At midnight, everyone who had gone out returned, including Gu Xingdong.
Seeing Gu Xingdong's figure, Chen Lishu’s tightly strung heart seemed to completely relax. She threw herself into his arms and then rubbed her face against his chest.
Looking at the exhausted Chen Lishu, a trace of heartache flashed in Gu Xingdong’s eyes. He placed a hand on her head, gently stroking it, and said, "What's wrong? Are you still feeling terrible? You don't need to worry about it, I'll handle these things for you when the time comes."
Chen Lishu shook her head and mumbled, "The girl woke up."
"Woke up? That's good news!"
Chen Lishu slowly lifted her head, her eyes red, and said, "Is it? But the bad people who bullied her were bailed out. They said someone influential used their status to pressure the police, forcing them to release them."
Someone influential? Upon hearing this, Gu Xingdong pursed his lips, a guess forming in his mind. He then pulled Chen Lishu out of his embrace, gently wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes and comforting her.
"Don't worry, if someone influential is involved, we'll expose them! No matter how powerful they are, this is a life we are talking about, and they can't just ignore it? I've already heard about what happened at the banquet. You've faced enough today. Go back to your room and get some rest. I'll deal with these three hooligans for you!"
Thinking that she had to visit the girl in the hospital early tomorrow, Chen Lishu nodded, replied "Okay," and then turned to return to her room.
Watching Chen Lishu's retreating figure, Gu Xingdong impatiently took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then took out his phone to call Yang Zhiguo.
As soon as the call was connected, Gu Xingdong, with no time for pleasantries, got straight to the point and asked, "Were those three hooligans your doing? Did you let them go?"
Upon receiving Gu Xingdong’s call, Yang Zhiguo was initially quite happy, but the barrage of questions left him stunned for a moment. However, his dissatisfaction quickly took over.
Zhang Wan'er, seeing that Yang Zhiguo's mood was off, stepped forward worriedly and asked, "What's wrong? Is that a call from Brother Gu? What is he saying on the phone?"
Yang Zhiguo was already annoyed, and hearing Zhang Wan'er babbling in his ear made him frown even more. But since Zhang Wan'er was his beloved niece, he could only suppress his anger and gently coax her, "Go away. This is military business, it has nothing to do with you. Don't disturb our conversation here!"
Faced with Yang Zhiguo's dismissal, Zhang Wan'er's attitude was resolute. "But Xingdong is the person I care about the most. I must hear what this is about."
Yang Zhiguo was helpless with Zhang Wan'er. He could only instruct, "It's not that you can't stay by my side and listen, but you must remain absolutely quiet. If you dare to disturb my work, I won't hesitate to forcibly remove you from my presence!"
Hearing Yang Zhiguo's threat, Zhang Wan'er nodded obediently and placed a finger on her lips, making a shushing gesture.
Seeing this, Yang Zhiguo's anger subsided considerably, and he refocused his attention on the phone. "Xingdong, you are my most valued subordinate. I respect you like a long-time friend, but that doesn't mean you can step all over me! You claim I sent people to release those three hooligans, do you have any evidence? Or do you think I'm that despicable, capable of anything? If you trust me, stop asking me about this. If you don't trust me, then the bond between us ends here! From now on, let's not have any contact. You go your separate way, and I'll go mine. I'll just consider that I never trained you; with my abilities, finding and training another excellent person isn't impossible!"
Hearing Yang Zhiguo's resolute words, Zhang Wan'er, standing nearby, grew anxious. She quickly went behind him, gently patted his back, and softly soothed, "Let's talk things out properly, there's no need to make it so awkward. You say it's not impossible to find someone else to train, but would the relationship with them be as deep as ours? Alright, alright, don't take this call. Let me handle it. I'll have a good chat with Xingdong. Don't worry, my temper isn't as fiery as yours, and I won't mess things up!"
Regardless of Yang Zhiguo's stance on the matter, Zhang Wan'er snatched the phone from him and softly said to Gu Xingdong on the other end, "Xingdong, the release of those three hooligans has nothing to do with us! We've heard about your family's situation, and we've been trying to help you resolve this. By the way, with Chen Lishu's company closing down, do you all have no source of income? Let's meet tomorrow. I have some savings here, you can take it to tide you over. Why don't you consider returning to the military to work? It would provide an income, and you could use your position to investigate more effectively who let those three hooligans go!"
Gu Xingdong listened to Zhang Wan'er's words and, without a moment's hesitation, directly refused, "No, I've already resigned. Such matters cannot be taken lightly; it's disrespectful to the organization! You don't need to interfere with my affairs, I can investigate this myself."
With that, Gu Xingdong hung up the phone without any lingering attachment.
Hearing the dial tone, Zhang Wan'er's smile gradually faded, and her grip on the phone tightened. Why? Why wouldn't he just bow his head a little? It seemed this dose wasn't strong enough. Only when they were truly in financial distress would Gu Xingdong obediently return to her side.
With this thought, a sinister gleam flashed in Zhang Wan'er's eyes. She then tossed the phone into Yang Zhiguo's arms and turned to leave the living room.
Watching Zhang Wan'er depart, Yang Zhiguo wondered if he was mistaken, but he felt that his niece was becoming a little too obsessive. However, she had been staying at the Yang family residence these days, within his sight, so she shouldn't be doing anything foolish!