Beautiful? Ruan Lingling unconsciously began to picture Lin Yao without makeup in her mind, feeling a little shy and sweet. Lin Yao, sometimes domineering and sometimes gentle, had kept her awake all night; she had imagined all the romantic thoughts a young girl should have. Although Ruan Lingling wouldn't admit she had fallen for Lin Yao, she couldn't deny that Lin Yao, who had appeared out of nowhere during her most difficult and challenging time, truly fit the image of her ideal prince charming.
Situ Hao had come all the way from Beijing to Chengdu to help introduce his friend. Lin Yao had already told him on the phone about his plan to disguise his identity and had given him a new name, "Gu Nan." He instructed Situ Hao to call him "A Nan" in front of others, while secretly considering himself Conan's colleague.
Situ Hao learned of Lin Yao's current situation of being doxxed online and understood his behavior. He even conspired with his childhood friend to deceive him, saying that he would handle the signing of the agreement and receiving payments on Lin Yao's behalf. This would reassure the other party and prevent the account used for the transfer from revealing Lin Yao's true identity. Lin Yao naturally agreed to his suggestion, inwardly cursing, "Businessmen are indeed cunning; they've already considered the details of deceiving someone as soon as they heard the suggestion. It's all instinct."
The meeting was arranged at the Xinhua Hotel on Renmin Middle Road. This is an internal reception hotel of the Chengdu Military Region. Although it is open to the public, some special buildings inside do not provide services to the public and are guarded by soldiers.
Lin Yao already knew that Situ Hao's childhood friend was a military officer, so he wasn't surprised by this arrangement. However, he specially asked Ge Yong to design a different look for him, no longer the fashionable hoodlum version, but an intellectual image with thick black-rimmed glasses.
His skin was dyed a pale, malnourished color, and he was dressed to look older. He also had a black mole on the corner of his mouth. What amazed him most was that Ge Yong had even added two thick hairs to the mole, one long and one short, making it unforgettable and causing people to overlook the contours of his face and other features.
Lin Yao's return to the living room caused a stir, with everyone except Alina reacting strongly.
"Dad?" Little Guli hesitated for a moment, but when he saw that gentle smile, he felt it was familiar and warm. He reached out to hug him, wanting to confirm it.
"Oh dear, Uncle Yao doesn't look good like that, he looks like a yaoi fangirl!" The little girl, clearly experienced, wasn't surprised at all and immediately began to comment. Lin Yao was once again astonished that a five-year-old girl knew the term "yaoi fangirl." Who told her that? How did the world change so fast?
Ruan Lingling stared wide-eyed, her mouth agape, completely dumbfounded. Was this really Lin Yao? The change was so drastic that all the mental sketches she had made were useless; they were utterly unreliable. Just seeing him now, she knew his true appearance must be completely different. With her mouth agape and looking utterly foolish, Ruan Lingling decided to abandon all her mental drafts. Her longing to see Lin Yao's true face only intensified. The inability to make this request felt like a cat scratching at her heart; she didn't know how much longer she would have to endure this yearning.
As soon as Lin Yao held Xiao Guli in his arms, he realized that this was his father. He kept calling out and burying his head in Lin Yao's chest, as if he was afraid that Lin Yao would disappear.
"Hahaha." Ge Yong laughed triumphantly, patted Lin Yao on the shoulder, "Brother, you have the potential to be a special agent. Consider joining the National Security Bureau in the future. You'll definitely stand out there."
"Go away, you're so irresponsible." Alina spat at Ge Yong. She only vaguely knew a little about her husband's former profession and had lived in fear for many years. Now that her husband had become a commoner, she felt safe. Her daughter's illness was about to be cured, and she felt even happier. The mountain god had blessed her, and her suffering had finally disappeared.
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Chapter Seventy-Three: The First Battle
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For the first time since bringing Xiao Guli home, Lin Yao was able to go out alone without the little guy. Of course, this ease was only relative. Lin Yao made countless promises at the entrance of the Dynasty Mansion residential area and went to great lengths to persuade the driver to give up his patience. He then got into the taxi, waved goodbye to Xiao Guli who was clinging to Ruan Lingling's leg, and Nannan fluttered around him like a butterfly.
