And as for Gu Jianing and Sheng Zexi—she wouldn’t let either of them off.
A flash of ruthlessness flickered in Li Shuyao’s eyes.
In the middle of the night, as Li Shuyao lay awake, consumed by thoughts of how to destroy the Li family and Gu Jianing, the door to her hospital room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Annoyed, Li Shuyao looked up, ready to lash out, only to see several armed soldiers enter.
“Li Shuyao, we suspect you are an enemy spy sent by R Country. Please come with us.”
Li Shuyao’s eyes widened at their words, her body beginning to tremble violently.
Especially when they moved to forcibly take her away—she struggled desperately.
“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!”
“I’m from the Li family! I’m Li Shuyao! You can’t arrest me!”
“This is slander! Slander!”
But no matter how much Li Shuyao screamed, she was ultimately taken away by force overnight.
Meanwhile, the Li family’s door was urgently knocked on in the dead of night.
Both Li Tingxuan and the Old Master Li were forced to get up.
When they heard the words of the leading soldier, the grandfather and grandson’s eyes widened in shock.
Old Master Li immediately exclaimed, “Impossible!”
No matter how much he disliked this granddaughter, she was still his flesh and blood—there was absolutely no way she could be an enemy spy.
Li Tingxuan, too, instinctively wanted to deny it, but at that moment, he recalled the investigation he had been conducting.
Previously, he had been trying to uncover who had leaked secrets in his past life.
Unfortunately, neither the version of himself in his dreams nor his present self had been able to uncover the truth.
He had been unable to figure it out.
But now…
If the one who had leaked those secrets was Shuyao…
Then everything suddenly made sense.
Before, Li Tingxuan had been blinded by bias, never considering that Li Shuyao could be the culprit.
But now, putting the pieces together, it all seemed plausible.
But Shuyao—how could she? How was it possible?
Even if he wasn’t close to Li Shuyao, Li Tingxuan had never imagined she could be an enemy spy.
“Old Master—!” Just then, the nanny’s panicked voice came from behind.
Li Tingxuan turned to see Old Master Li collapse after hearing the news.
“Grandfather—!” At that point, Li Tingxuan could no longer spare a thought for Li Shuyao. He rushed over to support the old man.
……
By the time Gu Jianing woke up the next morning, news of the Li family’s situation had already spread.
“So, Li Shuyao might be an enemy spy and was arrested?”
“And the Li family’s patriarch was so furious he fainted and was hospitalized?”
This was what Grandpa Sang had heard.
The matter wasn’t entirely secret—though it hadn’t spread widely, those within the military compound were aware.
Gu Jianing hadn’t expected Hua Zhenrong to act so quickly, arresting Li Shuyao overnight.
As for Old Master Li…
With a lifetime of meritorious achievements to his name, only to have his granddaughter turn out to be an enemy spy—it was no surprise the old man was so enraged he fainted.
Yet, Gu Jianing couldn’t help but wonder: Why would Li Shuyao do such a thing?
Was it really all because of Sheng Zexi?
Love turning to hatred?
Gu Jianing found that hard to believe.
There must be some hidden reason they weren’t aware of.
As for what that reason was, they’d have to wait for the authorities to interrogate her.
Still, Li Shuyao’s arrest was a good thing.
Once the interrogation was over, no matter what punishment she faced, she wouldn’t be able to cause any more trouble.
That, at least, gave Gu Jianing some peace of mind.
Putting Li Shuyao’s affairs aside, Gu Jianing and Grandma Sang, accompanied by guard Xiao Zhang, boarded the train to the Northwest.
With Gu Jianing heavily pregnant, the train overcrowded, and Grandma Sang elderly, the journey was bound to be difficult.
Thankfully, they had Xiao Zhang—a young, capable man—to help them along the way. Without him, the trip would have been far more exhausting.
Meanwhile, Li Tingxuan had just left the hospital when he learned that Gu Jianing had already taken the train back to the Northwest.
“So, she’s already left.”
He sighed. Maybe it was for the best.
Shaking off the thought, he turned his attention to recent events.
Old Master Li had been so furious he’d fainted. Though he’d been revived and would recover with rest, he still hadn’t woken up yet.
As for Li Shuyao, since her arrest, there had been no further updates.
Because he was her brother—and thus a relative—he was even less able to interfere.
If the investigation proved the accusations false, then all would be well.
But if they were true…
Not just him, but his grandfather and the entire Li family would suffer severe consequences.
Yet, Li Tingxuan suspected that with an arrest warrant issued, there was already a seventy to eighty percent chance of guilt.
Especially since it was the Hua family who had ordered the arrest.
So, the likelihood of Li Shuyao being an enemy spy was almost certain.
Li Tingxuan clenched his fists tightly.
“Li Shuyao… why would you do this? Why?”
It was a question no one could answer. Perhaps only Li Shuyao herself knew the truth.
…
Meanwhile, after a day and night on the train, Gu Jianing, Grandma Sang, and Xiao Zhang finally arrived at the Northwest train station the next morning.
“Ningning! Grandma…!” The moment Gu Jianing stepped off the train, she heard a familiar voice calling out.
Peering through the crowd, she followed the sound and immediately spotted the tall man in military uniform standing beside a jeep in the distance.
The sight of that familiar face made her eyes sting with emotion.
“Grandma, it’s Brother Xi—he’s come to pick us up,” Gu Jianing told Grandma Sang.
“Oh, good, good.”
By then, Sheng Zexi had already pushed through the crowd and reached them.
“Ningning…” His eyes were slightly red-rimmed, his gaze overflowing with tenderness and longing.
If it weren’t for the crowded train station and the public setting, Sheng Zexi might not have been able to resist pulling Gu Jianing into his arms.
“Xiao Xi is here.”
Only when Grandma Sang spoke did Sheng Zexi finally tear his gaze away.
“Yes, Grandma. Let’s hurry back—I’ve got the car ready.”
“Uncle Zhang, thank you for your trouble.”
“Not at all, not at all.”
With that, Sheng Zexi carried their luggage, and the group got into the car.
Sheng Zexi had driven the jeep here, and now he was the one taking them back to the Northwest Military District.
Soon, they arrived at the base.
After the security check at the gate, they headed straight to the family quarters where they lived.
The moment the car stopped at the door and Sheng Zexi helped Gu Jianing out—
“Sister, you’re finally back!”
The voice belonged to none other than Amber.
“Amber, I missed you so much!” If not for her belly, Gu Jianing would have hugged the dog tightly.
Sheng Zexi added, “Amber has been waiting at the door all day for you to return.”
“Good girl.” Gu Jianing stroked Amber’s fur affectionately.
Just then, the door of the neighboring house swung open.
Two delighted voices rang out.
“Jianing, you’re back!”
“Godmother…!”
Gu Jianing looked up to see Zhang Shuwan, who was also heavily pregnant, and Guoguo standing beside her.
“Sister Shuwan! Guoguo…!”
Zhang Shuwan quickly led Guoguo over.
“You’re finally back! I’ve missed you so much—Guoguo has been asking about her godmother every day.” Zhang Shuwan’s joy at seeing Gu Jianing was unmistakable.
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