After sending the message, Jiang Fuli put his phone back in his pocket.
The phone vibrated several times, but he didn’t check it immediately.
When Ming Dongheng saw Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli come in, he took out the dinner from the thermal box again.
Lu Xiaohan noticed Jiang Fuli entering from the corner of her eye. She sat up straight on the sofa and spoke quietly with Dean Jian.
Only Bai Lian, Jiang Fuli, and Jiang He hadn’t eaten yet.
Jiang Fuli looked down at the food laid out on the table. The dishes had just been reheated and were still steaming.
Bai Lian sat down and picked up her chopsticks. With a casual air, she noticed him still standing and raised her head, “Aren’t you eating?”
Beside her, Jiang He took a sip of water from his cabbage cup and blinked.
Jiang Fuli came back to his senses and sat down next to Bai Lian. “Yes, I’ll eat.”
The next day, August 8th.
Bai Lian woke up early. She changed out of her pajamas and put on athletic wear.
When her phone rang, she answered and put it on speaker, placing it aside.
She bent down to open the bedside drawer and took out six large pieces of iridium.
“Sister,” came Xiao Qi’s gentle voice from the phone, “Master Jin has arrived, along with a Mr. Xu.”
She methodically attached the iridium to her hands and feet. Red ribbons made her wrists look even whiter, with red gems gleaming, “That’s Xu He. Discuss the arrangements with Master Jin.”
Her physical strength had improved, so except for morning exercises, she usually removed the iridium.
Xiao Qi knew her daily routine and called at just the right time. “The location should be in Guangyuan District. Master Jin said we need to wait for notice from above.”
“Alright.” After the call, she grabbed her bluetooth earphones and opened the door.
She looked down.
Jiang He was bending over, pushing a large gift box toward her door. At one meter away, the blue box was square, eighty centimeters long. It was hard for him to carry, but he wouldn’t let anyone help.
Ming Dongheng followed behind him with an expressionless face.
Seeing Bai Lian come out before he could set down the gift, Jiang He lifted his head slightly, his delicate face showing a strained expression.
Bai Lian paused, looking at the butterfly bow on the blue box.
She suddenly remembered that today was August 8th.
The second day of the seventh lunar month.
Her birthday.
“For me?” She crouched in front of Jiang He, looking up at him.
Jiang He let go of the box, his pitch-black eyes meeting hers as he replied glumly, “Yes.”
He had gotten up especially early today, wanting to place the gift at Bai Lian’s door before she came out. With his keen sense for numbers, he had calculated everything, but—
The one thing he hadn’t accounted for was his own size…
Not being big enough to carry the gift box.
“Thank you.” Bai Lian patted his head, remaining crouched in front of him as she opened the box.
As she expected, inside was an assembled Lego set.
It was the scene of her first meeting with Jiang He – a waterwheel in the background, a bus stop in front, and further ahead, a black car.
A massive project.
She easily picked up the Lego set and placed it on the bookshelf in her study.
Bai Lian lifted it as if it weighed nothing, like a feather. Jiang He looked up at her, his mouth opening slightly with an expression like he was watching a horror movie.
Behind him, Ming Dongheng crossed his arms and looked down at Jiang He’s expression, his mouth twitching.
At noon in the study, Bai Lian leaned on the computer desk, her eyes lowered, her other hand controlling the computer to print documents.
On the computer’s WeChat page, messages from He Wen kept coming in.
He Wen: [One topology research paper, one quantum optics paper]
He Wen: [Haven’t you finished reading?]
He Wen: [….]
Bai Lian extended two fingers and unhurriedly typed one word—
[No]
Straightforward.
Jiang He sat on a stool beside her, holding a game console, swinging his legs while playing.
Lu Xiaohan and Tang Ming had left the apartment early this morning.
After the documents finished printing, Bai Lian reached to close He Wen’s chat window when her phone rang.
This time it was Jiang Fuli. His voice came through the electromagnetic waves, lacking some of its usual coolness, “I’ll be back in half an hour.”
Bai Lian was looking for a stapler, unhurriedly stapling the documents together, “Okay.”
“What are you doing?” Jiang Fuli heard the printer sound through the phone.
“He Wen has two papers,” Bai Lian pressed the stapler with two fingers, her tone casual, “I just printed them out, will look at them tomorrow.”
Jiang Fuli’s voice cooled several degrees, “Two?”
