“Ningning, do you suspect anyone?” Seeing Gu Jianing lost in thought, Sheng Zexi asked.
Gu Jianing stared at him for a moment, hesitating. “I do suspect someone, but I don’t have any proof.”
“Who is it?”
Gu Jianing pursed her lips and softly said, “Li Shuyao.”
“I’m not saying this just because she likes you. Do you remember that performance on New Year’s Eve? Although Li Shuyao didn’t speak to me or have any direct contact with me, my intuition told me that she harbors ill intentions toward me. As for whether this malice is because of you or something else, I’m not sure.”
In fact, that malice had been detected by the Malice Detector, and it certainly wouldn’t be wrong.
But Gu Jianing couldn’t mention the Malice Detector, so she just called it her intuition.
Gu Jianing grasped Sheng Zexi’s hand. “Brother Xi, believe me—my intuition is never wrong.”
Seeing her getting anxious, perhaps worried that he didn’t believe her, Sheng Zexi quickly patted her hand and reassured her, “Ningning, I naturally believe you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell the police about this suspicion and have them investigate Li Shuyao. It’s just…”
Sheng Zexi paused for a moment. “Li Shuyao’s background is hard to investigate. Unless there’s concrete evidence that’s easy to find, otherwise…”
Gu Jianing nodded. “I understand.”
“I’m just saying this to make you more cautious about Li Shuyao, not because I’m jealous.”
Gu Jianing didn’t want Sheng Zexi to misunderstand that she was accusing Li Shuyao just out of jealousy.
Sheng Zexi smiled. “I know. I still trust you. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
After speaking, Sheng Zexi pulled Gu Jianing into his embrace.
Gu Jianing leaned quietly against his chest, deep in thought.
The fact that the trafficker had a mastermind behind him surprised her, but in a way, it wasn’t unexpected.
She strongly suspected it was Li Shuyao.
But as Brother Xi said, even if the police looked into it, the chances of discovering that it was Li Shuyao were slim.
After all, this person had gone to great lengths to hide their identity, and the trafficker had never met the person they were communicating with. Now, it was even less likely that they would leave behind any clues.
However, Gu Jianing was now more cautious about Li Shuyao in her heart, and she had also raised Sheng Zexi’s guard against her.
Otherwise, she was afraid that one day Li Shuyao might stab her in the back without her realizing it.
But there was something Gu Jianing was curious about.
Was Li Shuyao targeting her like this, wanting to ruin her face and make her disappear, truly because she became Sheng Zexi’s wife, out of jealousy from another woman?
If that was the reason someone would hire people to destroy a young woman’s beauty, and even go as far as to have her kidnapped, then Li Shuyao would be truly terrifying. But if it wasn’t just because of that, what could be the real reason behind Li Shuyao’s hatred for her?
This matter didn’t have an answer yet, but something else happened that distracted Gu Jianing from these thoughts.
Because Sheng Zexi was about to go on a mission.
The heavy snow that had blocked the mountain for two months had finally passed, and Sheng Zexi had already resumed his daily training. Now, he was set to go on a mission.
Actually, ever since joining the military, as a military wife, Gu Jianing knew that one day she would have to face the fact that Sheng Zexi would be sent on a mission.
That it was happening now—after so much time with him at home—she knew it was a rare thing. He had already spent an unusually long time by her side.
But just the thought of Sheng Zexi going on a mission made Gu Jianing uncontrollably recall the scenes from her flashes of the future: the bloodshed and sacrifices.
Although, when she had been reborn, choosing Sheng Zexi was partly to avoid repeating past mistakes, and partly because he had always liked her in both this life and the last.
She knew that when they first married, her feelings for him weren’t very strong, and that was something Sheng Zexi also understood.
So, after their marriage, he had been doing his best to show his sincerity, hoping that she would grow to like him.
This was Sheng Zexi’s open and deliberate plan.
In truth, Gu Jianing had to admit that after these past few months together, she had truly grown to like him—and even deeply depend on him.
Sometimes, just the thought of a life without him filled her with panic.
She couldn’t live without him anymore.
She had already fallen deep into the net of love he had carefully woven—unable to escape.
That’s why she feared the scenes she had seen in the future. She just wanted him to come back safe.
Gu Jianing was packing his things—just the basics—but the most important item she made sure to include was the five rolls of universal hemostatic bandages. She also packed some small essential pills—anything she could think of that might help him.
Sheng Zexi stood quietly, watching her move around. Ever since he mentioned the mission, he could feel that Ningning was uneasy.
That unease was palpable. He couldn’t quite describe it—it was as if she already knew something bad might happen on this mission.
He didn’t step forward to help. He understood that maybe this kind of busywork was the only thing helping her stay calm, keeping her from falling apart.
Once she finished packing, Gu Jianing pulled Sheng Zexi down to sit on the kang.
“I need to explain something to you,” she said.
Sheng Zexi sat quietly, watching her open the bundle and go over the contents one by one.
At the end were five rolls of something that looked like bandages.
“These are called universal hemostatic bandages,” she said.
Universal?
Sheng Zexi frowned slightly, puzzled.
“No matter if you’re shot or stabbed, even if you’re bleeding badly—as long as you’re not instantly dead, and there’s still a breath of life left—this bandage will instantly stop the bleeding in one second. It can even keep someone alive until they’re treated.”
“I’m giving you five rolls. Bring them. They might come in handy.”
As she introduced the bandages to him, Gu Jianing felt like she was baring a part of herself she’d always hidden.
After she finished, she even closed her eyes instinctively, bracing for the questions that would come.
But to her surprise, none came.
When she opened her eyes, Sheng Zexi was holding the five rolls of bandages and carefully placing them back into her hands. His voice was serious: “You keep these. Don’t let anyone see them.”
Gu Jianing stared blankly at the bandages in her hands, confused—what did he mean by that?
“No,” she said firmly. “You have to take them.” She tried to hand them back to him.
Sheng Zexi got up and shut all the doors and windows tightly.
Then he came back, sat down across from her, and looked straight into her eyes. After a deep breath, he said:
“Ningning, I know—there’s something special about you.”
That one sentence made her pupils widen slightly, and her whole demeanor changed—she visibly tensed up.
Sheng Zexi placed both hands on her shoulders and tried to calm her.
“But Ningning, if you don’t want to say anything, I’ll never ask.”
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