes at school were inevitably a bit bumpy. Once, Lin Guantang fell flat on his face. He was used to falling, so he didn't feel anything. He felt it was more important to continue with the course. This did startle the other students, who advised him not to be so tense and hard on himself, saying he was already doing well and didn't need to torture himself like that. Someone even posted a heartfelt message on the forum, calling Lin Guantang the most inspiring example of a beautiful, strong, and tragic figure in O College in the past decade.
Have you misunderstood me too deeply?
It’s not that Lin Guantang didn’t want to explain, but whether he said “I’m used to it” or “This little injury is nothing”, it seemed weird. And after he said it, his classmates all had an expression of “I understand” on their faces, which made Lin Guantang helpless.
Anyway, it wasn't a bad thing, so in the end I could only follow my classmates' guesses.
Then Lin Guantang received the invitation.
It was an invitation from his fellow classmate You Guangyu to Miss Sheng's birthday party. The You family and the Sheng family had been friends for many years, and You Guangyu and Miss Sheng had a pretty good relationship, so this time when You Guangyu said he wanted to bring a friend to the birthday party, Miss Sheng readily agreed.
Although the reason why You Guangyu invited Lin Guantang to attend this birthday party was because he felt that it was not worth it for him to work so hard for such a small part-time salary, he wanted him to meet some upper-class alphas at Miss Sheng's birthday party, so that he could marry into a wealthy family and rise to the top - at least he would not have to work as hard as he did now.
But obviously, this kind of deep-seated reason could not be spoken out loud, and You Guangyu was reserved, so in the end he just said:
"Since you work so hard every day, I invite you to a banquet to relax."
Lin Guantang opened the invitation letter and read it. After thinking for a while, he replied a little embarrassedly:
"Sorry, I probably can't use this invitation."
This is Miss Sheng’s invitation!
I really thought it was just a casual party to relax.
No matter how many people beg for it, they can't get it. Everyone who can participate in the banquet is a noble. Just knowing anyone is enough for Lin Guantang to rise to fame.
You Guangyu probably didn't expect to be rejected so easily. His expression changed for a moment, and he felt a sense of disappointment.
"Why, do you have something to hide?"
You Guangyu thought of all the speculations about Lin Guantang on the forum and in the fan group - who would believe it if he told others? They were obviously classmates, but in order to understand Lin Guantang's recent situation, they had to rely on all the scraps of information from classmates in the school to piece together what he did every day.
In short, when others were attending banquets, Lin Guantang was doing morning exercises, attending classes, working part-time, and sleeping in an endless cycle every day.
In addition, Lin Guantang decisively rejected his invitation, which made You Guangyu easily draw a conclusion - Lin Guantang is a proud and arrogant person, who disdains these wealthy gatherings. He may even think that these people are indulging in a life of luxury all day long, so he disdains to associate with them.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the truth. You Guangyu's face couldn't help but look a little ugly:
"Or do you despise my invitation?"
This speculation is even more outrageous!
Lin Guantang quickly interrupted him:
"That's not the case—I'm very happy to receive your invitation."
Are you really happy?
You Guangyu looked at him suspiciously:
"Then why did you refuse? You weren't going to use the excuse that you had a part-time job, were you?"
Lin Guantang shook his head and said cautiously:
"I saw Miss Sheng's birthday party on the official website. I need to register on the official website to get an invitation so that I can earn credits."
You Guangyu: ...
You Guangyu could never have guessed that this was the reason, and was almost laughing out of anger:
“Are credits so important?!”
"Why is it not important?"
This time, Lin Guantang seriously refuted:
"This is about whether I can get the highest scholarship. Maybe the scholarship doesn't mean much to you, but it's a lot of money to me."
You Guangyu looked at Lin Guantang, then at the onlookers who were looking at him with condemning eyes, and suddenly felt that it was all his own fault - he had asked this question unnecessarily, and in the end it seemed as if he was really arrogant and looked down on others!
