The two of them stood still, eyes locked. Passersby couldn't help but steal several glances; after all, this wasn't a park or a cinema. No matter how much they looked like a perfect couple, lingering in such a place felt unnervingly strange.
Jiang Langmin quickly regained his composure and gestured. "Let’s talk outside. It’s not convenient here."
Martina walked with him toward the parking lot but refused to go any further. Jiang Langmin took a few more steps before realizing she hadn't followed. Martina stood her ground, watching him with a cold, detached expression.
Jiang Langmin glanced at the parking lot and asked, "Then where do you want to go?"
Martina typed on her phone: *Let’s go grab a drink.*
Jiang Langmin let out a cold laugh and changed direction, heading to a nearby beverage shop. He watched as Martina ordered a strawberry juice. Narrowing his eyes, he ordered the exact same thing.
She found a random seat and sat down, handing Jiang Langmin a slip of paper. On it was an account number and a figure. Jiang Langmin took one look and smiled. "You certainly have a big appetite."
Martina looked indifferent. A line of text appeared on the phone she slid over: *Second, give me the treatment drugs.* Seeing Jiang Langmin staring at her, she gave him a flawless smile. Jiang Langmin understood her meaning even before she finished typing: *I am in the shadows, and you are in the light. Are you sure you can remain foolproof?*
Jiang Langmin took a sip of the strawberry juice. He hadn't asked for less sugar, and the sweet-and-sour liquid nearly coated his throat. Forcing himself to swallow, he nodded at Martina. "Fine. I’ll prepare the medicine and give it to you in two days."
Martina was clearly skeptical of how readily Jiang Langmin had agreed. She took her phone back and typed: *I will decide the time and place.*
Jiang Langmin looked at the words on the screen and laughed. "Of course. It’s only right to put your mind at ease."
Martina seemed to have a way of knowing the group's itinerary almost perfectly. Since she even knew what takeout Jiang Cheng had ordered, Jiang Langmin wasn't at all surprised when he received her notification an hour before Guo Junyi’s discharge celebration was set to begin.
The gathering was held at a well-known restaurant. Because there were still some loose ends to tie up with the experiments, the two of them were still living at Weiguan University. They had the furthest to travel, and by the time they arrived, everyone else was already there. When Jiang Langmin walked in, everyone gave him suggestive smiles—Martina had arrived at some point and was already mingling with the guests.
Though she couldn't speak, it didn't stop her from displaying a characteristically European cheerfulness. Since she was fast at typing on her phone, there were no barriers to her communication with those around her.
Guo Junyi, oblivious to the truth, arranged for Jiang Langmin to sit next to Martina. Ever since his discharge, Guo Junyi felt that having survived a brush with death, he needed to perform a daily good deed to repay fate. Today’s quota was naturally assigned to one of his saviors, Jiang Langmin.
Not long after Jiang Langmin sat down, he received a second text: *Put the medicine in a storage locker and send me the access code.* Jiang Langmin finished reading the message with a smile, and a moment later, he found an excuse to leave the private room.
Lu Linjiang was naturally pleased with Guo Junyi’s arrangement, but since Jiang Langmin and Jiang Cheng had arrived last, the three of them ended up sitting together. Martina sat to Jiang Cheng’s left, and Yang Bo was on his right. For as long as the meal lasted, Lu Linjiang stared at Yang Bo with dark intensity.
Yang Bo was happily eating, yet for some reason, he felt a prickling sensation on his back, as if he were being watched. He looked around for a while and finally, under Xu Sichen’s guidance, saw Lu Linjiang staring at him from across half the table.
"Boss, what’s the meaning of this?" Yang Bo leaned in and whispered to Xu Sichen. "Captain Lu looks like he’s glaring at me."
Xu Sichen took a bite of food before saying slowly, "He’s not glaring at you; he’s throwing flying daggers at you."
Yang Bo was shocked and quickly searched his memory. "I haven't provoked him lately!"
