Liu Mingzhen nodded repeatedly: "I admit it, I admit it. Lao Guo, we've been friends for many years. You have to save me. If you don't save me, I'm doomed." Liu Mingzhen had grasped at another lifeline.
Guo Zhen said, "Liu Mingzhen, you deserve this. I advised you, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're getting your comeuppance, hahaha..." Guo Zhen suddenly burst into laughter. Guo Yang, fearing that his father might turn his joy into sorrow, said to Liu Mingzhen, "My dad has forgiven you. Why don't you get out of here?"
Liu Mingzhen wanted to say a few more words, but Guo Yang glared at him, so Liu Mingzhen had no choice but to leave. There were still people waiting for him outside. Now that they had both witnesses and physical evidence, he and his son Liu Zhi would probably have to eat cornbread for more than ten years.
In the ward, Guo Zhen suddenly roared, his voice strong but weak.
Guo Yang's family is actually quite well-off, with a detached villa and a full-time nanny, all of which Guo Yang prepared for his parents. Although the family is well-off, Guo Yang's income can disregard Guo Zhen's meager savings for his funeral. However, Guo Zhen is stubborn, and if his inner conflicts aren't resolved, he'll probably still be lying in the hospital like a dead man right now.
As dusk fell, Donna looked anxiously at the door. "Brother Guo Yang, why hasn't Zhao Qiang arrived yet?"
Guo Yang said, "Don't worry, he'll definitely come if he says he's coming to eat. What, have you fallen for him? It feels like ages since you last saw him."
Donna chuckled: "Yeah, what's the big deal?"
Guo Yang said, "Of course he does, he has a girlfriend."
Donna said, "Really? I knew that when I was in America. His girlfriend's older sister is also very beautiful."
Guo Yang asked in confusion, "You two know each other? As far as I know, Xiao Su's sister has never been abroad."
Donna said, "How could that be? We're good friends. Her Chinese name is Yang Shiyun."
Guo Yang said, "That's not right. Xiao Su's older sister is named Su Su, so why would she have the surname Yang?"
Donna said, "How would I know? Look, Zhao Qiang is here. Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Guo Yang said, "I'm not in a hurry about his affairs, you should ask him yourself."
Donna greeted them cheerfully. Zhao Qiang had come in Chen Xinyu's car. Guo Yang owed Zhao Qiang a huge favor, so he invited Zhao Qiang to his home for a meal. Zhao Qiang couldn't refuse, and since Chen Xinyu was clinging to him, he couldn't possibly return to Ningzhou that night, so he accepted Guo Yang's invitation.
(Thanks to Sad Book Fairy for the 100-coin reward)
Volume 2 [729] Progress
"These are just some simple home-cooked dishes, I hope you won't mind. My dad was just discharged from the hospital, and I don't dare leave his side. Otherwise, I'd like to treat you all to this meal at a hotel," Guo Yang explained to Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinyu.
Zhao Qiang sat down casually: "Don't stand on ceremony with me. You're Xiao Su's friend, which means you're my friend too. We don't need to be formal with each other. As long as we enjoy the meal, that's all that matters."
Guo Yang said, "That's good. I won't say thank you. Let's drink until we drop tonight."
Donna took the initiative to sit next to Zhao Qiang and said to Chen Xinyu, "Sister Xinyu, do you mind if I sit next to him as an American journalist? I want to do a separate interview with him, and it might even be serialized, because I've discovered that there's so much to explore about him, and I need time to find it all."
Chen Xinyu said, "I have no objection as long as he agrees. Actually, I really want to do a report on him, but I don't have the authority."
Donna said, "Really? Doesn't he want to be famous?"
Chen Xinyu asked, "What's your opinion of him?"
Donna thought for a moment: "If Zhao Qiang wanted to be famous, I think he would already be a household name. It seems that my interview will not achieve its purpose."
Guo Gang helped his brother out of the room, and Zhao Qiang hurriedly stood up to greet him, "Uncle Guo, you're not feeling well, please rest more. We're not strangers, just take care of yourself."
Guo Zhen said, "How could I lie down after hearing that you've come? Xiao Zhao, you are my benefactor. If you hadn't stepped in to help, I don't know how I would have faced this situation. It's all my fault for being senile and believing what others said."
Zhao Qiang said, "Uncle Guo, the matter is over, so don't blame yourself. Look, your brother and niece have come all the way back to China to see you. You should recover quickly and take them to see the beautiful landscapes of our motherland."
Guo Zhen said, "Yes, this is something we must do. Xiao Zhao, please sit down. If I weren't so weak, I would like to toast you."
Donna said, "Uncle, let Guo Yang and I represent your sentiments. Zhao Qiang and I will have a few more drinks later."
