Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 64 Do you want to leave with me now?

After calmly and slowly closing the fuse box.

Xu Xiling turned around and met Zhou Jinghuai's calm and profound gaze.

Subsequently.

He said calmly, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming here?"

"If I had told you in advance, how could I have seen you giving my Lili special training alone?"

Zhou Jinghuai stood there, tall and elegant. His features were refined and dignified, and his tone was even more indifferent, so much so that there was almost no ripple in his voice, "Since when did General Xu start taking on such insignificant work?"

The words fell.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Even He Yanting, who came along, couldn't help but look up at Zhou Jinghuai.

Li Wu was also taken aback, her smile faltering slightly. She belatedly realized that something was amiss.

Xu Xiling, however, remained calm, his voice as deep and cold as ever, saying, "What's the big deal? It's just repaying a favor."

"Knowing I was here, I thought you'd ask me to look after her?"

……

Li Wu left with Zhou Jinghuai.

On the vast firing range, only Xu Xiling and He Yanting remained.

He Yanting handed Xu Xiling a cigarette.

Xu Xiling didn't answer, then said in a deep voice, "Smoking is not allowed in the base."

"..."

He Yanting paused as he was about to look for a lighter, then idly fiddled with the unlit, specially made cigarette in his hand.

It was quiet for a few seconds.

"You've really fallen for him?"

He Yanting seemed to sigh, "Although you two have been interested in roughly the same things since you were little, you've only met a few times?"

"The girls who have liked you since childhood could probably circle the Great Wall, and you remained unmoved like a jade-faced demon. How come you've fallen in love at first sight?"

After a pause, He Yanting added, "She is beautiful, but when did you become so superficial?"

Xu Xiling didn't respond to him, but instead spoke expressionlessly and coldly, "From now on, have someone report before you come in."

"Why didn't you say that to him just now?" He Yanting scoffed.

Hear the words.

Xu Xiling didn't even look at him before turning to leave.

He has always been cold, hard, and taciturn since childhood; you can feel his aura of "keep away" even from 800 meters away.

If it weren't for that outrageously handsome face...

He Yanting watched Xu Xiling's departing figure with a faint smile in his eyes, as if he were gloating.

However, after a short while, he spoke in a leisurely tone.

"You two have been brothers for over twenty years, but this young girl is probably in a tough spot."

The last note fades.

Xu Xiling paused almost imperceptibly.

……

Without responding to Xu Xiling's suggestion to "come sit in his office," Zhou Jinghuai turned and left.

Li Wu, left standing there, was somewhat at a loss.

She glanced at Zhou Jinghuai's departing figure, paused, and then followed him.

They ignored the fact that the base gate required identification to enter and exit.

After Zhou Jinghuai came out, he went straight to a black, extended Hongqi car parked at the entrance.

Zhou Jinghuai sat in the back seat.

The assistant watched as Li Wu jogged out and hesitated whether to close the car door.

In that moment of hesitation, Li Wu had already run to the car door.

The car door is a bit high.

It took Li Wu some effort to climb up.

Zhou Jinghuai leaned against the shadow of the back seat, his figure tall and his features deep.

Li Wu couldn't see his expression clearly, but she could vaguely sense that he was in a bad mood.

Hesitating.

Li Wu seemed to be thinking about what to say.

As the assistant closed the car door and sat back in the passenger seat, he cautiously asked the people in the back seat if they were going back to Imperial View No. 1.

After holding a summary meeting with the heads of various cities that day, Zhou Jinghuai didn't even attend the banquet that evening. He flew directly back to Beijing and came here as soon as he landed.

Hearing the assistant's question.

Before Zhou Jinghuai could respond, Li Wu spoke up in a low voice, "I... I have training tonight, so I can't leave the base yet..."

This is also the time.

Zhou Jinghuai raised his eyes and looked at the first glance he had given Li Wu since arriving at the base. His voice was indifferent as he asked, "Then why are you following me?"

The words fell.

Li Wu froze on the spot.

She looked at Zhou Jinghuai's gentle and refined face, his brows deep and narrow. His expression remained calm and composed, revealing no change in emotion whatsoever.

But Li Wu suddenly felt a bit cold.

Perhaps it was because his voice was too calm, so composed that it felt chilling.

Or perhaps the temperature inside the car was set too low, and she felt a chill creeping into her body.

"I...I miss you..."

Li Wu spoke haltingly.

She reached out and tentatively grabbed Zhou Jinghuai's sleeve.

Seeing that he didn't stop her, she became a little bolder.

She sat on Zhou Jinghuai's lap, slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, and gently rested her head on his broad but somewhat cold and hard chest.

Her voice was soft and low, naturally carrying a hint of grievance, "We haven't seen each other for over twenty days, nor have we spoken on the phone. I miss you so much..."

"People who want to see you, people who want to hear your voice."

Although Li Wu had all his communication equipment confiscated.

But no matter where she is, as long as Zhou Jinghuai wants to contact her, he will definitely be able to.

Just like now.

The base gates, which seemed like an impregnable fortress to outsiders, were easily accessible to Zhou Jinghuai.

For Zhou Jinghuai, the question of whether or not he could do it was essentially non-issue.

The key question is whether he wants to or not.

But in those twenty-odd days, almost a month, Li Wu didn't see Zhou Jinghuai once, nor did she receive a single phone call from him.

Mind this.

Li Wu held Zhou Jinghuai's hand and unconsciously tightened it.

That faint, familiar, and refreshingly pleasant scent inexplicably made her feel much more at ease.