In any case, Lin Guantang and You Guangyu finally participated in Miss Shengda's birthday party together.
After all, the importance of invitation letters is still different. The invitation letter written by Miss Sheng herself is of course for important guests. In comparison, the ordinary one issued by the school only serves as a sign-in.
In a place like the imperial capital where wealthy families abound, the Sheng family is also very famous. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the richest family among the rich. Moreover, it is said that this time, during the eldest daughter's birthday party, the Sheng family will also announce the release of a mysterious new product, which will be a double blessing. The number of people coming to participate in the banquet is even greater than expected.
It is no exaggeration to say that all the important people in the imperial capital gathered together.
So will Huo Shizhen come?
Given his status, he should be invited.
But this idea only popped up in Lin Guantang's mind for a moment before being forgotten, because he still remembered that Huo Shizhen had said before that he would not have time to meet him even if he returned to the imperial capital. Since he had no time to see him, he certainly had no time to attend a banquet like this that had nothing to do with the military academy mission.
——Guessed wrong.
It is difficult to describe Lin Guantang's mood when he saw Huo Shizhen at the banquet -
Although I only glanced at him from a distance, I felt that the tall man in a camel-colored windbreaker standing in the corner and talking to someone looked somewhat familiar, but there probably aren't many people with long silver-white hair like Huo Shizhen.
Especially after seeming to sense his gaze, he turned his body slightly and looked up.
Although it looked more like an unintentional glance, the moment their eyes met, Lin Guantang was certain that he must have seen him.
So, after seeing Huo Shizhen leaving the banquet through a side door, Lin Guantang had no other thoughts in his mind. He hurriedly said to You Guangyu next to him that he wanted to go out for some fresh air, and then he followed in the direction Huo Shizhen left.
I didn't even have time to hear You Guangyu's reminder that the gate was not over there.
Then Lin Guantang followed Huo Shizhen all the way to a rather remote and quiet courtyard.
Huo Shizhen was waiting for him at the end of the corridor.
Lin Guantang ran to his side, and before he could catch his breath, he couldn't help but ask:
"You don't have time to meet me, but you actually have time to attend someone else's party?!"
Lin Guantang knew that he had no right to ask such questions. Where Huo Shizhen wanted to go or what banquet he wanted to attend had nothing to do with him, and there was no need for him to tell him, but he still felt unhappy.
Huo Shizhen looked at his angry expression and replied calmly:
"It's not a meeting now."
Can it be the same?
Lin Guantang stood up straight and stared at him:
"If I hadn't noticed you and chased after you, would you have come to talk to me?"
Huo Shizhen leaned forward slightly, looking at him with a raised corner of his mouth. His silver hair was blown by the night wind, and strands of it passed across Lin Guantang's face:
"You won't fail to find me."
Lin Guantang: ...
What kind of answer is that? It's way too confident.
Lin Guantang wiped away the hair that was sticking to his face and made him feel itchy, and said unhappily:
"Is it because you are the only one in the room with such long silver hair that is special enough?"
It’s not impossible to understand it this way—
Although the real reason was that if Lin Guantang couldn't find him before the so-called new product launch, Huo Shizhen would wait until the so-called new product launch began.
The press conference requires the guests to sit down and listen quietly, and everyone's seating position has been arranged in advance.
Huo Shizhen's position was in the front, center, and most conspicuous place, and was right in front of Lin Guantang's side. If he was so close, Lin Guantang would not notice his presence.
There is only one reason, that is, Lin Guantang doesn't want to meet me, so he pretends not to see me. In this case, there is really no need for them to meet.
After all, it was just a sudden encounter. If Lin Guantang had other plans, it seemed inappropriate to disturb him.
But since he found me so quickly, there seems to be no need to explain these words any further.
So Huo Shizhen nodded, and Lin Guantang had nothing to say.