Sure enough, Donna kept toasting Zhao Qiang, but Zhao Qiang didn't take the alcohol seriously. Instead, he got Donna quite drunk, and she started slurring her words. Guo Zhen was too weak, so after the meeting, Guo Gang helped him back to his room. Only the young people were left at the table, so Donna wasn't worried about being impolite. Besides, Americans are naturally open-minded and rarely bound by formalities.
"Zhao, Zhao Qiang, I'm asking you, who exactly is your girlfriend? Is she Yang Shiyun's sister?" Donna finally asked the question that had been on her mind. However, she had drunk a bit too much, and her eyes were glazed over, making her speech somewhat slurred.
Zhao Qiang said, "Ah, yes, what's wrong?"
Donna said, "That's not right. I just heard my brother Guo Yang say that your girlfriend is Su Xiaosu, and her sister is called Su Su."
Zhao Qiang was a little embarrassed: "Uh..." Chen Xinyu watched from the side and secretly laughed, thinking to herself, "Let's see how you explain this now."
Guo Yang also stared anxiously at Zhao Qiang, eager to know the details of the matter.
Zhao Qiang said, "This matter is very complicated and cannot be explained in a short time..." Before Zhao Qiang could explain further, his phone rang, which undoubtedly helped Zhao Qiang out of the predicament. He awkwardly took out his phone, got up and left his seat, "I'll take this call first."
The call was from Xu Xiaoya. She wasn't asking about the progress of Zhao Qiang and Liu Mingzhen's matter; such a trivial matter wasn't worth her attention. Xu Xiaoya wanted to speak with Zhao Qiang about something else. "Zhao Qiang, do you still remember what happened at Wulong Mountain?"
Zhao Qiang nodded and said, "I remember, didn't they say the engineering corps was carrying out construction?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Yes, Shiqi just called and said that the people who stayed behind sent a message that things might be looking up."
Zhao Qiang asked excitedly, "What are the specifics? What exactly is underground?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Shiqi didn't explain it very clearly. She said she only had a vague understanding herself. I think it would be best if you went there in person."
Zhao Qiang checked the time: "Okay, have Yang Shiqi arrange a private jet to pick me up tonight."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Okay, should we bring Yang Shiyun along? Or should we not inform her?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No, of course we need to inform her. I will explain the matter of Yang Shiyun to you in detail later. There is an extremely complicated matter involved, and you won't believe it in a short time."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Alright, as long as you believe me, I'll make the arrangements right away."
Zhao Qiang put down his phone and returned to the table. Guo Yang and Tang Na were waiting to hear his explanation. Zhao Qiang smiled apologetically and said, "I'm really sorry, I have to leave in a bit. There's something I need to take care of."
Donna exclaimed, "Ah! So soon? It's already so late."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's no other way, the matter is very urgent, I have to go in person."
Donna asked in a low voice, "It's not about the virus, is it?"
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "No, there are no signs of the virus in China yet, don't be alarmist."
Donna said, "Since it's not about the virus, but you have to handle it personally, I think it must be something important. Can I go with you to see?"
Zhao Qiang hesitated. Donna couldn't know about Wulong Mountain. Although her uncle was Chinese, she was a true American. Few people in China knew about the secrets of Wulong Mountain's underground, let alone foreigners. If there was nothing down there, that would be fine, but if something strange and unusual got its hands on it, it would be a huge problem.
Donna noticed Zhao Qiang's hesitation and pleaded, "I promise I won't bother you. I'll only show up if you let me know. If you think it's necessary to avoid me, I won't object. Please, I'm begging you."
Zhao Qiang said, "Alright, I hope you understand the situation in our country and don't make decisions on your own recklessly."
Guo Yang asked Zhao Qiang, "Are you leaving now? What about Xiao Su...?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I called her to explain and apologize. I originally wanted to have a proper talk with you."
Guo Yang said, "It's alright, we still have a chance. Although I, Guo Yang, am not very capable, I will do anything for you, even if it means my own destruction, as long as you give the order."
Zhao Qiang patted Guo Yang on the shoulder and said, "You're exaggerating. Focus on singing and making movies. If you're not comfortable at your current company, come back to Lingdong Entertainment. You can talk to Xiao Su about this. Don't worry about those paparazzi making up stories about you and Xiao Su. If necessary, Chen Xinyu will deal with those tabloid reporters. She can handle this little thing."
Guo Yang said, "I will consider it. Thank you, Zhao Qiang."
Before they had exchanged more than a few words, Zhao Qiang's phone rang again. Wang Jin and the others had not left Jiangquan City, so after receiving Yang Shiqi's order, they immediately contacted Zhao Qiang. They had the authority to deploy helicopters in the city without prior notice. Zhao Qiang boarded the helicopter directly on the street in front of Guo Yang's house and then rushed to Wulong Mountain overnight. As for Chen Xinyu, she could only regretfully return to Hong Kong. She also had a lot of things to do there. Since Tang Na had already been taken care of, there was no need for her to stay in Jiangquan City.
