The events of that day played like a movie in her mind. Initially, she was stirring the seafood congee specially prepared by Sister Hu with little enthusiasm. Suddenly, as if she had spotted something, her eyes lit up and she rushed upstairs. Right, she had a clue!
It was the little note Jiang Lihao had given them. There was a good chance that if Yang Qian was hiding there, Jiang Lihao would be there too.
When Gu Sisi excitedly ran downstairs with the note, she bumped into Huo Cheng who was coming in through the door.
"I've got a clue!"
"I... have one too."
They froze, shock evident in each other's eyes.
It turned out that the clue Huo Cheng had found was the recent rumor that Jiang Lihao had been active in the Jiang Group. Although he hadn't seen anyone when he went to the Jiang Group today, he was afraid that Gu Sisi would be worried, so he came back to tell her first.
He never expected that Gu Sisi would have good news too.
"He said this was his secret base?"
Gu Sisi nodded vigorously.
Huo Cheng took the note and fell into deep thought.
If he suspected that there was a mole in the Jiang Group, it would explain why he couldn't find them.
"Let's go!" Huo Cheng raised his eyebrows.
Gu Sisi immediately got up. Unlike the dejection of the previous day, she was like a person on a high.
Sister Hu was walking over with a pot of soup. Seeing them leave, she shouted anxiously, "Hey! Young Master, Young Mistress, have some soup before you go!"
"No need. It's an urgent matter." Gu Sisi turned around, her face beaming with energy.
Sister Hu watched them leave and sighed, "It seems this pot of soup isn't needed for a pick - me - up."
Perhaps the best tonic was good news.
Huo Cheng drove his Lamborghini and drifted all the way to the location on the note.
Huo Cheng got out of the car and looked at the place. His good - looking eyebrows arched slightly, and a smile played on his lips.
He had actually been to this place before.
The house in front didn't seem anything special. It had red tiles and its exterior was painted in cyan. After all these years, it even looked a bit dilapidated.
However, Huo Cheng knew that there was a whole different world inside.
Gu Sisi walked straight towards the wooden gate. Before she took a few steps, Huo Cheng pulled her away and led her to the back of the house. He knocked on a spot on the ground three times.
Only then did Gu Sisi notice that there was a hidden door there, and the color of the door was exactly the same as that of the wall. If you didn't look closely, you would never find it.
"You've been here before?" Gu Sisi asked in surprise.
"It was his ninth - birthday gift." Huo Cheng was concise and didn't offer any more explanations.
Gu Sisi didn't intend to ask further because soon, the door opened.
Jiang Lihao's face appeared at the door. He glanced at them indifferently and then opened the door wide.
"I knew you'd come!" It was as if he was talking to them and to himself at the same time.
"Is she here with you?" Huo Cheng asked straight to the point.
Gu Sisi's heart was in her throat as she waited quietly for his answer.
Although no one mentioned the name, all three of them knew who they were talking about.
After a long silence, just as Gu Sisi's expression was on the verge of collapsing, he slowly nodded, "Yes."
Then he walked forward without looking back. When he reached a certain place, he casually removed a few wooden floorboards. "I'll take you to see."
There seemed to be a secret passage under the floorboards. Gu Sisi watched as he slowly walked down. The two of them exchanged a look. Huo Cheng saw the uneasiness in her eyes and patted her on the back. "You go first. I'll be right behind you."
The passage was quite long, with many stairs and numerous paths. Jiang Lihao seemed to be waiting for her, always staying within her line of sight.
After walking for three minutes, Jiang Lihao emerged from a place.
Huo Cheng and Gu Sisi followed closely behind.
Gu Sisi, who was there for the first time, was stunned. This place was like a different world from the exterior of the house, full of a sense of technology. Or rather, it was a different world from anyone's home.
Huo Cheng remained calm as usual and said lightly, "You've updated it?"
Jiang Lihao nodded. "The stuff from over a decade ago is too old for today's technology."
He continued to lead them around. Gradually, Gu Sisi's doubts grew, and she nervously grabbed Huo Cheng's palm.
Although Huo Cheng looked calm on the surface, there was a hint of caution in his eyes.
The information he had received was that after Gu Sisi lost contact, those people hadn't bothered them anymore. Logically speaking, they shouldn't have hidden so deeply or for so long...
Soon, he found out why.
Gu Sisi's trembling voice sounded. "What's going on?"
She shook Jiang Lihao's arm, desperately trying to get an answer from him.
At the very depths of this high - tech place, there was a small room that was out of place. A woman was lying quietly inside, like a mini - ward filled with various medical instruments.
What broke Gu Sisi's heart the most was that Yang Qian had a ventilator inserted into her mouth and nose.
All of this made it impossible for Gu Sisi to think positively. She was all too familiar with this scene.
Sure enough, Jiang Lihao's hoarse voice spoke up. "She took a hit for me and hasn't woken up since."
Gu Sisi's legs gave way. She was about to fall when Huo Cheng behind her lifted her up and pulled her into his arms, comforting her. "It's okay. Everything will get better."
The three of them returned to the ground, and the floorboards closed again, making the house look like an ordinary small house.
The two of them sat on the small sofa. There was a steaming pot of tea on the small coffee table. Jiang Lihao sat on the other side.
The three of them exchanged what had happened in the past few days.
"Congratulations." Jiang Lihao said lightly when he heard the news that the two of them were getting married.
Gu Sisi, however, seemed to hear something unacceptable. She shook her head, looked at Huo Cheng, and pleaded, "How about we postpone it? Let's wait until Yang Qian wakes up."
Before Huo Cheng could say anything, Jiang Lihao said indifferently, "It's better not to. The doctor said the time of her waking up is uncertain. It's not like you'll get good news after waiting for a year or two."
"What should we do then?" Tears welled up in Gu Sisi's eyes and dropped one by one.
She never expected that her situation wouldn't be the worst in the end.
"Go ahead as planned." Huo Cheng stroked her head and rested it on his shoulder. He whispered, "You should have faith in her. Isn't she your friend? You were in a coma before and woke up soon, right? She will too, and she'll even make it to your wedding."
"Really?" Gu Sisi bit her lip and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Rationality told her that these were just words of comfort from Huo Cheng, but her emotions made her truly yearn to believe.
"The cause was due to me, and the consequence was also because of me." Jiang Lihao stood up. "Leave her to me. I'll take good care of her. I can't guarantee when she'll wake up, but I'll do my best."
"Okay." Huo Cheng nodded to Gu Sisi and then looked up at Jiang Lihao, raising his eyebrows. "Is this the reason you're back in the Jiang Group?"
Based on Jiang Lihao's personality, Huo Cheng couldn't think of any other reason.
Soon, Jiang Lihao admitted, "Half and half. This is the most direct reason."
He turned around, looking into the distance. His back seemed to broaden all of a sudden, and his tone was calm. "Through this incident, I realized that if a person has no ability, they may not be able to protect anything. At a critical moment, they can only watch helplessly and do nothing."
He sounded like an old man who had seen through life.