Ruan Su stared blankly at his outstretched palm in the air, wondering what he was up to this time.
She instinctively took a step back.
Ling Xiao didn't seem bothered by his miscalculation, so he pulled her forward instead. "Let's go!"
With a turn, Ling Xiao brought Ruan Su to the aisle and then easily grabbed her luggage with one arm.
He himself had nothing, so he casually pushed her luggage forward.
"Hey! My luggage, give it back!" Ruan Su, in her high heels, ran after him, not realizing that a hint of raw emotion had appeared on her usually frosty face.
Hearing the clicking of high heels behind him, Ling Xiao frowned and slowed his pace.
He had a mission to complete, and couldn't get too close to Ruan Su now, lest he bring her trouble.
"Give it back!" Ruan Su finally caught up, her face colder than ever, but her anger made her look more vivid and radiant.
Ling Xiao chuckled. "Let's exchange WeChat."
"No." This man was dangerously charming, and instinctively, she didn't want to get close.
"Come on, little one." Ling Xiao suddenly started acting spoiled. Ruan Su was caught off guard and met his eyes.
His eyes were so clear and watery, like a pleading puppy.
Ling Xiao's next move completely shattered her perception. While she was stunned by his charm, he had already snatched her phone, called himself, added her on WeChat, and shamelessly saved her contact as "Future Husband."
Satisfied, Ling Xiao escorted her to the airport entrance, smiling brightly as he bid her farewell.
Ruan Su got into a taxi without looking back, as if afraid the man behind her would chase after her.
Watching her leave, the smile on Ling Xiao's lips vanished instantly. He pulled up an address on his phone, grabbed his car keys, and drove out of the parking lot.
Meanwhile, Ruan Su arrived at Wang Ning Hotel.
Her trip to Ningzhong City was ostensibly to help organize a concert, but in reality, it was to investigate a raw material factory.
After settling in, she immediately went to the grand theater near the factory. Once the initial preparations were done, she leaned against the railing outside the corridor and casually asked a cleaner about the raw material factory.
Upon hearing that the factory's wastewater had become increasingly foul-smelling in recent months, she quietly took note. After finishing with the concert arrangements, she took out a small bottle from her bag and discreetly returned to the drainage outlet.
The factory's drainage outlet was connected to several purification ponds before the wastewater was fully discharged. From this perspective, it appeared to fully comply with local environmental policies.
However, she noticed that there were more guards patrolling the outside of the drainage outlet than at a normal factory.
It was difficult to get close.
Thinking that she would be staying here for a while, she didn't rush to approach.
The next day, when Ruan Su drove to the vicinity of the drainage outlet, she unexpectedly saw Ling Xiao.
He was dragging someone along, walking out with nimble movements.
The raw material factory suddenly became noisy, and an alarm blared. This made the expression on Ling Xiao's face even more sinister.
Ruan Su hadn't expected someone who appeared to be a spoiled rich kid to wear such an expression. The sinister look felt strangely familiar.
She saw people chasing after him from a distance, and Ling Xiao's pace quickened. However, he was still dragging someone, which hindered his normal movement.
The sun suddenly broke through the clouds, blinding Ruan Su for a moment. A gun!
A gun in a seemingly ordinary raw material factory?
Watching the distance between the pursuers and Ling Xiao close, she started to worry for him.
Ling Xiao also spotted the car parked nearby. He made a decisive move, dragging the person in his grip and rushing towards the car. He yanked open the door, tossed the person inside, and then got in himself.
A hidden blade revealed itself under his arm. He held the blade to the driver's neck and said in an exceptionally cold and chilling tone, "Drive forward if you want to live!"
Ruan Su hadn't seen him speak seriously since meeting him on the plane. Now, she witnessed a different side of him.
"Okay," Ruan Su calmly started the car and quickly sped away from the scene.
To mislead their pursuers, she deliberately took a few detours.
Ling Xiao heard her voice, quickly withdrew his hand, and almost cut himself as he sped up. "Why are you here?"
He hadn't wanted to drag her into this. He had deliberately avoided her for the past few days.
Now, he had directly pulled her into his mess.
Ruan Su asked expressionlessly, "What are you doing?"
"Doing a job for money," Ling Xiao said, patting the unconscious person's face. "But now I've changed my mind. I plan to send this person to Yizhou Military Region."
"Does this raw material factory really have a problem?" Ruan Su asked, connecting the dots.
Ling Xiao nodded, his frivolous demeanor returning.
"Little beauty, we're in this together now, like grasshoppers on the same rope. Sharing life and death, how romantic."
"Scram." Ruan Su's ears turned red. This man was more reasonable when he was serious.
Ling Xiao remained unfazed, nimbly shifting from the middle to the passenger seat. "Hey, you seem to have secrets too. Why don't we chat?"
Ruan Su ignored him, but Ling Xiao wasn't discouraged. "See, I told you we're fated. We ran into each other like this, I really am your destined future husband."
"Why don't we think of a name for our child now?" Ling Xiao paused when he mentioned a child.
They had a child.
Ruan Su seemed to recall the expression on Ruan Ruan's face, and her own relaxed.
Just as Ling Xiao was about to say something, a car suddenly sped up beside them. His eyes sharpened, his demeanor changed, and he reached out to steady the steering wheel, evading the car.
"They found us. Loosen your seatbelt, I'll drive." Ling Xiao said, his brows furrowed as he assessed their surroundings.
Ruan Su's face was stern. "Who are you looking down on?"
"They won't just try to run us off the road. Be good, listen to me."
Ruan Su floored the accelerator, the car lurching forward. "Buckle up."
Her gaze was resolute as she looked at the road ahead. "To Yizhou Military Region, right?"
Seeing that she could handle it, Ling Xiao felt a surge of pride. He grinned and fastened his seatbelt. "All buckled up. Am I good?"
"Still joking around?" Ruan Su really couldn't understand how this man became so lazy once things were stable.
Ling Xiao obediently closed his eyes. "My life is in your hands. I'm going to rest for a bit."
After two days of stakeout, he had finally seized an opportunity, and he was quite tired.
Ruan Su drove at full speed, occasionally swerving, gradually losing their pursuers, and arriving at the gates of Yizhou Military Region.
"Who are you looking for?" The guard at the checkpoint stopped their car.
Ling Xiao slept soundly. Ruan Su cast him a helpless glance and said to the soldier, "I am Ling Ying of 861. I have an urgent matter to discuss with your commander."