Chapter 446

Chapter 446 The Little Delinquent Girl Again

Full two hours later, Su Rui finally walked out of the tent, his expression as calm as ever, as if the two-hour closed-door talk had left no mark on him at all.

　　The two colonels were dying to know what had been discussed, but they understood the rules — you never ask what you shouldn’t ask. Would something that brought the top brass of the Military Commission together in person ever be a small matter?

　　”This is no small matter.”

　　Zhang Yugan said from inside the tent: “He said he needs some time to think it over, and I think that’s understandable.”

　　”You’re so understanding of him — but who’s going to understand us?” An elderly man in military uniform but without epaulettes said: “Every extra day he takes to think is one less day we have to prepare.”

　　Zhang Yugan smiled: “I know Su Rui, Old Li. On that point, I think you’re being a bit paranoid.”

　　”What do you mean?”

　　”Simple — would a man who could ram an entire Yamamoto Group headquarters building to the ground be the kind of person who shrinks from a challenge?” Zhang Yugan said with a grin.

　　”Fair point.” Old Li said with a laugh: “Then I’ll be waiting for you to bring me good news.”

　　Zhang Yugan pointed to the screens covering the entire wall and said: “This operation doesn’t absolutely fall apart without Su Rui. You’ve all just been blown away by his performance. But the truth is, we have plenty of outstanding special forces soldiers, and this mission is also an opportunity for them to be tested.”

　　”Let’s hope the casualties are kept to a minimum this time.”

　　An old general said in a heavy voice, his tone grave.

　　”In war, people always die.” Zhang Yugan raised his head and fixed his gaze on the screens on the wall again: “When people live in peace for too long, some of them forget how we got to where we are today.”

　　After hearing those words, everyone present fell silent.

　　”Old Zhang, what’s your take on what the major families have done by joining forces this time?” Old Li suddenly asked.

　　”My opinion doesn’t matter — what matters is the opinion of Number One.” Zhang Yugan replied coldly: “Although Number One didn’t say much, the message is already crystal clear — infighting within our own ranks cannot be tolerated.”

　　Some of those present visibly stiffened.

　　Zhang Yugan dropped his smile and said: “To be honest, everyone here is an old friend. Each of us has some degree of connection to those families in the capital. But what I want to tell you all is this — starting now, every tie between us and the major families must be severed.”

　　Zhang Yugan’s words were absolute and unequivocal.

　　”Old Zhang, have you received some inside word from Number One?” One of the senior figures looked visibly uneasy.

　　”I’ll leave you with one line.” Zhang Yugan said coldly:

　　”To repel the enemy outside, you must first pacify the enemy within.”

　　…………

　　The Special Forces headquarters was really something else when it came to cutting corners — they sent a helicopter to take Su Rui, but only as far as the edge of the city. There was nothing he could do about it, so Su Rui hailed a cab and made his way to the front of the National Security building.

　　By then, the first pale light of dawn had already appeared in the east.

　　Su Rui stepped out of the cab but didn’t walk into the National Security compound. Instead, he stood quietly at a distance, staring at the glaring bloodstain on the ground.

　　Tonight, some people were still alive, and some were already gone.

　　In his final moments, Ding Muyang had finally found his conscience, choosing death as his path to release and redemption.

　　A comrade of so many years, gone just like that — there was no way Su Rui felt nothing.

　　He stood there quietly for a long time, until the sky had brightened completely.

　　”Nangong Shun, we’ll settle this score, one step at a time.” Su Rui narrowed his eyes, then turned and walked away with long, decisive strides.

　　As far as he was concerned, no matter what happened, he had to keep moving forward without fear. As time went on, the weight on his shoulders only grew heavier — how could he afford to stand still and wallow in grief?

　　”I’m okay now.”

　　Su Rui took out his phone and sent Zhang Ziwei a text message.

　　He knew that because of his arrest, this woman must have been tormented by guilt and sadness for a long time. Thinking about how many people still cared about him, Su Rui couldn’t help but let a faint smile cross his face.

　　Su Rui reached out and flagged down a taxi, then headed straight for Beijing South Station, where he bought a sleeper ticket to Ninghai.

　　It had been a long time since he’d taken a train. Every now and then, experiencing ordinary life like this wasn’t such a bad thing. Besides, he hadn’t slept all night, and he needed to properly recharge.

　　The journey was seven or eight hours — more than enough time to catch up on sleep.

　　The four-person compartment had only Su Rui in it. He had the lower bunk. After settling into a comfortable position, he closed his eyes and lay down, ready to enjoy a good, long sleep.

　　But before he could drift off, a fragrance slipped into his nostrils.

　　The scent was quite strong, yet not overpowering — the kind that could only belong to certain top-tier French perfumes.

　　Su Rui opened his eyes slightly, and found himself looking at a pair of snow-white legs right in front of him.

　　The legs weren’t especially long, but they were firm and supple, the fair skin looking as though it had been soaked in milk. She wore no socks, just a pair of athletic sandals on her feet, and at the top of her thighs was a denim mini-skirt that hugged her toned, perky backside snugly.

　　”Not bad from the waist down.” Su Rui noted internally.

　　He tilted his head up, but couldn’t see the girl’s face — his line of sight was blocked by two rather impressive peaks.