Situ Hao personally picked up Lin Yao at the intersection of Renmin Middle Road. The two needed time to familiarize themselves with Lin Yao's new identity and appearance, and the distance from the intersection to the Xinhua Hotel on Jianghan Road was just right for this purpose.
"Brother Lin, is it really you?!" Situ Hao put down the phone he had been holding to his ear and stared wide-eyed at Lin Yao, who was now two meters in front of him. He found it unbelievable. He had thought he would recognize Lin Yao even if he was disguised, but he was still surprised. Only after Lin Yao walked up to him and greeted him did he stop looking around.
"Of course it's me. How about that? Didn't recognize me? I knew you'd react like this." Lin Yao was a little smug. At this moment, he felt like he was 007, and the feeling of taking the initiative to decipher the disguise was too good.
"Your voice?" Situ Hao found it most unbelievable that even his voice had changed, becoming much more mature. Could this guy be a drama student?
"Yes, I've also worked on my voice a bit," Lin Yao replied, coughing lightly. His throat was a little hoarse and itchy. He could have made his voice even more distinctive, but the grass had really made his throat so itchy and uncomfortable that he had to compromise and make it a little hoarse so that the discomfort would be within a tolerable range.
"Brother Situ, don't call me Brother Lin, or we'll be exposed. My name is Gu Nan now. Here, let me show you my ID card." Lin Yao took out his ID card and handed it to Situ Hao, correcting his mistake.
"Oh, look at my memory." Situ Hao slapped his forehead, a little embarrassed. But when he looked at the ID card, he exclaimed, "Wow, this looks exactly like the real thing! It's much better than the fake IDs sold under the overpass. At least I couldn't tell the difference."
"That's right, you didn't even check whose it is. If it's not real, I'll be in big trouble." Lin Yao boasted while feeling bitter inside. Xia Yuwen's family was really too wicked. They actually used human flesh as a weapon, forcing him to not dare to show his true face every day. Fortunately, Xiaocao was strong, otherwise, with these chemicals piled on his face for a long time, he would definitely be disfigured.
"Gu Nan, Gu Nan, then I'll call you Teacher Gu, haha." Situ Hao kept repeating Lin Yao's fake name to deepen his memory. A feeling welled up in his heart, as if he had returned to his youth. The excitement of being mischievous and playful made him feel very excited.
Situ Hao wholeheartedly agreed with Lin Yao's plan to conceal his true identity. Although he had never experienced being doxxed, he felt it must be incredibly painful and sympathized with Lin Yao. As for whether he had deceived his closest childhood friend, Situ Hao had no qualms whatsoever. He was perfectly willing to cooperate in a "white lie" with someone who possessed exceptional medical skills and selflessly helped disaster victims.
In a secluded courtyard at the far end of the Xinhua Hotel, Lin Yao and Situ Hao underwent a rigorous document check. Situ Hao's friend then personally came down to greet them before allowing them into the heavily guarded area. Lin Yao felt a surge of relief; thankfully, this place wasn't connected to the identity data center. If there had been a device here to detect the magnetic stripe inside an ID card, he wondered if he would have been detained.
"Hello! My surname is Cheng. Welcome." The middle-aged officer exchanged a glance with Situ Hao and then extended his hand to shake hands.
"Hello, Major Cheng, I'm Gu Nan." Lin Yao was also straightforward; their hands touched briefly and then withdrew, without any further intimacy.
Major Cheng was a dashing middle-aged military officer with an ordinary appearance, but his face had a distinct outline and strong lines. He was well-proportioned and his straight back made him look very energetic. His military temperament was very obvious, and his clean and efficient work style was the same as that Lin Yao could occasionally feel from his father.
Since Situ Hao was unsure of Lin Yao's identity for their first meeting, he only vaguely mentioned beforehand that Lin Yao might be a contact person visiting. This made Major Cheng less formal, as Lin Yao didn't leave a good impression on him; he seemed like a pedantic scholar with no refinement whatsoever.
