Cheng Yuan was startled, staring wide-eyed at the man driving in the front seat.
He had an ordinary appearance, but beneath his strong and resolute exterior lay a scholarly air.
But what did he mean by saying he needed to pick someone up first?
Could he be in cahoots with the people who had been following her and Liu Hen?
Could it be that bad?
Cheng Yuan reached out and pulled Liu Hen along, looking at the man in the front seat, "Hello, that's enough for now, thank you very much!"
The man glanced back at Cheng Yuan, saying warmly, "It's alright, I'll be at my destination soon. It should be easier to get a taxi there. Get out when we get there."
Cheng Yuan was about to say something more when Liu Hen nudged her and handed her her her phone. It contained a message from the man in the front seat!
Bai Yong, Staff Officer of a Military Region in the Qing Dynasty.
She looked at Liu Hen uncertainly, leaning closer to her and whispering, "Are you really from Qing?"
"Sir, you don't look like someone from S country. Who are you?"
Bai Yong looked at Liu Hen in surprise, because she was speaking in Qing language this time. He scratched his head, "What a coincidence! I'm from Qing country too. I didn't expect you two to be from Qing country as well!"
This person was none other than Staff Officer Bai, whom Xin Yu had met twice before.
"What a coincidence." Cheng Yuan became wary. After all, being followed in unfamiliar S country was a huge surprise. If it weren't for Liu Hen's alertness, they would probably be...
"We've arrived at our destination," Staff Officer Bai said.
Cheng Yuan quickly opened the car door, but before she could get out, she looked up and saw someone. She flinched in fright.
Nan Juechen!
How could it be him!
Nan Juechen also looked at Cheng Yuan, who was about to get out of the car, with surprise. He clenched his fists, unsure of what to say, his eyes fixed on her.
"Commander Nan!" Cheng Yuan murmured, head bowed. "What a coincidence!"
Liu Hen, behind her, exclaimed, "This person..." He looks just like A Yu's mother.
Staff Officer Bai quickly got out of the car and explained the situation. Nan Juechen glanced at Cheng Yuan again. "I'll take you back to the hotel."
He then sat in the passenger seat.
Cheng Yuan's already pounding heart escalated even further upon seeing Nan Juechen.
Moreover, a tense atmosphere filled the car, making it difficult to breathe.
Liu Hen fiddled with her phone, using her technical skills to search for information about Nan Juechen.
Cheng Yuan's hands clenched tightly, her head almost touching the ground. She truly didn't know how to face Nan Juechen.
The events of that day were still vivid in her mind. Every time she thought of them, she felt a dull ache between her legs. His strength was simply too great.
She truly felt that the fact that she hadn't been smashed or thrown through the air so many times was a stroke of luck. *Ring ring ring.*
Cheng Yuan, as if seeing a savior, grabbed her phone and answered, "Ayu!"
Her voice was tinged with grievance. Nan Juechen couldn't help but glance at her again through the rearview mirror.
She seemed very different. It hadn't been long since she'd been drunk, but she had lost a lot of weight. Her once chubby face was now showing the outline of an oval.
Her almond-shaped eyes blinked slightly, revealing anxiety, and... fear.
Did she remember what had happened? Was she afraid of him?
"I...I...I..." Cheng Yuan stammered, finally managing to utter a complete sentence, "Henhen and I just ran into Staff Officer Bai, we're almost at the hotel."
Xin Yu on the other end of the line was startled. Staff Officer Bai?
"Then you're with Commander Nan?" She glanced at Mu Yichuan, feeling that everything seemed incredibly coincidental.
"Oh." Cheng Yuan gave a simple "hmm." The name Commander Nan was difficult to utter at that moment. She didn't dare look up, hoping that they would never cross paths again. Nan Juechen's brow twitched, but he said nothing.
In the hotel lobby, the three friends embraced, the unexpected event stretching the day out, like a long-awaited reunion.
"Brother!" Liu Hen threw herself into Liu Shuihan's arms, acting spoiled.
Cheng Yuan glanced at him, her body trembling. Could she no longer love him?
If before it was for Xin Yu, now it was because she was no longer worthy of Liu Shuihan.
"Yuanzi," Xin Yu considerately took Cheng Yuan's hand, understanding her friend's thoughts, "Tell me, what kind of people were following you?"
She desperately wanted to confirm whether the people following them were the same group that had followed her before.
"I..." "Following?"
Cheng Yuan and Nan Juechen spoke simultaneously, the former instinctively moving away from Xin Yu, as if she wanted nothing more to do with him.
"Commander Nan," Mu Yichuan said coldly, pointing to a nearby chair. The two walked over.
"I don't know either!" Seeing Nan Juechen leave, Cheng Yuan relaxed abruptly, her voice rising an octave. "Actually, I didn't notice at first; it was Henhen who noticed. The man was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn't see his face clearly, only that he was quite tall and thin."
"Was he following on foot? Or by car?"
"He was driving a white Audi." Liu Hen interjected, pulling her brother closer, the four of them instantly forming a small circle.
Liu Shuihan stood right between Xin Yu and Cheng Yuan.
However, Xin Yu didn't pay much attention, only pondering to herself. The white Audi didn't match the one that had followed her before, but that alone wasn't enough to make a judgment.