Her eyes fell on his long silver hair dancing in the wind. He had always attracted her attention in the past, but now he had become hateful because of his owner's perfunctory attitude.
After a while, Lin Guantang said quietly:
"So, if I hadn't chased after you, you really wouldn't have noticed me. After all, I don't have hair as special and conspicuous as yours."
That won’t happen.
Huo Shizhen responded casually:
"Eighty percent of the people in the room were looking at you, and the people I was talking to mentioned your name, too. It was hard to ignore you."
Lin Guantang: ...
So when I turned my head to look at him at that time, it was not because I felt his gaze, but because the person I was talking to mentioned me?
Although Huo Shizhen's words sounded like a compliment, Lin Guantang felt a little disappointed. For a moment, he didn't even feel like speaking, and he regretted running out.
The already deep courtyard seemed even quieter. Under the cover of the rich night and lush vegetation, they stood in a secluded corridor, silent to each other, like lovers who eloped but had a conflict along the way.
"Did I disturb something?"
A light laugh came from the round archway next to them, startling Lin Guantang. He didn't expect that someone would eavesdrop on their conversation. He looked behind Huo Shizhen and saw Miss Sheng in gorgeous clothes walking out from behind the archway.
She smiled and stayed in the courtyard beside the corridor, her eyes moving between the two people who were arguing just now - no matter how you look at it, it seems that it was Young Master Huo who was getting impatient and was just doing things perfunctorily, and Classmate Lin who was worried about gains and losses and was willful and spoiled.
Sheng Fenghua didn't really want to doubt her companion's premonition, but she really found it hard to connect the "unrestrained" and willful omega in front of her with the neat and decisive Ling Chen who was still alive in the legend of the military academy.
Sheng Fenghua sighed and began to explain to Lin Guantang, who seemed to have misunderstood something:
"Mr. Lin, please don't misunderstand. Young Master Huo only came here because of our family friendship. It has nothing to do with me. Please don't be angry about this matter, especially if you have any bad impression of me."
What misunderstanding? There's no need to explain this to him.
Lin Guantang felt that it was not he who misunderstood something, but Miss Sheng who misunderstood something, so he quickly waved his hand and said:
"I didn't misunderstand, Miss Sheng, please don't misunderstand me. Um, I don't have a bad impression of Miss Sheng. In fact, I am flattered to receive your invitation."
Sheng Fenghua smiled and said:
"Really? That's great."
Huo Shizhen stood aside, feeling bored listening to their meaningless conversation. The purpose of this trip had been achieved, so he planned to turn around and leave.
His purpose of coming here was also very simple, just to borrow the venue to meet with Lin Guantang and complete the commission from his grandfather at home.
Sheng Fenghua receives birthday invitations every year, but they are always just formalities.
This was the first time that while the invitations were being distributed wholesale, the Sheng family elders were also asked to send the invitations to the old man. It wasn't a special birthday party like a coming-of-age party, so it would be more appropriate for the younger generation to go to the birthday party. Therefore, the ultimate goal was to have Huo Shizhen go.
A poorly acted Hongmen Banquet.
Huo Shizhen didn't have the hobby of trying to step into a trap even though he knew it was there, but when he saw the news that Lin Guantang would also participate in the birthday party, he remembered that Lin Guantang seemed a little dissatisfied with the fact that he came back to the capital but didn't plan to meet, so he chose to come anyway.
Now that he had met Lin Guantang and the birthday gift had already been delivered, Huo Shizhen didn't feel the need to stay any longer.
But he just moved a little, and both of their eyes fell on him.
"Why, you're planning to leave now?"
Sheng Fenghua looked at his back and said:
"I thought Master Huo came here specifically for the upcoming new product launch. After all, I've never been able to invite you to my birthday party. After thinking about it, I still think that the reason you came is because you are interested in the new product. Since you are interested, don't you plan to experience it yourself? Or are you afraid of secrets-"
Before she could finish her words, the cold muzzle of a gun was pointed at her heart.
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