Xu Sichen found this subordinate's lack of awareness truly incredible. With such a reaction speed, how did he ever get into criminal investigation? "Look at who's on your left."
Realization dawned on Yang Bo. "So, what should I do now?"
"Jiang Cheng isn't going to move, so what do you think?" Xu Sichen looked at Yang Bo. The latter fell silent for three seconds, picked up his wine glass, and walked toward Lu Linjiang. A moment later, Lu Linjiang sat in Yang Bo’s seat with a look of total satisfaction.
Xu Sichen had quietly moved his own cutlery earlier, clearing a space for Lu Linjiang to work his magic.
Jiang Cheng had been chatting casually with Martina when he looked up and saw the person next to him had changed. "Why are you sitting here?"
Lu Linjiang acted perfectly natural. "Yang Bo said he wanted to have a few drinks with the others and insisted on swapping seats with me."
Forced to witness Lu Linjiang distorting the truth, Xu Sichen could only turn his face away in pain. Indeed, no one in this section was drinking, so Jiang Cheng didn't doubt Lu Linjiang’s explanation at all.
Having successfully swapped seats, Lu Linjiang asked leisurely, "What are you talking about?"
Martina picked up her drink and offered a remote toast to Lu Linjiang.
"We were talking about Sweden. Martina has been to many places."
Lu Linjiang had previously asked Xu Sichen to check Martina’s background. Her resume was very simple: after graduating from university, she joined a health products company as an accountant and hadn't changed jobs in all these years. Her resume was almost as sparse as Jiang Cheng’s.
He asked casually, "Where have you been?"
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment. "It seems she’s traveled all over Europe and many places in Asia—China, Japan, India, and so on." Martina smiled and nodded upon hearing this.
"That’s quite a lot of traveling. Did your family teach you Chinese?"
Martina blinked. Remembering that Lu Linjiang knew sign language, she signed directly: *My mother is an immigrant. I learned a bit, but I wasn't diligent back then. I can understand it, but I can't write it.*
Lu Linjiang didn't actually want to chat with her; he was only making polite conversation because Jiang Langmin was away. But Martina seemed particularly interested in him and Jiang Cheng, proactively asking: *How long have you known Jiang Langmin?*
"Not very long." Lu Linjiang noticed Jiang Cheng’s empty glass and poured him some more juice. "Would you like some too?"
For some reason, Martina’s mood suddenly became exceptionally good. she briskly finished the last sip of her drink and handed over her glass.
*I thought you were good friends.*
Lu Linjiang raised an eyebrow slightly. He glanced at Jiang Cheng. "...I suppose we're friends."
Martina seemed to have discovered something interesting. She tilted her head slightly toward Jiang Cheng. *Then what about you and Jiang Cheng?*
Lu Linjiang shared a knowing smile with her. Jiang Cheng, who could only hear Lu Linjiang’s side of the conversation, didn't understand why the two of them were suddenly smiling so strangely when they were supposedly discussing how long they had known each other. "What is it?"
Before Lu Linjiang could answer, Jiang Langmin pushed the door open and walked in. He wasn't surprised to see Lu Linjiang had moved. "What are you all chatting about so happily?"
Martina looked at him and signaled for Lu Linjiang to translate for her: *I was just asking them about you.*
Lu Linjiang’s voice wasn't loud, but everyone at the table was more or less paying attention to this uninvited beauty. They had long assumed she was there for Jiang Langmin. Hearing Lu Linjiang’s words, several people began to tease, "Oh! Asking about you, eh?"
Jiang Langmin sat down with a smile, remaining unruffled by the group's banter. "You can ask Jiang Cheng; he knows everything about me."
The air stagnated slightly. People at the various tables in the room looked at each other, secretly wondering if they were overthinking it or if there was indeed a deeper meaning in those words. Jiang Cheng, suddenly pushed forward as a shield, felt it was inappropriate to answer either way. He could only give Martina an apologetic smile, determined not to get involved in the mess.
