The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

The car fell silent.

Lin's mother wanted to say something more, but Lin's father stopped her with a look.

The car turned into a bustling street.

KFC's red signboard stands out prominently in the night.

"Let's go eat first."

After parking the car, Lin's father spoke in a relaxed tone.

"No matter how I do on the exam, I need to fill my stomach first."

Inside the jeep, Xie Ci glanced at Fu Hua's down jacket.

After confirming that she wasn't cold, he placed the military jacket on the back seat.

"Your classmate seems to care about you quite a bit."

He looked straight ahead and spoke casually during his farewell speech.

"Really? It's just normal interaction between classmates."

Xie Ci smiled and asked, "How did the competition go?"

"The questions are well-designed."

Fu Hua made a rare comment: "The last combinatorial problem can be solved using graph theory models or recursive relationships—the person who set the problem must be an expert."

Xie Ci laughed: "Only you can evaluate the test setter after the exam is over."

The car turned the corner and headed into the city. Passing the noodle shop from last time, it made another turn and arrived at the entrance of the alley.

The wonton stall has been set up, and steaming hot vapors are rising in the twilight.

"Really eating wontons?"

Fu Hua asked.

"Otherwise what?"

Xie Ci parked the car, turned to look at her, and said, "You promised me, you can't go back on your word."

"Oh well."

The two got out of the car and walked toward the small stall lit by a dim yellow light.

The aroma of wontons mingled with the crisp winter night air, creating a unique kind of warmth.

In the shadows at the alley entrance, several people were talking in hushed tones.

A tall, thin man's voice trembled slightly: "Brother Yong, this woman is always accompanied by someone, we don't have a chance to make a move, do we?"

"What's the rush?"

Yong took a deep drag on his cigarette, his gaze fixed on the wonton stall in the distance: "It's only been one day."

"But...that girl is being protected by People's Liberation Army soldiers. Who knows what their relationship is? What if things get exposed, we..."

"Snap"

The person who spoke received a slap on the neck.

Yong spat on the ground: "Coward! You're scared to death just by seeing a soldier?!"

The tall, thin man covered his face and said aggrievedly, "Brother Tiger, that girl always travels in military vehicles... We can't afford to offend her."

"Can't afford to offend them?"

Yong sneered, "It's just a lesson. Four hundred yuan in hand, what's there to be afraid of? Can the People's Liberation Army follow her around every day?"

He raised his hand and took a deep drag on the cheap cigarette in his hand, his eyes filled with malice: "If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after. We'll always find an opportunity."

In the corner, a short man who hadn't spoken until now suddenly said, "Brother Yong, I heard something. That girl goes to the library every Friday night. It's a bit of a walk from Minghua to there, quite secluded, a good place to make a move."

Yong's eyes lit up: "Friday? Specific time?"

Around 5:30 in the evening.

The short man said, "She usually takes the bus, gets off at the Qinglongqiao stop, and then walks along the side road, which takes about twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes..."

Yong grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, "That's enough."

He pulled an envelope from his pocket, took out two banknotes, and tossed them to the short man: "Keep an eye on it, figure out the route and the timing."

"yes!"

The tall, thin man still hesitated: "Brother Yong, what if..."

"There's no 'what if'."

Scarface interrupted him, "Just scare her a little, take a few photos so that the little girl won't dare to show off again, then we'll take the money and leave. Who will be able to find out about us?"

Looking at the youthful profile in the distance,

Yong licked his lips, his eyes murky and greedy.

The orange light of the wonton stall, like a warm mist, enveloped the small table.

Fu Hua sipped the soup, the steam making her cheeks slightly flushed.

Xie Ci sat opposite, his military uniform jacket draped over the back of his chair.

The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms.

Fu Hua glanced at the bronze skin and asked the question she had wanted to ask earlier: "Aren't you cold?"

Xie Ci glanced down, leaned forward, and asked in a low voice, "You...you really care about me?"

Fu Hua wasn't used to being stared at by a man, so she turned her head away and said softly, "You're overthinking it. I'm just curious."

"real?"

Xie Ci took a step forward, his entire face magnified in front of Fu Hua.

He has dark eyebrows, thick eyelashes, and regular facial features, but his eyes often reveal a hint of roguishness.

He's quite good-looking.

Fu Hua was startled by the sudden thought that had popped into her head.

His ears were red, as if they had been burned.

Her eyes darted away, avoiding eye contact with Xie Ci.

Xie Ci suddenly reached out and slowly moved closer to Fu Hua's hair...

What are you doing?

Fu Hua instinctively dodged.

Xie Ci grinned, then slipped his hand into the pocket of his military uniform jacket.

He then took a small notebook out of his pocket and placed it in front of Fu Hua.

"The new equipment for the troops has several parameter settings, and Commander Hua asked me to ask for your opinion."

Fu Hua...

So he wanted to get the notebook.

There's been a misunderstanding.

Fu Hua blinked and quickly glanced at it under the light.

He raised an eyebrow and pointed to a spot in the notebook: "There's a problem with this frequency band matching. If we use this algorithm, the signal attenuation will exceed the threshold."

She took out a pen and wrote a series of formulas in the blank space of the notebook.

The scratching sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper blended into the hustle and bustle of the street.

Xie Ci looked at her focused profile, his gaze softening.

This girl, whether in the exam hall or at a street stall like this...

They each have their own rhythm: calm, clear, and unmoved.

He liked seeing her like that.

But his soldier's instincts suddenly made his spine tense.

Someone is watching them.

Not just a casual glance while passing by,

Instead, it was a sticky gaze with some kind of purpose.

Xie Ci didn't turn his head, but his peripheral vision glanced at the alleyway diagonally opposite.

There seemed to be a small light flickering in the darkness.

Fu Hua noticed his unusual behavior and looked up: "What's wrong?"

"fine."

He smiled and said thank you, but his body was already on high alert.

He picked up his bowl to drink the soup, but his eyes swept around like a falcon's.

He put down the bowl so quickly that Fu Hua didn't even have time to react: "Sit still."

Before he finished speaking, he had already gotten up and walked towards the alley entrance.

The military boots made a steady sound as they stepped on the stone pavement.

When the people at the alley entrance saw him coming, they immediately dispersed.

When Xie Ci arrived, there was nothing there.

There seemed to be a smell of burnt cheap cigarettes in the air.

"What's wrong?"

Fu Hua followed him, looking in the direction of his gaze toward the empty alleyway.

Xie Ci squatted down and picked up the cigarette butt from the ground.

It is indeed the cheapest, lowest-quality cigarette.

He stood up, his face serious: "Someone was watching us just now."

Fu Hua frowned: "Who is it?"

"I don't know."

Xie Ci looked around; there weren't many pedestrians on this old street at night.

Several more streetlights broke down, casting shadows everywhere; "they're up to no good."

He looked at Fu Hua: "Who have you offended recently?"

Fu Hua thought for a moment, then shook her head: "No."

But the faces of Fu Chaochao and Zhou Rong kept flashing through his mind.

If someone tries to harm her through underhanded means,

There was no one else besides these two.

"Maybe they're after me."

Xie Ci said, "The military is currently investigating several cases."

That's half true and half false.

He didn't want to scare her, but he had to put her on her guard.