Chapter 62: Warm Intentions (Part 1)

  "Can't find it?" He stared at the surveillance monitor wall in front of him with his eyes narrowed, his thin lips pursed, and a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling expression on his face. His gaze swept over each screen, every scene, "Have those monitors she damaged been fixed?"

  "Ahh...currently under repair..." A middle-aged man in charge of security was sweating profusely, he secretly glanced at Nan Xing and Ling standing behind him, although he had complaints in his heart, he didn't dare say much. "Mainly because today many cadres returned to Shensee City for the monthly meeting, there are too many vehicles entering and exiting, it's feared that it can't be checked for a while..."

  "Zero, do you think she's gone?" Ye relaxed his body and leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously stroking the half of his face hidden by his black hair. He could feel a faint pain emanating from that spot. Although the wound had long since healed, every time he thought about the person who had suddenly vanished without a trace, all the past pains would come flooding back again.

  She picked up her usual smiling expression, and after a moment's thought, replied, "The agreement between the master and 'Mei' is that as long as 'Mei' can reach the gate, she will be allowed to watch Master Jun's competition. If 'Mei' has already left Shan Jian City, it won't be easy for her to walk back into the city. Besides, with 'Mei's personality, she would never do anything meaningless."

  The fingers of the night tapped lightly on the table a few times, "Nan Xing, what do you think?"

  "She should wait for an opportunity." Nán Xīng's reply was brief.

  "Hmm." How long had she prepared for today's escape? It seemed that finding her would require some serious thinking. As he thought, he looked down at his pale and slender fingers, a smile gradually appearing on the corner of his lips, "When can those hidden hounds be restored?"

  "It'll probably be until tomorrow morning." The middle-aged man in charge of security scratched his head with a gloomy expression, he really couldn't understand why those Tibetan mastiffs, which were usually very alert, would fall for it today.

  "It's not like you can be blamed for this." His sleeve shook slightly, and a small pink capsule fell into his palm. "All I can say is that the medicine from Bai Yue Tang still has some effect, but you need to study how to improve the security level of the medical center. Not just the medicine under development, but also those that have not been synthesized yet, even the medicinal residue needs attention. After all, our 'Mei' is really too mischievous." His voice was softer than usual, but his eyes had a gathering of murderous intent.

  "It's so cold outside, 'Mei' is not wearing much, won't she get frostbite?" Ling had some concerns, after all it was the depths of winter, and even with thick clothes on, standing outside for a long time would still make one feel chilly. "Her illness has just gotten a bit better, if she gets sick again..."

  "Zero, why did you stay out for so long today?" Ye was still smiling, but the chill that seeped into his bones made people's hair stand on end.

  She slightly paused, lifted the cake box in front of Ye and gently shook it, saying vaguely, "Mei wanted to eat strawberry cheesecake. I happened to receive Jinghua's call before going out, so the two of us went to get our hair done and nails trimmed, and chatted for a bit. Who knew there were so many people queuing at the cake shop? It took almost an hour to buy it..."

  "Oh?" Ye's gaze swept over Nan Xing lightly, a cold smile playing on his lips, and his voice was even colder, "Then why do you want to relax your surveillance on her?"

  A hint of unusual color flashed in Nán Xīng's eyes, and he lowered his voice to say, "Today is the first time 'Mèi' has used international chess to defeat a subordinate... Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

  "Whatever, I'm the one who spoiled her after all. Since something like this happened, it's only right that I take full responsibility." The corner of his mouth curled up and he let out a cold laugh, but his eyes were icy hard. "She said running on the treadmill was boring, so I agreed to let her run around Shan Jian City. It seems she took advantage of this opportunity to observe the placement of the surveillance cameras, as well as the shift changes at each exit and the traffic situation. She said that children should eat nuts in the afternoon for brain development, so I had Zero prepare some hazelnuts for her. And it's likely that she was the one who damaged the surveillance camera lens. As for Zero being delayed outside for so long, I suspect your sister Su Jinghua is probably her accomplice. But according to my estimation, it's more likely that both of you were used by her without realizing it. As for Nan Xing's situation, first, Xiao Ye's chess skills are not low; second, you let her discover your obsession with chess and she took advantage of the opening you gave her; third, your straightforward and silent personality, as well as your dislike of idle chatter... And then there's the fact that she deliberately got hurt and went out to provoke me into anger, plus all the annoying things that have been happening in the store recently that I, as the shop owner, had to personally deal with... In Shan Jian City, the people who could keep an eye on her for a long time were one by one peeled away by her."

  Stunned, he stared at him, "Your Excellency means that everything was 'Mèi' intentionally done for today's escape?"

  "Why not?" Ye raised an eyebrow, glanced at the clock on the wall, and chuckled softly, but his voice was still cold. "Alright, go make her a cup of Royal Ceylon tea and pair it with that strawberry cheesecake you just bought. That should satisfy her."

