“Yes, there is something. Brother Xi, do you remember when I encountered that human trafficker on the road before?”
Gu Jianing couldn’t directly bring up Li Shuyao’s name.
Nor could she outright voice her suspicion that Li Shuyao was an enemy spy.
So, she could only remind and hint at it to Sheng Zexi from another angle.
“I remember, of course I remember…”
At the mention of that incident, Sheng Zexi’s lips pressed together tightly.
Back then, the trafficker had been caught, but there was someone behind him-they just didn’t know who.
However, he and Ningning had discussed it before, and she had suspected it was Li Shuyao.
Gu Jianing: Good, you remember.
“Then do you remember the outstanding performances at the Spring Festival Gala by the cultural troupe, the grand finale and the opening act?” Gu Jianing asked again.
Sheng Zexi: “?”
The sudden shift in topic caught him off guard, but he quickly grasped her meaning.
The grand finale and opening performances?
Wasn’t that referring to Li Shuyao?
Gu Jianing’s two sentences both pointed to Li Shuyao.
Had Li Shuyao done something to hurt Ningning?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Sheng Zexi’s expression darkened.
And when he heard the subtle warning in Gu Jianing’s words over the phone, realization struck him.
They had discussed before at home-if there was ever something inconvenient to say directly over the phone, how to signal each other.
Now, Gu Jianing was giving him a warning.
Recalling their past conversations and her current hints, the message was clear-
Li Shuyao is an enemy spy!
The moment this dawned on him, Sheng Zexi couldn’t stay seated.
At the same time, something that had long been obscured in his mind suddenly became clear.
That’s right-if it was Li Shuyao who leaked information during my mission, it would make perfect sense.
Moreover, it explained why the mastermind behind the scenes had never been uncovered.
Because Li Shuyao was a member of the Li family-this identity provided her with a natural layer of protection, so no one would suspect her.
But sometimes, the most unlikely possibility is the truth.
Sheng Zexi also understood why Gu Jianing hadn’t spoken directly over the phone and had instead hinted at it.
This matter truly wasn’t suitable to discuss openly on the phone.
“Brother Xi, what should I do now?”
Sheng Zexi pondered for a moment. If he were in the capital, handling this would be much easier.
But right now, he wasn’t.
And this wasn’t something an ordinary
person could resolve.
That said, Sheng Zexi didn’t doubt Gu Jianing’s words in the slightest.
Perhaps it was due to certain mysterious methods she had displayed before, but he firmly trusted her judgment.
If she said Li Shuyao was an enemy spy, then she must have solid evidence.
After some thought, Sheng Zexi said, “Ningning, wait at home. I’ll call Zhenrong first and have him go to you immediately.”
“Tell him everything-he’ll know what to do.”
Tomorrow, Ningning was supposed to board the train back to the Northwest Military District, so time was tight.
However, Sheng Zexi was currently not in the capital. In the capital, the only person he could trust and who could take on this matter was Hua Zhenrong.
“Alright, I understand.”
After hanging up the phone call with Gu Jianing, Sheng Zexi immediately called the Hua residence to speak with Hua Zhenrong.
“Why are you calling me at this hour? Is it about Li Tingxuan, like we discussed last time?” Hua Zhenrong teased when he answered the phone.
“No, Zhenrong. Do you have time to go to the Sang residence right now? Ningning has something very important to discuss with you.”
Hearing the gravity in Sheng Zexi’s tone, Hua Zhenrong immediately dropped his playful attitude.
“Is it urgent? Is it serious?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, I’ll drive over right now.”
Out of trust for Sheng Zexi, Hua Zhenrong didn’t ask any further questions and agreed immediately.
As for what the matter was, Hua Zhenrong didn’t inquire. He would find out once he met Gu Jianing.
After hanging up, Hua Zhenrong immediately prepared to drive out of the compound.
“Hey, Zhenrong, it’s almost dinnertime. Where are you going?” Madam Hua asked when she saw him leaving.
“Mom, you all go ahead and eat. I have something very important to attend to—I need to go to the Sang residence right now.”
“Can’t you go after dinner?”
“Mom, it’s fine. I’m not very hungry anyway. How about you grab me a bun to eat on the way?”
“Alright.”
So, Hua Zhenrong drove to the Sang residence with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a bun.
Ten minutes after Gu Jianing hung up the phone with Sheng Zexi, Hua Zhenrong arrived at the Sang residence.
Grandpa Sang and Grandma Sang were surprised to see Hua Zhenrong at this hour. But upon hearing that he was there to discuss something important with Gu Jianing, they immediately gave the two some space.
“Sister-in-law, Zexi only told me to come quickly, saying there was something very important. He didn’t specify what it was. Now, can you tell me?”
“Yes.”
Without hesitation, Gu Jianing shared her suspicion that Li Shuyao was an enemy spy.
“Impossible! How could Li Shuyao be an enemy spy?” That was Hua Zhenrong’s first reaction.
“Sister-in-law, Li Shuyao is a member of the Li family. Moreover, she’s Old Li’s granddaughter. How… how could that be possible?”
If Li Shuyao really were an enemy spy, moving freely under the noses of Old Li and Li Tingxuan without either of them noticing—that would be utterly absurd.
The key question was…
Why?
Why would Li Shuyao become an enemy spy? She was a member of the Li family—it made no sense.
“Sister-in-law, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but this is just hard to believe. Can you tell me how you came to this conclusion?” Hua Zhenrong stared intently at Gu Jianing.
Gu Jianing knew that her claim might sound unbelievable to anyone other than Sheng Zexi. But the truth was, Li Shuyao was indeed an enemy spy.
After a moment of thought, Gu Jianing said, “Li Shuyao has a cat.”
“I have some understanding of interpreting animal body language.”
“That cat told me Li Shuyao is an enemy spy!”
Hua Zhenrong—Hua Zhenrong was stunned!
Sister-in-law actually determined that Li Shuyao was an enemy spy… from a cat?!
To be honest, if these words hadn’t come from Gu Jianing—and after spending the past month getting to know her character—Hua Zhenrong might have thought she was messing with him.
Besides, was the ability to interpret animal body language even real?
Could someone really identify an enemy spy from a cat’s movements?
It was even more unbelievable.
After the initial shock, Hua Zhenrong fell into thought. A moment later, he made a decision.
“Alright, sister-in-law, I’ll report this to my father and have him discreetly assign someone to investigate and monitor Li Shuyao.”
“Good, then I’ll leave it to you.”
Gu Jianing wasn’t sure whether Hua Zhenrong’s investigation would uncover anything, but if Li Shuyao really was an enemy spy, she would inevitably leave some traces.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll go back right away and discuss it with my father.”
Hua Zhenrong didn’t linger and soon left the Sang residence.
On the way, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself: If Li Shuyao turns out not to be an enemy spy, fine. But if she really is… well, the Li family—and Old Li in particular—are in for quite the spectacle.
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