Should she ask Mu Yichuan and Nan Juechen if they had traced the source and the perpetrator of the photos they intercepted?
The last photo incident was definitely aimed at her, so what about this time?
Xin Yu crossed her arms, not daring to think further. "Ayu?" Liu Shuihan asked with concern, looking down. "Are you alright? Henhen and the others are back, so don't worry anymore. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding."
Xin Yu gave a soft reply, offering no further response.
She knew it couldn't be a misunderstanding!
Cheng Yuan couldn't help but glance at Liu Shuihan. He was truly good to Ayu, but Ayu seemed to have forgotten.
And Mu Yichuan—his calm voice had made her feel safer earlier. Wasn't he better able to protect Ayu?
"Where did you go?" Xin Yu asked again.
"We went to the folk craft market in S country," Cheng Yuan said, taking out her purchases from her bag.
Xin Yu looked at each item, finding nothing particularly special. "That's all?"
"No... no," Cheng Yuan corrected, "Henhen also bought a mask."
A mask?!
Xin Yu instinctively flinched, looking at Liu Henhen. Just as she was about to take it out, the phone rang.
"Brother Chengche?!" she exclaimed excitedly, then quickly glanced at Liu Shuihan, pointed to the side, and disappeared.
Xin Yu and Cheng Yuan exchanged a glance, understanding dawning on them. It seemed that Senior Brother Chengche and Liu Hen had reconciled.
"Brother Shuihan doesn't like Senior Brother Chengche?" she asked, looking at Liu Shuihan's somewhat gloomy face, recalling his relationship with Cheng Yao, Cheng Yao's attitude towards Chengche, and his misunderstanding of her.
"Ayu thinks Chengche is good?" He looked at Xin Yu earnestly, thinking that as long as she spoke up to persuade him, he would definitely not stop his sister's choice anymore—of course, he couldn't stop her anyway.
This…
Xin Yu didn't know how to answer. Her feelings for Chengche were no longer as pure as when they first met.
She wondered if it was influenced by Mu Yichuan and Cheng Yao.
"Ayu, I'm tired, I'm going upstairs first," Cheng Yuan said rapidly, then turned to leave.
Xin Yu looked up in surprise, just in time to see Mu Yichuan and Nan Juechen walking towards them.
"Are you still hungry?" Mu Yichuan, completely ignoring everyone else, pulled Xin Yu into his arms and asked gently.
"Yuanzi, are you hungry?"
"No, no!" Cheng Yuan waved her hand in refusal, taking a step to the side, distancing herself from Nan Juechen.
Xin Yu looked at her friend strangely. What was wrong with her?
Afraid of Nan Juechen?
That's true. Anyone who had seen how Commander Nan treated Mu Yi'ai last time would be afraid, right?
"Then I won't go either." Xin Yu looked up at Mu Yichuan. "I want to go upstairs with Yuanzi to rest for a bit."
He pursed his lips without speaking, his gaze deep, seemingly displeased.
Finally, he released Xin Yu and said, "Go ahead, keep your phone on."
As soon as they entered Cheng Yuan's room, Xin Yu pulled her to sit on the sofa. "Yuanzi, are you afraid of Commander Nan?"
Cheng Yuan paused, a flicker of emotion quickly crossing her almond-shaped eyes.
"What's wrong? Really?" Xin Yu asked knowingly. "Actually, he's not a bad person. Being an official for a long time always breeds a certain air, especially when he's the commander of the Qing Dynasty."
"Oh." Cheng Yuan didn't know how to answer. She didn't dare, nor did she want to, talk about what happened that day.
"Besides, that guy Mu Yi'ai, sigh." Xin Yu sighed, leaning back on the sofa, her bright eyes filled with heartache as she looked at the ceiling. "He really didn't consider other people's feelings."
"Commander Nan taught Mu Yi'ai a lesson because of his family?" Cheng Yuan also leaned back. She had never really understood these things.
"His nephew, my classmate, Nan Yu." Xin Yu briefly explained the whole story.
"Actually," Cheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, "I still quite admire Eighth Sister."
Pfft.
Xin Yu couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to cover her friend's forehead. "Really? I never knew our Yuanzi had such a free spirit."
"Get lost!" Cheng Yuan shook off Xin Yu's hand. "I don't!"
She used to be chubby, so she didn't dare.
Now that she's thin, she still doesn't dare.
"I understand now. Pursuing someone has nothing to do with body shape."
"Wow!" Xin Yu's eyes widened in surprise. A philosopher?
"It's destiny."
"..." Xin Yu pouted. She had never believed in fatalism. "The first part is right."
Cheng Yuan didn't respond. Her mind was filled with Nan Juechen's familiar face.
"Ayu... Commander Nan and Auntie—"
Xin Yu paused, then a bitter smile appeared on her lips. "I don't know, but statistically speaking, two people who look so alike must have some kind of relationship. Perhaps Commander Nan is my uncle."
In fact, she also hoped so. Cheng Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Looking at Xin Yu, she secretly resolved that she would never have any connection with Nan Juechen again!
"Huh, Old Master Mu called me?" Xin Yu looked at the caller ID on her phone suspiciously, then looked at Cheng Yuan with confusion. "It's almost nine o'clock?"