The patient stayed on the third floor. The spacious suite was decorated in an antique style. Although it did not feel luxurious overall, Lin Yao could tell at a glance that many of the Ming and Qing dynasty furniture pieces that had been introduced online were in this room. Moreover, they did not look like textiles, so they were certainly valuable. Even an ordinary-looking mahogany chair could sell for twenty or thirty thousand yuan.
"Extravagant!" Lin Yao muttered to himself, a slight sneer on his lips. "Showing off, deliberately making it look simple, but these things are actually incredibly expensive."
Major Cheng and Situ Hao, standing nearby, were unaware of Lin Yao's thoughts. Major Cheng was indifferent, as he did not believe the young man was an angel. Situ Hao, on the other hand, did not notice Lin Yao's expression; he was examining the room's furnishings. He recognized several pieces of furniture and knew their value.
An old man sat on a mahogany sofa in the room, his back straight, his upper body completely perpendicular to the sofa. His almost entirely white hair was cut short, and his face was ruddy and he looked very energetic. His eyes were sharp, and a slight glance at Lin Yao made him feel a little nervous. Was this what they called aura? Or presence?
Lin Yao didn't speak, and slowly followed Major Cheng toward the old man. Situ Hao behind him was daydreaming, so Lin Yao ignored him and continued to look around the room.
"Old sir, the man has arrived." Major Cheng walked to the old man's side, bent down and said softly, his upper body still straight, which made Lin Yao think that he must be very tired.
"Hmm." The old man hummed softly through his nose, still sounding imposing, but Lin Yao had a bad feeling. This guy was too arrogant and had no awareness of being a patient at all.
Situ Hao remained lost in thought. Lin Yao, seeing that no one was there to greet him and that he only needed to take care of himself, casually sat down on the mahogany chair to the side, placed his hands on the armrests, and continued to look around. He thought to himself, "If I want to be arrogant, everyone else will be arrogant too. I'm not afraid of your bad attitude."
"Situ." Major Cheng was very dissatisfied with Lin Yao's attitude, because the old commander had already frowned slightly, and he solemnly woke up Situ Hao.
"Oh, ah." Situ Hao came to his senses and quickly stepped forward to bow, his face beaming with a smile. "Hello! You must be Chengde's most admired old commander. My name is Situ Hao. I grew up with Chengde and we played together until he joined the army."
"Hmm, good." The old commander nodded slightly, looking at Situ Hao, "I've heard Xiao Cheng mention you. You're quite capable and very intelligent."
"Not at all, you flatter me. I've just been drifting along, and it's thanks to you soldiers protecting our country that we've been able to have better conditions and achieve a comfortable life." Situ Hao was a little nervous being stared at by the old commander, but his natural talent for disguise as a businessman prevented him from showing his nervousness, and a flattering remark instinctively came out of his mouth.
Lin Yao gritted his teeth, suppressing a laugh. These two guys were both formidable; one was incredibly arrogant, the other utterly fake. Neither was ordinary, especially Situ Hao, whose smile was practically dripping from his face, his ears wrinkled from laughing. "Moderately well-off," he sweared. If he was only moderately well-off, then the entire nation would be begging.
"Situ, that angelic teacher..." Major Cheng whispered a reminder.
"Oh, old chief, let me introduce you." Situ Hao walked to Lin Yao's side. "This is Angel Teacher Gu Nan. He came here today to help you with your diagnosis and see if he can be of any help."
"Ah, he's Angel Teacher?" Major Cheng was finally shocked. In order to find a way to cure his old commander's illness, he had long since become a member of the "Medical Forum" and was very familiar with Angel's deeds. Some time ago, when Angel posted an outrageously high consultation fee, he immediately sent a message, but did not receive a reply. When he tried to send another message, he was told that the other party's mailbox was full. Now, to believe that this young man who looked only about thirty years old was Angel, he felt a bit dizzy.
The old leader obviously knew about the angels, and this information was naturally collected and reported to him. He was also very surprised at this moment, staring intently at Lin Yao, and for the first time seriously examining him.
Lin Yao stared at the old man's imposing aura, nodded with a smile, and remained silent. The room suddenly fell silent; the group exchanged glances, locked in a silent movie. Lin Yao grew slightly impatient and lowered his gaze to admire the mahogany tea table in front of him.