Meanwhile, at the Tuslan International Conference Center, four hours ahead of China’s time zone, Liang Qin and Xu Yanshi were ambushed.

Xu Yanshi was just leaving Liang Qin’s room. As he closed the door, something pressed against his waist. He glanced at the shadow on the floor—it was a gun.

The man commanded in English: “Hands up.”

He calmly raised his hands slowly from his pockets, his mind still analyzing the man’s background. Whether mercenaries or local anti-government forces, the situation tonight looked grim for them.

The assailant found Xu Yanshi unusually calm—perhaps too calm. He even spoke to him calmly in English: “What do you want?”

The man pressed the gun harder. Xu Yanshi raised his hands with a light smile, cautioning carefully: “Take it easy, buddy.”

“Open the door.”

“I don’t have a key card.”

The man lowered his voice and barked: “Knock!”

“I won’t. The professor will kill me,” said Xu Yanshi. “You don’t know how grumpy he is when woken up. He hates people disturbing his sleep.”

“Then I’ll kill you now.”

After saying this, Xu Yanshi heard the very faint sound of a gun being cocked—”click”—as casually as a coin dropping in the silent corridor.

Xu Yanshi dropped his careless demeanor, looking down at the shadow on the floor. He was certain he couldn’t overpower the mercenary. Though short, the man was twice his width and thickness, plus he had a gun.

Escape would be extremely difficult.

But he couldn’t let Professor Liang open the door. If the professor fell into their hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.

From a young age, Xu Yanshi had been naturally intelligent, handling every situation with calculated composure. Xiang Yuan called him cold-blooded, and indeed he was quite cold-blooded. He didn’t waste much emotion on such matters.

As he was considering his options, the door in front of him suddenly opened.

Liang Qin, hearing voices at the door, thought Xu Yanshi hadn’t left yet. He opened the door to ask about tomorrow’s return flight.

As soon as the door opened, a black gun barrel was pointed at his forehead.

A strange man, large and sturdy in a black short-sleeved shirt, with bulging muscles like a boxer from a comic book—each muscle clearly defined and solid.

Liang Qin and Xu Yanshi exchanged glances, the latter signaling him to back away.

Liang Qin raised his hands, stepping backward—

…

The news reached China at five o’clock.

Sun Kai and Lu Huaizheng received the news simultaneously. Lu Huaizheng had just hung up with Ms. Feng, promising to bring Yu Hao home the next day. But at five o’clock, Lu Huaizheng was awakened again by a phone call. Not wanting to disturb Yu Hao, he got out of bed, covered his phone, and went to the balcony to answer.

This time it was Li Hongwen, who had also been called up suddenly. His voice was hoarse but solemn. Lu Huaizheng immediately knew something had happened.

“Report back immediately. Sun Kai and his team are already assembling. Professor Liang has been taken hostage by local anti-government militants in Tuslan. You must bring him back safely. The ‘Black Hawk’ project has already lost one person; we absolutely cannot lose another. We must spare no effort.”

“Understood.”

The call didn’t end, and Li Hongwen sighed heavily. “Nothing more to say. You and Sun Kai take care.”

“Will do.”

By now, dawn was breaking, the sky whitening. Sunlight broke through the clouds, casting a beam connecting heaven and earth. It was an ordinary day like any other. For Lu Huaizheng, it was indeed no different, except that now he had her.

He went inside.

He sat at the bedside for a moment, then lowered his head to kiss Yu Hao’s forehead. She frowned slightly, seeming a little disturbed, a bit unwilling to wake. Lu Huaizheng pinched her nose, and when her breathing was restricted, she unconsciously opened her mouth.

The man at the bedside suddenly lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Half-asleep, Yu Hao’s foggy brain sensed someone kissing her. It was a familiar presence, and she began to unconsciously respond to his kiss, murmuring. Lu Huaizheng released her, stroked her hair, and lulled her back to sleep.

He packed his things, left a note for Yu Hao, and departed.

Lu Huaizheng drove at full speed, rushing non-stop to the military base. The plane was already waiting. The entire airfield terminal roared, the wind particularly strong. The nearby lawn bent sideways, and trees stood at angles, dancing wildly in the wind as if pulled by some evil force.

And they were heading straight into the headwind.

Sun Kai was taking roll call. Turning, he saw Lu Huaizheng, narrowed his eyes, and waited for him to approach.

Lu Huaizheng fastened his cap, striding forward with long legs. His training uniform clung tightly to his body in the wind. In the gale, he walked steadily, neither too fast nor too slow. The team members’ eyes brightened when they saw him—even Commander Lu had returned, which surely meant another fierce battle ahead.

Lu Huaizheng walked up to Sun Kai in two strides and stood at attention.

Accustomed to this, they were always ready to rush to the front line whenever the country needed them. Sun Kai patted Lu Huaizheng’s shoulder understandingly. The latter, indifferent, took the Tuslan map that Chen Rui handed over. “There are two hostages, already held in the northernmost town of Tuslan, Uchakmu Town.”

