Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Hai City, Mo Corporation.
The office door opened. The moment Mo Jingshen stepped out, he heard the ring tone from his phone.
âPresident Mo, recently thereâs been quite some hidden movements on our Hong Kong partnerâs side. Just as you expected, they plan to use their position as Mo Corporationâs partner to cooperate with other investors to quietly...â
Shen Mu stepped out of the assistantâs office and took large steps to approach him. He then followed him as he quietly reported.
Mo Jingshen only glanced at him for a second, raising his phone at the same time. He glanced at the displayed message Feng Ling had sent over.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The manâs long finger swiped across the screen. An image was immediately displayed.
Shen Mu watched as Mo Jingshen suddenly stopped by the office door. He did not know what Mo Jingshen had seen on his phone. Just as he was about to approach in curiosity, Mo Jingshenâs phone screen darkened.
âWhat did you say earlier?â Mo Jingshen spoke up. His tone was mild and did not contain any perceivable emotion.
Recently, not only was President Mo awfully busy and taking frequent work trips, his originally cold temperament had become even harder to understand. Even Shen Mu, who was typically closer to him, had to be more careful with his words.
âEarlier, I said that our Hong Kong partner has been taking advantage of the successful partnership with Mo Corporation to coax various parties into investing in them. Theyâve been using our name to convince investors. Youâve always been slightly unhappy with this partnership and have already expected that they wouldnât be too obedient privately. Do you want to take this opportunity to head to Hong Kong to cut off those investments in case they affect Mo Corporationâs reputation adversely?â
Mo Jingshenâs expression was composed and heavy, his gaze quiet and lonely. âSend the vice president to Hong Kong. Head there with him.â
âYouâve always been paying attention to this issue. You wonât head there personally?â Shen Mu was surprised. Recently, President Mo was rarely in Hai City. Shen Mu thought that he would directly leave for Hong Kong this time as well.
Mo Jingshen turned on his phone once more, staring at the image displayed. A second later, he closed it.
âBook the earliest flight to T City.â
The manâs ink-black, distant eyes shifted towards the window by the office door. Coincidentally, right where he was facing was a thousand miles away from T City.
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Inside T Cityâs condo, Feng Ling brought out a can of beverage from the fridge for Ji Nuan. âDonât think about drinking alcohol. Here, have a drink.â
Ji Nuan had shifted her position, hugging her knees close to herself as she leaned against the window. Seeing the drink Feng Ling had brought over, she smiled slightly and received it. She opened it for a sip.
Ji Nuan gently held the can, softly and clearly speaking, âInitially, I thought that you were difficult to approach. Now Iâve realized that even a stiff, dense person like you hides a warm side. I feel that youâre actually rather good at taking care of people. Why do you always maintain such a distant appearance.â
Feng Ling held another drink in her hand. She sat down by Ji Nuanâs side, and after taking a sip, she curved her lips into a smile. âEarlier on, Mrs. Mo said that you wanted to listen to stories, could it be that you wanted to listen to mine?â
âIf you wish to say it, Iâll naturally be happy to listen. Itâs not a bad thing if you could distract me. Otherwise, I probably wonât be able to catch any sleep tonight.â Ji Nuan leaned her back against the window. Although she was smiling, her eyes were clearly desolated.
Feng Ling was quiet for a moment before she mildly said, âIâm an orphan.â
Ji Nuan did not reply.
âWhen I was young, there was no one taking care of me. During those years, America didnât pay much attention to homeless children without clear backgrounds or nationalities. Afterward, I met a kind couple. Although they couldnât adopt me, they sent me to a good welfare agency in Los Angeles.â Feng Lingâs voice was extremely soft; it seemed like this was the first time she was sharing her own past with someone. She was slightly hesitant as she considered her past, slowly speaking, âIt wasnât bad at the welfare agency. But my personality isnât suited for socializing. I didnât like those little kids who were always crying or acting obediently to obtain special treatment. When I was thirteen, I ran away and infiltrated into the XI training center while dressed as a boy. Back then, I only managed to successfully infiltrate their training base because I had coincidentally saved one of their employees.â
âAfterward, due to puberty, my body kept changing. I wrapped my chest with fabric every day and wore a large uniform to conceal it as much as I could. My character has always been bland. I only interacted with a few close brothers, and my way of working isnât like a woman either. No one managed to discover it, and I kept training with those men, completing the same missions and receiving equally rigorous training. Afterward, because my results in various drills were more outstanding, my position in the training base gradually became more stable.â
Ji Nuan suddenly chuckled. âThen how were you eventually discovered? Right now, youâre not dressed as a man.â
Feng Lingâs expression clearly faltered. After a few seconds of silence, her tone became colder. âThree years ago, I was discovered during a mission.â
âYou hid it so well for so many years. Who was it that found out? Is he that capable?â Ji Nuan held her chin with a smile, turning to look at Feng Ling who was by her side.
If Feng Lingâs hair was shorter, and her clothing was looser, she would indeed be much more handsome than the women in her age group.
â...Nan Heng.â Feng Ling clearly did not wish to bring up this name.
Ji Nuan was not surprised by this answer. Upon hearing this, she suddenly looked at Feng Ling deeply. âPreviously, when it was Nan Hengâs birthday, and I invited you to come into the room to sit, was your refusal because of him?â
Arriving at this topic, Feng Ling did not wish to say more. She glanced at Ji Nuan. âHave I successfully distracted you?â
âDonât pay attention to that. If your story stops midway, itâs even more likely that Iâll lose sleep tonight.â
âThere is no continuation. There isnât any right now, and there never will be.â Feng Lingâs expression suddenly became milder. She stood up and glanced at the time. âAre you planning to stay here tonight or to return to the dormitory? Itâs not early anymore. If we donât return now, itâll be past our curfew.â
Ji Nuan also took a look at the time. She glanced outside the window; every apartment was lit, only her condo was unusually quiet.
âLetâs go back to the dorm.â Ji Nuan stood up, patting against her slightly numb calves. She did not speak further as she directly headed out.
Ji Nuan left so decisively. It was clear she did not plan to stay in the condo at all.
It seemed like no matter what sort of stories were used, they would be insufficient to calm her emotions.
Feng Ling followed behind, bringing out her phone to look at the âalready seenâ sign by the photo.