“What about it?” Bai Lian raised her eyebrows.
“Nothing,” on the other end, Jiang Fuli tapped the wooden box in his hand, his expression cool and clear, not discussing the two papers further: “Wait for me to come over.”
He hung up the phone and looked at a small garden in front of him, “Let’s go.”
Behind him was a carved corridor.
Beside him, a middle-aged man bowed respectfully, “Yes.”
In the laboratory, He Wen, who was looking at data, suddenly sneezed.
Someone nearby checked the air conditioning temperature, and although it didn’t seem high, they still said, “I’ll have someone turn up the temperature.”
After more than half a month of strict enforcement in Yunxiao District.
Most clubs and bars were struggling, with only a few unaffected.
Among them were the Qinglong Bar and Siking Club.
There were various rumors in the circle about what kind of background these two had, but most people knew they weren’t simple.
At Siking Club.
When Bai Lian, Jiang Fuli, and Jiang He arrived, a manager was waiting at the entrance. Seeing them, he hurried forward to greet them, “Young Master Jiang, Miss Bai, the Third Young Master is already waiting for you on the top floor.”
He bowed at ninety degrees, not daring to look directly at Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli.
As he bowed, he saw Jiang He being held by Bai Lian.
The manager quickly gave Jiang He a friendly smile.
Jiang He looked at his ninety-degree bow: “…”
Today, Siking was only receiving Bai Lian and her group. The manager didn’t recognize Bai Lian.
But he knew exactly what status this Young Master Jiang held. He respectfully led them to the internal elevator, using his peripheral vision to look at the young woman beside Jiang Fuli.
Wanting to remember her face.
Just as he caught sight of her casually tied black hair and felt the subtle pressure emanating from the person beside her, the manager was startled and quickly withdrew his gaze. Only after the oppressive feeling disappeared did he carefully wipe his sweat.
The rumors indeed hadn’t deceived him.
In the top floor private room, Lu Xiaohan and Tang Ming’s group had already arrived early to decorate.
Lu Xiaohan held streamers, directing Third Young Master Xu and Ning Xiao, “Young Master Xu, move that ‘A’ down, Scholar, move your ‘R’ a bit to the left, yes, that’s perfect…”
Not far away, several core staff members brought in the things they needed.
Siking Club’s core staff were very familiar with Third Young Master Xu.
Now seeing Xu Nanjing being directed by a young woman, they all glanced in that direction.
Lu Xiaohan, Ning Xiao, and the others’ faces were completely unfamiliar, not matching any of the young masters and ladies they knew. Who exactly were they?
Giving orders to Third Young Master Xu? The staff put down the items and walked out with lowered heads, just as they saw the manager personally escorting several people over.
“Young Master Jiang, Miss Bai, it’s here.” The manager personally opened the door, letting Bai Lian’s group enter.
The staff beside him kept their heads down, not daring to look.
Before the door closed, they seemed to hear Third Young Master Xu’s voice, “Sister Ah Lian…”
After the door closed, the staff looked up at the manager, “Manager, who are they…”
The manager couldn’t figure out these people’s identities either, only instructing: “Serve them carefully, remember their names and faces.”
He took out his pager and sent a message.
Then looked back at the private room—
The past two months hadn’t been quiet, with several crackdowns making him nervous, and now… what kind of people had come to Jiangking?
In the private room.
Lu Xiaohan pulled Bai Lian to take photos. Xu Nanjing, seeing he wasn’t needed, walked to Jiang Fuli’s side, poured himself a drink, and lazily swirled his glass, “How many more guests is Sister Ah Lian expecting?”
He had prepared gifts for everyone coming today.
“Her uncle, aunt, and grandfather,” Jiang Fuli stood nearby, his gaze on Bai Lian’s direction, his tone casual, “And probably one teacher.”
Uncle, aunt, and grandfather? Xu Nanjing was surprised.
He knew Bai Lian’s grandfather lived on Qingshui Street, how had they all come to Jiangking?
“Xiao Qi and Brother Mao haven’t arrived yet either,” Tang Ming brought over a chair and added.
Xiao Qi, Brother Mao? Xu Nanjing had thought only Tang Ming and these few friends of Bai Lian’s in Jiangking would come, who were Xiao Qi and Brother Mao?
As he was pondering this.
The private room door was respectfully opened by the manager again.
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