　　”Not bad from the waist up either.”

　　Su Rui wasn’t the type of man who had to get a nosebleed every time he saw a beautiful woman. As for the way he used to act like a lovesick fool every time he saw Lin Aoxue, that was just a kind of act he put on. Nothing more.

　　After those two brief assessments, Su Rui didn’t look any further. He closed his eyes and went back to trying to sleep.

　　But this well-built young woman had absolutely no intention of letting Su Rui sleep. She plopped herself down on the edge of his bunk without a care in the world, gave him a nudge, and said: “Hey handsome, let’s swap bunks.”

　　When it comes to a beautiful woman’s request, men always find it hard to say no. Su Rui didn’t even open his eyes: “Why would we swap?”

　　”My skirt is too short. If I climb up to the top bunk, I’ll flash everyone.”

　　Hearing that, Su Rui couldn’t help but open his eyes and glance at the girl’s denim mini-skirt.

　　Taking in the scene before him, Su Rui’s mind automatically filled in the image of her climbing up to the top bunk.

　　”Yeah, fair enough — with a skirt that short and that tight, you’d basically have to hike it up to your waist just to get up there.” Su Rui said cheerfully. Having a sexy young woman show up as company on a long journey was enough to put anyone in a good mood.

　　”Men are all perverts.” The girl actually slapped Su Rui on the thigh and said: “So are we swapping or not?”

　　Su Rui was genuinely startled by that move. Were young women really this forward these days? Just casually touching his thigh like that — was she trying to give him a heart attack?

　　His gaze settled on the girl’s face. She had delicate, pretty features, but the expression on her face carried a flirtatious energy that didn’t quite match them. Su Rui stared for a few seconds, and suddenly felt a wave of familiarity rise from somewhere deep inside.

　　He felt like he’d seen this girl somewhere before, but for the life of him he couldn’t place it.

　　He trusted his instincts completely — he almost never forgot someone he’d met even once, which was exactly why this sense of familiarity was there in the first place.

　　But clearly, when it came to memory, Su Rui was no match for this young woman.

　　She looked at Su Rui with a face full of delighted surprise, then threw her arms around his shoulders and started shaking him: “Handsome oppa, it’s actually you!”

　　”Handsome oppa?”

　　Hearing that oddly mismatched title, Su Rui finally remembered who this girl was.

　　”You’re… Huang Jingwei?”

　　Su Rui’s mind was still working well enough — after racking his brain for a good while, he finally dug up the girl’s name.

　　Back then, Danielle Sharp had led the top fighters of the Hades Hall in a siege, and Su Rui had drawn them away. With her in hot pursuit, Su Rui had leapt into a speeding BMW, led Danielle Sharp to the docks, and teamed up with Zhou Xianwei to capture her alive.

　　And the one driving that car had been Huang Jingwei.

　　Only, her look now was worlds apart from the little delinquent she’d been back then. That day she’d been wearing a short skirt and a tank top with nothing underneath — the curves had been enough to make a man’s nose bleed.

　　Her skirt now was still short, but compared to going braless that night, it was considerably more conservative.

　　Most notably, Huang Jingwei’s wild, voluminous hair had been straightened into smooth, sleek locks, and dyed back to black — which was a big part of why Su Rui hadn’t recognized her.

　　After that whole incident was over, Su Rui had completely put this girl out of his mind. He’d figured she was just a passing stranger in his life, never expecting to run into her again here.

　　One chance encounter was nothing. But running into someone twice in a row — for any man, if he still didn’t make a move, he’d really be letting a heaven-sent opportunity go to waste.

　　”Oppa, you used me and then threw me away. Do you have any idea how resentful I’ve been?” Huang Jingwei shook Su Rui’s shoulders vigorously, and his eyes couldn’t help but drift back and forth across the swaying peaks in front of him.

　　He couldn’t help it — the way she was shaking, he had no choice but to look.

　　”About that… I didn’t use you… don’t say it like that, people will get the wrong idea…”

　　Su Rui was left speechless by the girl’s blunt words, a look of exasperation on his face. Compared to young people these days, he was apparently way too reserved.

　　”Oppa, you’re so cute. There’s nobody else here, it’s just the two of us — we can do whatever we want!”

　　Really, whatever they wanted?

　　Su Rui had his doubts.

　　Huang Jingwei’s eyes were sparkling, clearly in a great mood. She poked Su Rui and said: “What happened to that crazy woman who was chasing you last time?”

　　”That nasty piece of work.” Su Rui thought of Danielle Sharp, still stuck in a hospital room with her freedom restricted, and said with a grin: “If I don’t finish her off, my whole life will have been for nothing.”

　　Huang Jingwei said with a mischievous look: “And just how did you finish her off?”

　　Su Rui paused, took one look at Huang Jingwei’s expression, and knew exactly what was going through her head. He gave her a smack on the head and said: “You’re so young — what kind of nonsense are you filling your brain with?”

　　”Please, isn’t that all there is between men and women? Who are you trying to fool?” Huang Jingwei pouted, then snuck a glance at a certain part of Su Rui’s body, her expression thoroughly mischievous.

　　Looking at this feisty young woman, Su Rui suddenly felt that the next seven or eight hours of this journey probably weren’t going to be boring at all.