It was already past midnight when the helicopter arrived at Wulong Mountain. Donna was already dozing off next to Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang woke her up, and Donna, still sleepy, asked, "What? Have we arrived?"
Zhao Qiang said, "We're here. I told you not to come, but you insisted on coming to suffer. This is just a scenic area under construction."
Donna stood up and stretched her numb arms, saying, "I don't care. Wherever you are, nothing small will happen."
Zhao Qiang warned Donna: "I can tell you again, you must show me any report first. If you publish it without permission, you know what the consequences will be."
Donna said, "I know, I'm not a child. Didn't you say Sister Shiyun would come too? I haven't seen her."
Zhao Qiang checked the time: "She's in Beijing, which is a bit far from here. I think it will take about half an hour."
There is an engineering corps working on the scenic area construction in Wulong Mountain. Of course, this is only on the surface. In reality, the main force is attacking underground in Wulong Mountain. Xu Changhe is in charge of the work here. He used to work at Zhao Qiang Shunfeng Technology and is very familiar with Zhao Qiang. He welcomed Zhao Qiang and Tang Na into the camp as soon as they got off the helicopter.
"Instructor Zhao, you should rest for a while. I'll report to you when it's light." Xu Changhe didn't say much when he saw the American beauty next to Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "Please arrange accommodation for Miss Donna so she can rest first. I'm not tired."
Xu Changhe said, "Okay, Miss Tang, please follow me."
Donna certainly didn't want to be separated from Zhao Qiang, but considering Zhao Qiang's demands on her—that she shouldn't ask about things she shouldn't know—she could only reluctantly go with Xu Changhe. Besides, it was the middle of the night, and she was incredibly sleepy. Since she wouldn't get any information anyway, she might as well go to sleep.
Zhao Qiang waited for a while before Xu Changhe returned. Xu Changhe led Zhao Qiang into a simple conference room and said, "Instructor Zhao, we've dug up a large fissure zone below. The detectors are reporting that there's something down there."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Do you know exactly what it is?"
Xu Changhe said, "The signal interference is too strong, and we can't figure it out. Commander Yang has sent more professional detection personnel. They will use anti-gravity devices to go down into the crack zone. I think they will bring back more information."
Zhao Qiang started to get restless. "I'll go down and take a look myself."
Xu Changhe stopped Zhao Qiang and said, "No, Instructor Zhao, Commander Yang has given you instructions that you are strictly forbidden from acting on your own before she arrives. She also said that this is a military order and that if I don't take good care of you, I will be court-martialed. You don't want me to be punished by the commander, do you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. I wanted to go down myself. It has nothing to do with you."
Xu Changhe still stood in front of Zhao Qiang: "This won't do, Instructor Zhao, please help me. You don't want me to get scolded by Commander Yang, do you?"
Seeing Xu Changhe's pitiful appearance, Zhao Qiang checked the time. "Alright, let's wait a little longer." But to be honest, Zhao Qiang was really impatient. What was down there? What was it that made him and Yang Shiyun so eager to see it? Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long; Yang Shiqi and Yang Shiyun arrived together.
"Zhao Qiang!" The two sisters called out in unison when they saw Zhao Qiang after getting off the plane. Their joy at seeing Zhao Qiang was beyond words.
Volume 2 [730] Crack
Yang Shiqi and Zhao Qiang naturally have a deep bond. After so many years of ups and downs, she can no longer bear to be separated from Zhao Qiang. However, Yang Shiyun has another system in her mind, and Xiao Wei's feelings for Zhao Qiang are also quite deep, even deeper than Yang Shiqi's. Now that the two sisters have both fallen in love with the same man, this matter has made their relationship somewhat tense.
Zhao Qiang went up to them and said, "You've finally arrived. I need to go down into the crevice to check it out right away."
Yang Shiqi said, "Let's go together."
Yang Shiyun said to her sister, "You stay on the ground, Zhao Qiang and I will go down."
Yang Shiqi said with dissatisfaction, "Second sister, why? It's like you're the master now. I'm the one in charge here."
Yang Shiyun frowned: "Would I harm you? There are some things that are beyond your imagination."
Yang Shiqi said, "Anyway, I can go wherever you can go, and I can also go wherever you can't go."
Yang Shiyun snapped, "Nonsense!"
Yang Shiqi said, "I'm not a child anymore. Every decision I make now represents the special forces division. Please stop treating me like a child."
Yang Shiyun wanted to persuade him again, but Zhao Qiang said, "That's enough, stop arguing. You two are sisters, what would it look like if outsiders saw you like that?"
Yang Shiyun said, "It's because she's disobedient. What if there's danger down there? I'm just concerned about her, I don't appreciate it at all."
Yang Shiqi said, "If you're not afraid of danger, what would I be afraid of? Besides, we have Zhao Qiang and super equipment. What danger can stop us?"
Yang Shiyun said, "I dare not speak too definitively. I have a bad feeling about this."