Su Zhiwei
"A tracker from the ćGolden Triangleć, huh..."
Having finished reading the file's contents, ćYang Xiaoć, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the speeding taxi, looked thoughtful. "Sounds like a thorny character."
"I think I know why he submitted to the 'ćEmperorć'." Chen Ling slowly spoke. "Wanting to eliminate national borders with the power of one person is simply a fool's dream. But if there's an 'ćEmperorć' who aspires to unify the two worlds, I estimate ćNie Yuć would follow him without hesitation... However, the ćEmperorć's speed in absorbing ministers is truly a bit too fast. How did he do it?"
"Enemies with conviction are the most terrifying. It seems we should find ćSu Zhiweić as quickly as possible and put her under protection."
Chen Ling floored the accelerator. As the yellow taxi shot out towards the morning sun, the silhouette of a city appeared before their eyes in the distance.
His gaze swept over the map navigation on his phone, and he spoke calmly,
"We're almost there."
About half an hour later, the vehicle slowly pulled over by the roadside.
Chen Ling and ćYang Xiaoć stepped out of the car and swept their gazes over the surroundings. This was by no means a commercial hub filled with high-rises. The buildings in sight were basically all low-rise white-walled houses, no more than three or four stories high. Several small streams flowed beneath bridges, and rows of slender willows swayed in the wind along the banks.
"Doctor Su's family situation doesn't seem to be very good?" ćYang Xiaoć asked doubtfully. "Is this considered the countryside?"
"Countryside? Have you ever seen a countryside where houses cost 60,000 per square meter?"
"??? How much?"
"This is actually the city center of ćGusuć, and also its best-preserved old city district." Chen Ling glanced at ćSu Zhiweić's address on the map, his mouth twitching slightly.
"It seems Doctor Su's family is quite wealthy..."
The rest of the way was mostly through narrow alleyways unsuitable for driving, so the two proceeded on foot according to the map. After passing through an old street scenic area, they finally stopped before a residence right next door to it.
Looking at the three-meter-wide vermilion doors in front of them and the words "ćSu Estateć" on the doorplate, ćYang Xiaoć's mouth unconsciously hung open...
"This is Doctor Su's house? Right next to the scenic area? And it's this big?"
Chen Ling double-checked the address repeatedly. This was the place, no mistake about it. He walked straight up to the doors and used the metal ring on the handle to knock on the heavy wood.
Dong, dong, dongāā
After a brief wait, the door slowly opened inwards. An old woman in her fifties or sixties stood behind it, frowning as she sized the two up.
"Who are you?"
"Hello, we're friends of Doctor Su." Chen Ling glanced behind the door. "Is Doctor Su at home?"
The old woman hesitated for a moment, but still pulled the door mostly shut, saying:
"Wait a moment."
Standing outside the door, Chen Ling and ćYang Xiaoć had no way of observing the situation inside through the crack. However, judging from the old woman's actions, it was highly likely that ćSu Zhiweić was home, which allowed the two of them to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
What they feared most was following the information to the address, only to find that ćSu Zhiweić wasn't home at all. That would put them right back at the same starting line as ćNie Yuć... Only by finding ćSu Zhiweić and taking her away ahead of time could they lose ćNie Yuć.
After the old woman left, ćYang Xiaoć spoke with some uncertainty:
"How should we explain this to Doctor Su in a bit?"
"Tell her the truth."
"And if she doesn't believe us? She has such a huge estate and she lives here; how could she just listen to a few stories, abandon everything, and go on the run with us?"
Chen Ling pondered for a moment. "That won't be up to her... Even if I have to tie her up, I will drag her away."
ćYang Xiaoć: ...
"So, we've added kidnapping to our list of businesses now?"
"How can you call this kidnapping..."
As Chen Ling was still trying to explain something, the vermilion doors were pushed open. A slender, neat figure stood behind them, a look of surprise appearing on her face upon seeing the two.
"ćYang Xiaoć? ćDirector Chenć?"
Within the courtyard, ćSu Zhiweić was wearing a set of plain-colored training clothes. Her long hair was tied up high behind her back, and traces of sweat still lingered on her cheeks, as if she had just been exercising and circulating her internal energy...
"Doctor Su," Chen Ling's eyes were full of seriousness. "We need to talk."
ćSu Zhiweić's gaze swept over the two of them. Without much hesitation, she gave a slight nod.
"...Come in first."
As the two entered the courtyard, ćSu Zhiweić smoothly closed the heavy doors behind them.
A gentle breeze brushed through the spacious courtyard, causing the willow trees by the central lake to sway lightly. Several plump red carp swam lazily across the lake's surface, so ethereal they almost seemed illusory.
Standing in the courtyard, Chen Ling and ćYang Xiaoć were stunned for a moment...
Compared to this place, ćChu Muyunć's traditional Chinese estate in ćAurora Cityć could only be considered a clumsy imitation... Not only was the area several times larger, but the rockery and landscaping were a world apart. Every step they took revealed meticulously designed garden scenery.
After the ćGreat Cataclysmć, some things could never be fully restored, no matter how hard people tried to imitate them. Just as the modern era could never perfectly recreate the cultural depth of antiquity, treasures condensed from countless years of spiritual civilization had been buried bit by bit beneath the weight of history.
ćSu Zhiweić walked over to the two of them and made an "inviting" gesture.
"The guest reception area is this way."
"Doctor Su, this house... it belongs to your family?" ćYang Xiaoć asked in surprise.
"It was passed down from my ancestors." ćSu Zhiweić smiled. "In earlier years, our Su family had some properties in ćGusuć, but with the changes in the world, the family has long since declined. This estate is all that's left, a piece of our heritage.
With my salary at the lab, I couldn't possibly afford a place in this location."
"Do you usually live here alone?"
"There's also an auntie who cleans the house and cooks. But I prune the flowers and plants in the courtyard myself." ćSu Zhiweić's gaze swept across the pond where the red carp swam, the rockery on one side, and the slender willows dancing in the wind along the shore. She continued,
"I really like the atmosphere and style of Jiangnan. If no one took care of it, this place would just turn into a patch of weeds, which would be quite a pity."
As she spoke, ćSu Zhiweić led the two men to a tearoom on the first floor.
This was a semi-open corridor. The three of them sat inside, with a sliding door wide open to the courtyard right beside them. Light, gossamer-like curtains swayed gently in the wind, casting a faint mist over the spring scenery of Jiangnan filling the courtyard, creating a hazy, blurred beauty.
Although Chen Ling and ćYang Xiaoć knew nothing about architecture or landscaping, they could still feel the elegance and refinement of the place. It also perfectly matched their first impression of ćSu Zhiweić...
Wearing her plain training clothes, ćSu Zhiweić sat in the host's seat and skillfully began rinsing cups and brewing tea for the two. With her back to the courtyard scenery, she exuded a faint, unearthly aura.
The ćRationalityć of science and the emotion of romance blended flawlessly in ćSu Zhiweić's demeanor. Every movement she made brought a very comfortable feeling.
After a brief quiet moment, ćSu Zhiweić took the initiative to speak:
"May I ask the reason for your sudden visit?"