Lu Huaizheng took it and glanced at it—a small red star at the farthest point on the map marked the location where Professor Liang and Xu Yanshi were being held. He scanned it all quickly, rolled it into a tube, pulled down his cap, and spoke in a deep, determined voice: “Let’s move out first, we’ll talk on the way.”

Yu Hao woke up at eight o’clock. The bed beside her was empty. Thinking he had gone to the bathroom, she rubbed her eyes and called softly, “Lu Huaizheng.”

The room was empty, with no response.

Still not noticing, she called again tentatively, “Lu Huaizheng?”

Her only reply was the mournful bird calls from outside the window.

She opened her eyes fully, looking around, and realized he seemed to have gone out. The other side of the bed was neatly made, showing no trace that anyone had slept there. His t-shirt and pants from yesterday hung casually on the sofa, clearly left without time to tidy up.

A piece of paper was under her phone on the bedside table. A breeze lifted one corner of the paper, making it flutter slightly.

Yu Hao’s heart stirred.

They hadn’t left notes for each other in many years. This style wasn’t really like Lu Huaizheng; he wasn’t the type of boy who liked writing letters, much less putting his emotions on paper. Sometimes when Yu Hao wouldn’t talk to him, Lu Huaizheng had no choice but to write notes to cheer her up. The content was rich, telling stories about the water ghosts at Lake Baikal, unofficial histories, romantic histories, and many strange tales from who-knows-where. But often, Yu Hao was amused.

He once said that an ancient monarch died by falling into a cesspit. Whether he drowned or died of shame was debatable.

Yu Hao thought he was teasing her, but one day she found this passage in the “Zuo Zhuan.” The original text read: “About to eat, he swelled up, went to the toilet, fell in, and died.”

She loved how he explained the world’s bizarre yet real events with his unique Lu Huaizheng-style humor, then deliberately added, “Why do you believe everything I say?”

Classic case of taking advantage and then acting smug.

Yu Hao took the note. His handwriting, when he wrote seriously, was quite beautiful—strong and forceful, pressing through the paper.

It was completely different from the writing on his self-criticism last night, which had been flamboyant, somewhat like a doctor’s prescription.

“Had to go to Tuslan for an emergency. Your mother came back last night. Whether you want to go home or stay here, let Huo Ting arrange it. Don’t argue with her. Wait for me to return.”

The signature was simply his surname.

Lu.

Yu Hao sat on the bed, holding the note, caressing it gently as if she could feel his warmth, filled with longing.

When Yu Hao went downstairs, Huo Ting was already sitting on the sofa waiting, browsing through a newspaper. Lu Xin sat beside him. Seeing her come down, Lu Xin stood up happily and called out, “You’re up! Come have breakfast.”

Hearing this, Huo Ting looked over and also stood up, walking to the dining table to pull out chairs for the two ladies. Yu Hao hurriedly thanked him. Huo Ting smiled, “No need to be so formal. Just treat this as your own home. With your husband gone, I have to take care of both of you.”

After they sat down.

Huo Ting poured her a glass of milk, pushed it toward her, and then poured one for himself, saying, “Military life isn’t easy. When the unit called, he didn’t even have time to change clothes before rushing back.”

“What time did he leave?”

Huo Ting thought for a moment. “Around five. Said it was an urgent matter. He also asked me to tell you something.”

Yu Hao: “What is it?”

Huo Ting: “Eat first, then we’ll talk.”

Lu Xin came out from inside, carrying a small plate of toast. “Just say it, why the suspense?”

Huo Ting sighed, glanced at Lu Xin, then said to Yu Hao: “Your mother called you late last night. When he saw the contact name, he answered without thinking, not realizing it was your mother. He had promised her to take you home today, but then this emergency came up—it’s not his fault. He asked me to accompany you home later to discuss the marriage. Don’t worry, we’ll handle this.”

Before Yu Hao could speak, Lu Xin raised her fist and joined in: “I’ll go too. Women communicate better with women.” Then, Lu Xin leaned in slightly and asked Yu Hao in a low voice, “What does your mother do?”

“She’s a professor, a civilized person,” Yu Hao said, sipping her milk in small gulps.

Huo Ting burst out laughing. “That makes it easier. We’re civilized people too.”

“You don’t need to worry. If my mom finds out I’m married, she might get a megaphone and broadcast it around the neighborhood for forty-nine days straight, with surround sound.”

Lu Xin laughed even more when she heard this. “Yu Hao, you’re so funny.”

Nine-thirty, at the Yu family home.

Ms. Feng placed her teacup on the coffee table and looked at the Huo couple across from her: “So he didn’t come? Sent you two instead? What relation are you to him?”

Huo Ting smiled: “He’s my nephew.”

Feng Yanzhi’s eyebrows shot up. “And his parents?”

Huo Ting: “His parents passed away when he was very young. He grew up with us. If you’re concerned about this, our relationship with him is no different from that of his biological parents—it’s just a matter of titles.”

These words sounded particularly heartbreaking to Yu Hao.