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墨書 Inktalez
I took a deep breath and said, "Let me tell you my bottom line. I can help you search for Xiao Guolin, but I need to see that letter first."
"My bottom line is that we look at it together. I won't let it out of my sight," Xiao Ting insisted just as firmly. "If you can't agree to that, then I'll have to choose to pass the information to you later."
There was a hint of threat in Xiao Ting's tone, but to me, it felt like a bluff. I had already regained my composure from the momentary panic. Even if she was prepared and had done some research on me and the last operation, she wouldn't know too much. Those within the system wouldn't violate the Confidentiality Agreement to disclose sensitive information to her, and soldiers would be even less likely to do so. She was using this as leverage to bargain with me.
The letter left for me by Xiao Guolin must contain something new he had recently acquired—something I didn't know. As the host of this operation, Xiao Guolin had several departments backing him, and his progress and research results were beyond what I could compare. Listening to Xiao Ting's reasoning, it seemed that both Xiao Guolin and I shared similar thoughts on this matter, and of course, I was eager to know the contents of the letter. However, if my guess was correct, there would definitely be information about a passage within that letter, perhaps even more detailed information. If Xiao Ting were to obtain this information in her current emotional state, she might take reckless actions, which I could not accept; that was my bottom line.
If I couldn't stop Xiao Ting from seeing this letter, then I might as well destroy it. I secretly prepared for the worst.
"I think your father sent you to find me for more than just delivering this letter. I have an agreement with Xiao Guolin; he entrusted me with this because he trusts me. He must have discussed this with you," I said slowly. I decided to approach it from another angle—playing the family card to soften her up and dissolve the current tension. If we continued to be at an impasse, I felt the conversation would collapse.
Xiao Ting's face suddenly flushed red, her expression extremely tense as she tightly intertwined her hands in front of her, her gaze flickering and avoiding mine. Seeing her like this left me momentarily stunned—what was going on? Did Xiao Guolin hint at something to his daughter? This could get interesting.
However, I didn't dwell on that matter and seized the moment: "Your father did this for your own good; he did it to protect you. Likewise, I cannot let you get hurt because of this situation. Please understand me." To my surprise, this statement only made Xiao Ting more agitated. "My dad trusts you so much and treats you so well; if you won't help him, how can I trust you?"
My mind immediately felt like it had sprouted two antlers; thoughts branched out in several directions but couldn't converge into one coherent idea. What was going on? I knew that Xiao Guolin trusted me; however, his kindness towards me was unrelated—I knew him well enough as both a mentor and a friend, but we hadn't worked together many times; we weren't too familiar with each other. What exactly had Xiao Guolin told Xiao Ting? Why was she suddenly so emotional? It seemed unlikely that it was simply about him asking me to take care of her. This family card had backfired.
I didn't know how to respond to her words. Forget it; following this line of thought would surely lead us to a deadlock. My lack of experience dealing with girls became apparent—wasn't every girl easy to deceive? Why was there such a drastic change in her emotions? She seemed quite calculating; could she be acting again? As I looked at her uncertainly, the possibility grew stronger—it was clear she was trying to disrupt my rhythm and force me into a compromise.
I adopted a firmer tone: "Your distrust in me stems from your lack of understanding. Xiao Guolin entrusted me with the letter because he knows me and believes I'll make the right choice. If your father were still alive today, you'd be wasting his life right now; no matter what dealings you've had with anyone else, without my involvement, you wouldn't be able to find Xiao Guolin or anyone else associated with him—that means you're effectively choking off your father's life yourself. I don't want to betray Xiao Guolin's trust, but right now, you're the obstacle! You choose: save him or not!"
With that, I fixed my gaze on her sternly.
Xiao Ting did not calm down due to my words; instead, she became even more agitated as if needing an outlet for her emotions as she raised her voice for the first time: "I know you're scared! Your current state is just like my dad's back then—outwardly indifferent but terrified inside! But my dad overcame that shadow while you'll forever live in it; you'll only keep avoiding it. You're wrong—my dad trusts you but he's mistaken about you; otherwise he would never have left the letter with you! And he certainly wouldn’t…"
These words struck a nerve within me. It was painful, like a whip lashing against my skin. I am not a timid person, but being awakened by nightmares every night is something no one can endure. Unless you have experienced that nightmarish event, you cannot possibly understand how I feel.
Under the relentless lash of these invisible whips, I lost my composure in an instant and roared, "What do you know? That is not a place for humans. Do you know what your father is afraid of? Do you know why Cao Mingzhe became like that? Damn it, they saw something more terrifying than ghosts! Yes, I don’t want to go back to that place; I have shadows in my heart. We all do, including your father. Just because he leads the team back doesn’t mean he isn’t haunted by those shadows. He wants to die in that shadow!"
"You’re crazy! You’re a coward!" Xiao Ting shouted.
My emotions spiraled out of control as Xiao Ting and I faced off like two angry roosters. Well, okay, one angry rooster and one angry hen.
"You both should calm down. Can we clarify one thing first?" Fatty had somehow positioned himself between us. "That is, we need to quickly finalize the action plan for searching for Xiao Guolin."
I ignored him; I couldn’t even be sure if I would go. His suggestion meant nothing to me. Xiao Ting looked equally furious, her cheeks flushed and her chest heaving.
Seeing that neither of us responded, Fatty continued, "The crux of your argument isn’t about courage or whether Qiangzi will go; it’s about your mutual distrust. The contents of this USB drive are crucial for finding Xiao Guolin—there’s no doubt both sides have the right to know. How about this: for fairness, I’ll take a look first, then..."
"Dream on," Xiao Ting interrupted Fatty ’s plan.
I shouted at him more harshly with a single word: "Get lost."
How could I not know his intentions? I felt he would even set me aside to contact Xiao Ting alone to achieve his goals. I was already furious with his behavior today, and hearing those words pushed me over the edge.
Fatty ’s face turned red as he straightened his neck and said to me, "What are you going to do? Just watch as Xiao Guolin’s fate remains unknown? I can’t just stand by and do nothing."
Damn it. This was just adding insult to injury.
I turned away in anger, ready to lash out at him, but he immediately turned to Xiao Ting and said, "I support you. We won’t ignore this matter; please trust me."
Xiao Ting didn't even lift her eyes and let out a "tch."
Fatty, with no sense of shame, continued, "I have a suggestion."
"Brother Gang, someone is looking for you." Huang Hai poked his head through the door, interrupting Fatty's words.
I was already in a bad mood, and seeing Huang Hai only made me angrier. None of Fatty's friends were decent people. I pointed at Huang Hai and said, "Tell him to get lost and not come back."
Huang Hai blinked at me, suddenly grinning to reveal a few big gold teeth, and still addressed Fatty, "Brother Gang, someone is looking for Mr. Zhang."
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