Exhilarating!
This was the only thought in Yu Hongzhi's mind.
He strode out of the conference hall with a hearty gait, inwardly scorning the Su family for having no men among them!
As he reached the entrance to the Su family's garden, Su Bing's voice suddenly called from behind, "Hongzhi, stop right there!"
Yu Hongzhi's steps faltered, but he continued forward without looking back.
Su Bing shouted again, "If you take another step forward, I'll die for you to see!"
Yu Hongzhi stopped again, a sigh escaping his lips.
Not long after, Su Bing caught up, grabbing Yu Hongzhi's hand to prevent him from leaving. Yu Hongzhi shook her hand away and said, "Su Bing, what do you mean by this? Do you think I'm not a man either?"
Tears welled up in Su Bing's eyes. "Can you bear to abandon me like this?"
Yu Hongzhi's expression froze. He stared at the tears in his wife's eyes for a long time, unable to speak, or rather, not knowing what to say.
In the years since he and Su Bing became husband and wife, they had lived a routine, uneventful life, devoid of surprises, novelty, or love. Now, Yu Hongzhi felt a touch of melancholy.
A husband and wife's bond lasts a hundred days; an old friend truly did not deceive me.
"Can you return safely?" Su Bing asked, her voice choked with sobs. Yu Hongzhi had never seen her so distraught.
Yu Hongzhi sighed. "Su Bing, go back. I'm going to do something a man's thing. You always thought I was pathetic and useless, didn't you? I'll prove to you now that I'm a man of integrity, a true hero!"
Su Bing shook her head, her voice trembling. "I don't want that. I don't want anything. I just want you by my side..."
Yu Hongzhi's eyes were red. He knew he had no retreat. Su Bing continued, "If you won't consider me, then consider our children. Can you bear for them to be fatherless?"
"Don't say any more. My mind is made up. Moreover, the old man has already agreed that after this is done, the children will take my surname. If you know me, you know I never wanted to be dependent on others. This is my chance to prove myself!" Yu Hongzhi had had enough of being looked down upon and was determined to kill Chen Jinzhao to avenge Qi Yating.
There was no turning back.
Su Bing looked up into Yu Hongzhi's eyes and saw a flicker of fire within them!
She now understood that Yu Hongzhi had made up his mind.
"You know, what I liked about you was your reckless drive. I fell for you when you were just a rookie police officer, even going against my family's wishes to be with you. All these years, you haven't changed." Su Bing cried and laughed. Yu Hongzhi was lost in thought upon hearing her words.
When he was a beat cop, those were his happiest times.
Later, marrying into the Su family, his inner self gradually transformed, turning him from a public servant into a private tool of the Su family.
"I've changed," he sighed.
"Please move aside. I must be on my way."
Su Bing suddenly hugged Yu Hongzhi tightly, unwilling to let go. She nestled against his chest and asked, "Hongzhi, in all these years, have you ever loved me?"
Yu Hongzhi's heart trembled slightly. He then looked up at the night sky.
The snow had stopped, and the full moon emerged from behind the dark clouds. Yu Hongzhi couldn't help but sigh, "The night is beautiful tonight."
Su Bing understood.
In matters of the heart, Yu Hongzhi was a reserved man. To express himself so indirectly was the limit of his capacity.
"I understand," she said softly.
"You will always be my great hero..."
Yu Hongzhi smiled and ruffled Su Bing's hair, then quickly walked out the main gate.
Su Bing watched him walk away, her vision blurring. Yu Hongzhi suddenly stopped in the distance and turned back to smile at Su Bing, saying, "Su Bing, I think I should just tell you directly, lest your mind is too dull to understand the meaning of my words."
"Actually—"
"I love you!"
Finally.
Yu Hongzhi resolutely got into the car and didn't look back.
Watching the receding night scenery outside the car window, Yu Hongzhi silently cleaned his gun, his thoughts drifting back twenty years.
Back then, he was a young beat cop, his heart filled with a desire to quell disaster for the people and maintain social order. He didn't know when he began to harbor selfish desires.
It was not the Su family's fault; he could only blame his own lack of resolve.
"In other words, wasn't Chen Jinzhao the person I once wanted to be? I never expected that I would now be planning to murder him. Fate truly plays tricks on people."
Thinking of this, a self-mocking smile appeared on Yu Hongzhi's face. He told the driver to speed up.
At the foot of Zijin Mountain, in a villa.
Chen Jinzhao and Tao Qiyue had joined forces to tie up Su Jian and all his men, placing them on the second floor to prevent the Su family from resorting to desperate measures and silencing them.
"But we could have left first. Why wait for them to come? Wouldn't that put us in danger?" Tao Qiyue asked, confused. Chen Jinzhao knew what she was worried about and said with a grave expression, "Because there are fewer people here. Moreover, there are only two of us, and Jiangning is the Su family's stronghold. If this were a crowded area, it would cause great casualties."
Tao Qiyue's pupils contracted, and she couldn't help but gasp.
"You mean, the Su family might try to silence us? Would they really dare to do that..."
Chen Jinzhao said calmly, "There's nothing they wouldn't dare to do that you can't imagine. That's why I asked you to leave, so you wouldn't be dragged into danger. This is a life-and-death struggle, not a game of make-believe."
Tao Qiyue naturally felt a little apprehensive, but after hearing Chen Jinzhao's words, she suddenly said with a hint of pride, "Hey, do you look down on me? I'm a comrade who has faced life and death with you. All men must die, some are weightier than Mount Tai, and some lighter than a feather."
"Actually—"
"Dying alongside you seems quite good too."
Chen Jinzhao forced a wry smile. "At a time like this, you're still making jokes."
"Why would you think I'm joking?" Tao Qiyue met Chen Jinzhao's gaze directly. Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Chen Jinzhao quickly looked away and murmured, "You will always be my friend."
Tao Qiyue also averted her gaze.
Just friends?
But—
Being friends with Chen Jinzhao is quite good, Tao Qiyue thought.
She shook her head, then looked up at the night sky and saw the full moon peeking out from behind the dark clouds. She suddenly sighed, "The moon is beautiful tonight."
"Chen Jinzhao, do you know what this means?"
Chen Jinzhao looked up at the moon. It was indeed beautiful, but he shook his head, indicating he didn't understand the meaning of Tao Qiyue's words. Tao Qiyue pursed her lips and chuckled, "Sister Yu was right sometimes. You're a blockhead. In short, all you need to remember is that the moon is beautiful tonight."
The night was quiet.
There was no tension of an impending battle; instead, there was a serene and peaceful atmosphere.
Chen Jinzhao shifted his gaze from the moon to Tao Qiyue's profile.
"The moon is beautiful tonight."
"But I personally think you are more beautiful than the moonlight."