Therefore, Li Wu didn't notice it at all.

Zhou Jinghuai did not touch her at all throughout the entire process.

"Miss me so much?"

Zhou Jinghuai looked down at the girl who was holding him; her figure seemed even more slender and frail.

His voice was low and slow, sounding even more nonchalant than usual.

Finally, he responded.

Li Wu lifted her head from his embrace, her clear black and white eyes seeing only him. She nodded gently. As if that wasn't enough, she whispered, "I missed you so much..."

"Yeah."

Zhou Jinghuai seemed to smile, "I saw you were quite happy when you were learning to shoot, Lili."

When he repeated those two words, his deep, pleasant voice carried a hint of tenderness, creating a gentle illusion.

Sometimes, just listening to his voice, Li Wu would unconsciously become captivated. Not to mention, he called her name so affectionately.

But this time is definitely not included.

Li Wu's body was somewhat stiff.

She looked at Zhou Jinghuai, whose demeanor remained calm and unassuming. Even when he spoke those words, there was a rare, subtle hint of amusement in his voice.

There was not a trace of life on his entire body.

He remained a refined and elegant nobleman, as serene as the moonlit breeze.

But Li Wu's eyes, as deep as an inky sea, showed no ripples and no warmth.

After a few seconds of silence.

Li Wu slowly straightened up.

She explained, "That's because I've never touched a real gun before, and I've hardly ever had a toy gun."

"Suddenly I hit the bullseye, and I... I'm a little bit happy."

Under Zhou Jinghuai's gaze.

Li Wu quietly changed her "very happy" to "a little bit happy".

Zhou Jinghuai knew that she was very curious about many new things, and that she would be as happy as a child after learning them.

For example, when she learned to play billiards, she would happily run over to share it with him. Another example is that time she was horseback riding; she was in a red dress, laughing and calling his name loudly from horseback, saying she could ride now…

If the person who taught her wasn't Xu Xiling, if it wasn't...

She'll probably be very happy to share this with him when she gets back.

But in the end...

Zhou Jinghuai simply asked her, "Do you want to leave with me now?"

Li Wu met his dark, deep eyes, and her expression faltered slightly.

I have training tonight, so I can't leave the base yet.

Li Wu was certain that Zhou Jinghuai had heard those words clearly.

otherwise.

He wouldn't ask, "Then why are you following me?"

Regarding her acting career, Zhou Jinghuai only provided her with resources, but never interfered in the slightest.

Even her salary for one film was less than a fraction of the price of a piece of jewelry he gave her. But he never said anything like that she should give up acting just to stay with him.

There wasn't even the slightest hint.

but now……

After a long silence.

Li Wu looked up and smiled at Zhou Jinghuai.

Her fair and delicate face still held a gentle and beautiful smile, and even her soft voice was obedient, "This training will end in three days, and I don't want to give up halfway."

"I'll come find you as soon as it's over, okay?"

She doesn't want to give up halfway through anything she does.

Zhou Jinghuai looked at her without saying a word.

A brief silence fell over the car.

I don't know how much time passed; maybe only two or three seconds, or maybe an entire century.

Li Wu stood up, wanting to kiss Zhou Jinghuai's face.

Whether it was a plea to please him at this moment, or the longing that had been building up in her heart for many days, she wanted to kiss him.

It was in that instant.

Zhou Jinghuai's voice trailed off.

"what ever."

At the same time, he turned his head to the side.

……

When Li Wu returned, the evening's special training had already begun, and she submitted a report.

Hear the sound.

Xu Xiling looked over.

When Xu Xiling saw Li Wu's slightly red eyes, his gaze suddenly darkened.

But he didn't say anything, just told her to get back to the team as soon as possible.

……

The final three days of training ended quickly.

The first thing Li Wu did after getting her phone was to check if Zhou Jinghuai had sent her a message or made a call.

But nothing.

The chat history still contains the messages she sent him before she went to the base that day.

[Li Wu: I'm going to training now. You won't see your little darling for a month~ But I'll miss you so much!!!]

Li Wu sent three exclamation marks in a row to express how much she wanted to.

Zhou Jinghuai must have been busy at the time, as he didn't reply to a message until almost evening when he was about to put his phone away.

But it was just a simple "hmm".

Upon seeing this message, the next thing to do is to collect Li Wu's phone.

So she quickly sent a few emojis over.

[Li Wu: Kiss.jpg]

[Li Wu: Kiss.jpg]

[Li Wu: Kiss.jpg]

……

Li Wu looked at the page, which hadn't received any new messages since that day.

I feel a little sad.

There was a pause.

She sent Zhou Jinghuai another message.

……

The people who came to pick up Li Wu from the base were her agent and assistant.

Upon seeing Li Wu, her manager, Sister Xin, almost turned her around 360 degrees to examine her closely. "Her skin doesn't look any darker, but why does she look like she's lost a lot of weight?"

Li Wu's figure was originally very slender and perfect, but now her face looks like it has almost no flesh left.

"Are your instructors that strict?"

Li Wu actually felt fine, probably because she wasn't spoiled growing up.

But as soon as each training session ended, most of the actors were groaning in pain.

Sister Xin took Li Wu to Imperial View No. 1 and told her to rest for a few more days. Before joining the film crew next month, she still has two or three important events to attend.

Li Wu nodded and replied with a "okay".

When they returned to Emperor View No. 1, just as Li Wu had predicted, the entire house was empty.

But Li Wu didn't expect that.

During that period, she spent all her time alone in that empty, single-level apartment.

(End of this chapter)