“You mean… he’s missing,” Gu Jianing said blankly.
Her heart sank.
“Yes, he’s missing.”
When Sheng Xinhao had heard the news, he had been deeply worried as well.
After all, this was his son, still in the prime of his life. It couldn’t be that…
“Xiao Gu, don’t worry. No news is good news for now. A Xi is highly capable, and the team he leads is skilled as well. Maybe they managed to escape.”
Gu Jianing remained silent.
Her heart pounded as she tried to process the information.
At first, upon hearing that Sheng Zexi and his team were trapped in a burning forest, Gu Jianing had been worried.
She had been frantic.
But quickly, she remembered something.
The Fire-Repelling Pearl!
She had given that to Sheng Zexi a long time ago, along with the Water-Repelling Pearl, and had told him to always wear them, especially on missions.
So…
Xi Ge had brought the Fire-Repelling Pearl with him this time, right?
If he had, then no fire could harm him.
But…
Gu Jianing also knew Sheng Zexi well. He valued his comrades deeply.
He might be safe, but what about his comrades?
Gu Jianing speculated on the reason why there was still no news of Sheng Zexi.
Though her heart remained anxious, she wasn’t utterly panicked.
“Dad, I understand. I’ll wait for him to return. I believe Xi Ge will be okay.”
With that, Gu Jianing left.
Sheng Xinhao watched her retreating figure, thinking she was forcing herself to stay calm, that inside she must be terribly worried.
Soon, Grandpa Sang, Grandma Sang, and Sang Yuwan also learned why Sheng Zexi hadn’t returned from his mission.
They were all very worried.
They knew that the person most worried was probably Gu Jianing.
Seeing Gu Jianing still busy every day with her work at Jing City University and Jing City First Hospital, they thought she was keeping herself occupied to avoid dwelling on troubling thoughts.
That she must be deeply worried inside.
They were afraid Gu Jianing might exhaust herself.
They felt great sympathy for her.
In truth, Gu Jianing was handling it fairly well.
Because she had used the “Tortoise Shell” to divine the situation.
Sheng Zexi was currently safe.
After inquiring with her father-in-law, Sheng Xinhao, and learning that Sheng Zexi was trapped in the forest fire, which had even made international news due to its scale (though the cause of the fire was not widely known), Gu Jianing had acted.
That day, although she knew the Fire-Repelling Pearl should keep Sheng Zexi safe,
she was still worried as long as she hadn’t seen him.
So after returning home, she had frantically searched the system mall.
Eventually, she found the “Tortoise Shell,” an item used to divine safety or danger.
After exchanging for it and performing a divination, she saw the characters for “safe” appear regarding Sheng Zexi.
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Xi Ge was safe.
Now, she just had to wait for his return.
So during this period, though others might think she was overworking herself to cope with worry,
in reality, she was doing okay.
Her work at Jing City University and Jing City First Hospital was indeed busy, and since she had taken on those responsibilities, she needed to fulfill them.
Sheng Zexi returned three days later, late at night.
In the middle of the night, Gu Jianing was half-asleep when she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.
As if sensing something,
She opened her eyes and looked over, seeing Sheng Zexi pushing open the door and walking in.
Their eyes met at that very moment.
Gu Jianing slowly sat up and rose to her feet.
In the dim light, Sheng Zexi stood at the doorway, looking at Gu Jianing. “Sorry, Ningning, I’m late coming back.”
The moment Sheng Zexi’s words fell, Gu Jianing rushed over in a small run and threw herself into his arms.
She hugged him tightly.
Gu Jianing, who hadn’t shed a single tear since he went missing, finally couldn’t hold back and began to cry.
“Coming back is what matters! Coming back is what matters!”
Tears silently fell onto Sheng Zexi’s shoulder.
Truth be told, how could one not worry without seeing the person with their own eyes?
Only now, seeing him, could Gu Jianing’s heart truly settle.
“We’ve all been worried about you,” Sheng Zexi said, holding Gu Jianing tightly, relieved to be reunited.
Soon, hearing the commotion, Grandma Sang, Grandpa Sang, Sang Yuwan, and the children also came out.
During these days, worried that Gu Jianing might not be okay after Sheng Zexi went missing, the elderly couple and Sang Yuwan had been staying at the courtyard house to help look after the children.
Seeing Sheng Zexi, Grandpa Sang and Grandma Sang were so emotional that tears streamed down their faces.
“You really worried us this time, child.”
“Thankfully, you’re back. That’s what matters. In the future, be more careful. Don’t forget you have this family and people waiting for you.”
The children also rushed over, hugging their father’s legs.
Though the adults hadn’t mentioned anything in front of them, and when the children asked for their father, they only said he was on a mission and would be back late,
Xingxing and Yueyue were perceptive.
They could tell from the adults’ moods that something might have happened to their father.
They didn’t know what, though.
They were afraid to ask the adults, not wanting to add to their worries.
But they were worried too.
Yueyue, in particular, had secretly cried several times while hugging her brother.
They had all been hoping their father would return safely.
Now, he was finally back.
It was wonderful.
Even Xingxing, who usually wasn’t one to cling to Sheng Zexi, held onto his father tightly, refusing to let go.
After a long while, everyone else went back to sleep.
Sheng Zexi washed up and returned to the room with Gu Jianing, lying down on the bed.
The couple lay there, Sheng Zexi holding Gu Jianing in his arms.
“Were you worried sick these past few days?” Sheng Zexi asked.
Gu Jianing said, “Mm, at first I was really worried…”
She shared her emotional journey, mentioning the Fire-Repelling Pearl and the Tortoise Shell divination.
“…Even though these things told me you were safe, it wasn’t until I actually saw you just now that I could truly relax.”
Gu Jianing nestled in Sheng Zexi’s arms. “Xi Ge, do you think we’ll be together forever?”
“Of course we will. Not just in this life, but in the next as well.”
“Because you have no idea how much, how deeply I love you.”
My only regret is that we weren’t together in the past life.
My only regret is that I couldn’t save you from the fire back then.
Yes, Sheng Zexi had regained memories of his past life.
It happened in the forest, the moment the fire surged toward him—something suddenly flashed through his mind.
It was the image of him rushing into a fire to save someone.
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