Jiang Langmin said unhurriedly, "After all, Jiang Cheng and I have known each other for several years. Asking him is more reliable."
The awkward atmosphere eased somewhat, but everyone still keenly sensed Jiang Langmin’s displeasure at being put on the spot. No one wanted to make things unpleasant for Jiang Langmin at Guo Junyi’s celebration, so they all pretended nothing had happened and manually blocked out that corner.
With the focus finally shifting away, Martina watched as Jiang Langmin placed a small slip of paper face-down between them, pinning it with a chopstick rest. She raised an eyebrow in delight.
Lu Linjiang didn't notice anything unusual about Jiang Langmin’s small movement. He took the opportunity while Martina was no longer wedged between him and Jiang Cheng to ask, "Your experiments should be finishing up soon, right? Where do you plan to stay?"
"I’ll go to a hotel. I won't be staying much longer anyway. Once everything is handled, I’ll head back to Sweden. I haven't been back since the Professor’s accident; I should go back and find out exactly what happened."
Lu Linjiang wasn't surprised by this plan. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Will you come back?"
Jiang Cheng gave him a strange look. "It depends. The biggest issue right now is completing my thesis defense. However..." Jiang Cheng hesitated. "Actually, the environment at Hughes is quite good, and it was hard to get in. If nothing unexpected happens, I probably won't come back."
Although Jiang Cheng had deliberately lowered his voice, those sitting nearby could still hear him. Jiang Langmin and Martina both involuntarily looked toward him at the same time. Just then, someone turned the lazy susan on the table. Jiang Langmin, who was looking at Jiang Cheng, didn't notice and his glass was bumped. Even though he was quick enough to steady it, water still spilled onto the table.
Huang Yidong apologized, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"It’s fine, it’s fine!" Jiang Langmin grabbed a napkin and soaked up the water. In the midst of the minor chaos, Martina crumpled the damp paper into her hand.
Lu Linjiang didn't say anything more. Fortunately, he was usually the type who couldn't be bothered to speak much anyway, so those further away didn't notice anything amiss. Only Xu Sichen suffered, keeping his head down and eating furiously for fear that Lu Linjiang would realize he had overheard something monumental.
As the dinner drew to a close, groups of people were herded by a hyperactive Guo Junyi toward a pre-booked KTV suite. Lu Linjiang finally found a moment alone to say to Jiang Cheng, "I thought about the possibility that you might not come back. Do you remember what I told you on Liucheng Island? About hoping we could look toward the future?"
Jiang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat uncontrollably. A premonition, neither clearly good nor bad, rose within him. He looked at Lu Linjiang warily. "What?"
"I want to... no, I mean, I want to pursue you," Lu Linjiang said seriously. "Whether you’re in Jinghai or back in Sweden, I want to pursue you."
Jiang Cheng’s reaction was no better than Wang Ling’s or Guo Junyi’s. He looked at Lu Linjiang in disbelief and whispered, "What kind of joke is this? It’s not even April Fool’s Day!"
"I’m not joking. I originally thought that if you planned to return, I would wait for you in Jinghai. If you’re staying in Sweden, I’ll sell my house. The proceeds will be enough for me to start from scratch in Sweden." Lu Linjiang’s expression was solemn; Jiang Cheng couldn't see even a hint of a joke.
He opened his mouth, but for a long time, he didn't know what to say. The elevator reached the KTV lobby. Due to Lu Linjiang’s deliberate stalling and Guo Junyi’s unintentional assistance, they were the last to arrive. Jiang Cheng looked inside somewhat flustered, trying to find a familiar face in the dim lights to see if Lu Linjiang had gone mad.
Lu Linjiang understood perfectly that his past record didn't inspire trust. He was just about to explain when a scream suddenly echoed from the hallway. It sounded like Xu Sichen’s voice.
"Martina! What’s wrong with you?!"
***
