Qin He chuckled, "It's been a week already. I'll definitely be back in Qingcheng in three months."
Xu Wanwan pouted, trying to hold back her tears.
"You'd better come back quickly, or you'll miss the birth of your nephew."
Qin He's eyes suddenly lit up, "You're pregnant?!"
Xu Wanwan nodded, "Yes, I just found out a few days ago."
Qin He was amused by Xu Wanwan's words. "You just found out a few days ago, and you're afraid I'll miss his birth? I'm not going to stay in country M for ten months, am I?"
Xu Wanwan pouted, feigning displeasure.
"You've finally escaped danger, and you're not rushing back home? What are you doing running off to country M?"
As she spoke, Xu Wanwan's voice began to break with tears.
Qin He quickly interjected to comfort her, "Don't cry now, you're pregnant. Crying too much is not good for the baby."
After chatting with Ming Yuzhu and Xu Wanwan for two hours, Qin He reluctantly ended the video call.
She switched interfaces and saw Gu Qichen's WeChat.
Qin He hesitated. Before she left, she had sent Gu Qichen a text message before boarding the plane.
If he had been hesitant then, now she was certain that she absolutely did not want Gu Qichen to see her at her worst when she had an episode.
But Qin He also knew that if she contacted Gu Qichen, he would insist that she return to his side immediately.
Qin He looked at his name, lost in thought.
She missed him dearly.
While Qin He was hesitating, Gu Qichen suddenly initiated a video call.
The phone's sudden ring startled Qin He, and she almost dropped it.
Looking at the persistent video call request, Qin He finally accepted.
The bedroom was dim, and Qin He looked at Gu Qichen's face on the video. "Gu Qichen—"
Gu Qichen's voice was urgent, "Where are you?"
Qin He pursed her lips, "In country M. I told you in my message earlier."
Gu Qichen's eyes deepened, "He'er, give me your address. No matter what it is, we will face it together."
Qin He bit her lower lip and shook her head. "But, but you don't know what I'm like when I have an episode. I can't even stand to look at myself then."
She lacked confidence when it came to anyone else.
Gu Qichen's voice grew more urgent, "We're going to live together for the rest of our lives, He'er. No matter how difficult some things are to face, we have to overcome them together. Be good, Grandma is waiting for you at home, and so are your master and his wife. Tell me where you are, and I'll take you back to see them."
Gu Qichen spoke with extreme gentleness and patience.
His heart ached, realizing that Shen Yicong had hurt Qin He so deeply that she felt ashamed of her appearance during her episodes.
In a hotel in Huadun City, Gu Qichen comforted her softly.
Qin He also hesitated, "But I might hurt others. I don't want to go back to Qingcheng."
Gu Qichen was decisive, "Then I'll stay in country M with you, okay?"
Qin He was taken aback, a surge of hope rising in her heart. She missed him so much.
But in the next moment, thinking of her appearance during her episodes, she fell silent again.
Gu Qichen continued patiently, "If I don't like what I see, then when you have an episode, I'll hide. I'll only be with you when you're not having an episode, okay?"
Qin He felt a pang of sorrow when Gu Qichen said "hide."
"I, I'm at—" Qin He suddenly realized she didn't know the exact address. "I haven't asked for the specific house number here yet. I'll ask Lu Mingxi in a bit—"
"No need to ask him," Gu Qichen interrupted. "Let me see the scenery around you."
Qin He flipped the phone camera, pointing it at the vast buildings outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Then she added, "There's a garden on the roof, and a glass greenhouse."
Buildings like this were not uncommon in Huadun City. Gu Qichen's gaze sharpened, and he noted all the surrounding structures.
"Wait for me."
After they ended the video call, in the Huadun Hotel, Gu Qichen immediately opened his laptop and quickly found the only location on the map that matched Qin He's description, and the surrounding buildings also matched the video feed.
Gu Qichen picked up his phone and called Yu Jing. "Send people to surround the Tianxing Building."
Yu Jing's voice came through, "Tianxing Building? Mr. Gu, Tianxing Building is locked up every night at seven o'clock. Because the twelfth floor houses a Swiss bank, it's impossible to get in after seven.
Gu Qichen narrowed his eyes. "Are there any other routes?"
"Mr. Gu, there really aren't. We'll just have to wait until Tianxing Building opens tomorrow morning," Yu Jing hesitated. "It's late now, otherwise we could contact the president of the Swiss Bank's country M branch."
Gu Qichen pondered for a few seconds. "That's too slow!"
He had to be careful not to let Lu Mingxi hide Qin He away again!
At midnight, Qin He lay in bed, ready to sleep. She got up and walked to the window to draw the curtains.
Just as she was closing the curtains, she suddenly felt a white light flash past outside.
Qin He frowned. This building was over seventy stories high, and she was on the top floor. How could there be light?
Immediately after, there was a roaring sound.
Qin He pulled back the curtains and looked. A helicopter was flying upwards past her.
She watched in astonishment as the helicopter flew to the top of the building and presumably landed on the roof.
Soon, a rope ladder was thrown down, and someone began to descend.
Judging by their clothing, they appeared to be special operations personnel.
Qin He's eyes widened as she watched the two individuals, holding tools, begin to cut through the floor-to-ceiling window.
High-rise windows were always very sturdy. The two, using professional tools, soon cut out a large circle and then used tools to suction the glass.
Throughout the entire process, the two did not spare her, the person whose window was being breached, a single glance.
Qin He pursed her lips. For a moment, she suspected it was Shen Yicong's people, but then she thought it was unlikely. Shen Yicong would not openly come to cut glass; he always preferred to hide in the shadows and strike his prey with fatal precision.
So, there was only one person left. Gu Qichen, who had just spoken to her on video and said he would accompany her—
Another rope ladder was thrown down, and someone wearing a safety harness descended.
Qin He looked at Gu Qichen, her eyes welling up with moisture.
"Gu Qichen—"
The man's eyes were filled with tenderness. After landing, he secured the safety harness to Qin He.
"Come with me."
Qin He turned to grab her phone and returned to the window. She looked at Gu Qichen.
Behind him was a sheer drop into the abyss, the bright moon illuminating his silhouette.
Qin He did not hesitate and offered her hand.
The rope ladder was pulled up, and Gu Qichen, holding Qin He, boarded the helicopter waiting on the roof.
The roaring sound had already alerted Lu Mingxi, but it quickly disappeared.
Still uneasy, he got up and went to Qin He's door, knocking softly. "Qin He?"
The room was silent, with no response. However, a draft of wind blew through the gap under the door.
Lu Mingxi's heart tightened, and he kicked the door open—