  "Master?" Zero's fingers trembled slightly, and she looked up at Ye, her profile half-hidden in the dim light of the screen, the wound on her cheek gleaming with an eerie glow. After a moment, she spoke slowly, "Yes, I understand."

  "This little wild cat should have returned too." Night's icy gaze flickered, and he took the red wine handed over by Nan Xing, gently swirling it without immediately drinking it. Instead, he said lightly, "Could it be that she wants me to personally go to the door to welcome her?"

  "Your Majesty, today's temperature is minus four degrees."

  He glanced at him, his thin lips slightly hooked, and he took a light sip of red wine, saying slowly, "I plan to send you with her, one is for escorting, the other is for guidance. After all, I can't leave Shensee City for a long time."

  "Yes."

  "Remember, from now on, don't treat her like a child. As the master of Qingyuan Tian and the owner of Qīyè Táng, how can her temperament be compared to that of a child?" Ye turned his head to look at him, casually brushing away the black hair by his cheek, revealing his elegant and handsome face that seemed almost otherworldly.

  "Your Highness, it's not that I'm being presumptuous, but if I've been teaching 'Charm' all along... I fear Your Highness has another wager with her..." Nan Xing rarely showed a hesitant expression, his skills within the organization were among the top, but compared to Ye, he was still far behind.

  "Do you really want her to win me? Or do you pity her and don't want her to lose the brother she loves?" The deep eyes flashed, and a cold light suddenly appeared, but it quickly subsided. Ye Mi raised an eyebrow, his thin lips curled into a smile, and his low voice said, "I didn't expect that you and she are not only chess friends, but also intimate friends."

  "I dare not." Nan Xing hastily knelt down on one knee, his dark eyes dim and expressionless. "What I mean is that Your Majesty can personally instruct 'Mei' during the winter and summer breaks every year. Moreover, with the organization's business expanding in America and Europe, there are also plans for Your Majesty to visit..."

  "I will carefully consider your proposal." He looked at him with a ridiculous expression, but couldn't help laughing, and instead stretched out his hand to touch his cheek. Lately, this action often occurred to himself, was it recalling the past or finally feeling that this scar was a bit annoying?

  In the end, the only person you can trust is yourself. At first, refusing to treat the scars on your face wasn't also to make yourself remember the pain of that violent outburst and the pain of the knife cutting across your cheek.

  At night, he couldn't help but think of the little stray cat's gentle eyes, her clear and bright pupils, and her weak and helpless appearance after getting injured. He got up from his seat, after all, he still couldn't bear to see her fall ill. Lately, she seemed to be thinking about escaping every night...

  He finally came up with a way to let her sleep peacefully...

  Although he was the one who started it, although this little game of wits made him feel quite amused, but would this little wild cat not wear a few more clothes when leaving the room?

  "You do what you need to do, and also inform Xiaozhentian's butterfly that he should make a few more sets of clothes according to Mei's figure, and prepare the matching shoes and hats at the same time." After finishing speaking, Ye glanced at Nanxing and left the monitoring room.

  "My god——" The middle-aged man in charge of monitoring let out a long sigh and fell back into his chair. After a while, he said to the others in the monitoring room, "Go, tell Shi Xingtian's people to think of a way to make the monitors smaller, even if they have to be densely arranged, they can't malfunction like today. Also, install 17 or 18 scanners at each entrance and exit of the medical center. Anyone, whether it's research personnel or cleaning staff, must undergo strict security checks when entering or leaving."

  "Captain, aren't 17 or 18 too many?"

  "Nonsense, this is an analogy, an analogy"

  Nanxing Station stood up, looked at them, his eyes still cold and unfeeling, and said calmly, "From tonight on, including me, everyone's training will be doubled."

  "Yes."

  He walked slowly on the road at night, although he left the monitoring room in a hurry, but when he went outside and was blown by the north wind, he calmed down again. Instead, he carefully observed the monitor that was replacing the new camera, thinking secretly about Gu Huan's escape route.

  Here is still some distance from the gate, even if driving, it would take about fifteen minutes, and if she were to drive through the forest, more than just these surveillance cameras would be destroyed.

  Lost in thought, a refrigerated truck happened to drive slowly by on another road about 500 meters away from him, apparently just finishing its delivery...

  His eyes lit up, but what followed was anger. This little wild cat, having stayed in his Shànjiān City for a few days, had indeed become bolder, and even dared to imitate the action stars of those martial arts films by playing with the car roof.

  He waited until he was furious and walked out the door, only to see Gu Huanli's small face frozen bright red, looking at him pitifully and complaining, "The people here are so stupid, I'm a big living person who disappeared, but no one found me for half a day. And why didn't you install a doorbell at the entrance? It made me stand for a long time and almost froze to death..."

  He had originally wanted to scold her a few words, but looking at Gu Huan Lian's trembling figure, his heart suddenly softened. He opened his coat and pulled her into his arms, his voice low and hoarse, almost gentle to the extreme, and asked softly, "Are you warmer now?"