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墨書 Inktalez
Peng Hao, due to his physical limitations, couldn't match Chen Rui's agility. By the time he arrived, he saw the two of them tightly embracing each other.
Looking around at the gazes of the people nearby, Peng Hao hurriedly pulled the two away. "Let's go, we might not be alone here."
Peng Hao's urgency stemmed partly from the uncomfortable stares around them, all thanks to Chen Rui's overbearing demeanor.
As the three of them exited the subway station, they encountered their late-arriving reinforcements. Yuki Chiba was escorted back to the FBI branch.
Since the equipment in the first-floor office had been mostly destroyed, they temporarily moved to a different floor for their work. As for the equipment, that responsibility fell to Chen Rui.
After arranging for Yuki Chiba to stay in the girls' dormitory, Chen Rui made his way back to the first-floor office alone. He felt a twinge of reluctance as he left.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," Chen Rui reassured with a smile. Upon entering the first-floor office, he was greeted by a scene of utter chaos.
"Looks like it's the same everywhere..." Chen Rui sighed as he hung up the phone. Even in his dreams, his superiors were just as merciless, tearing into him for the complete destruction of equipment worth millions of dollars. Who wouldn't be upset?
Peng Hao approached and handed Chen Rui a cigarette.
Chen Rui rarely accepted one but took it this time and took a deep drag.
Peng Hao looked at him and asked, "You’re not getting too into character, are you?"
"Getting into character" was a term used among dream workers to describe when someone became overly immersed in their dreams, making it difficult to accept reality afterward.
"I was just thinking about that," Chen Rui replied with a sigh. "Something happened while our Action Team was out."
Peng Hao quickly interrupted, "Wait a minute, this is clearly something we shouldn't know."
"We had some issues with our flight on the way back but managed to make an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport." Chen Rui took another puff of his cigarette.
"S?" Peng Hao urged impatiently; this guy really knew how to torture his audience with suspense...
"We flew back on a commercial airline and had a layover in Tokyo where I met a few people. There was one girl who looked quite similar to her."
"Me? You're quite the expert in the art of flirting, I must say," Peng Hao said with a fist salute, smiling at Chen Rui.
Chen Rui shot him a glance, ignoring the teasing. "That group of people are Chinese, and it seems they know someone who looks a lot like me, and that person is their friend—the boyfriend of that girl."
"Wait a minute, let me sort this out," Peng Hao rubbed his temples. "So, you encountered a group of people in Japan, and among them is a girl's boyfriend who looks like you, and that girl resembles Yuki Chiba from your dream. So what does this have to do with you? Is this your excuse for flirting?"
Chen Rui was left speechless by Peng Hao's remarks. "I don't know either, but at that moment, I was out of control. I realize that now."
"Hey, you're great at everything except being too sentimental. You leave a trail of affection everywhere!" Peng Hao laughed as he patted Chen Rui on the shoulder jokingly.
"Get lost," Chen Rui said, brushing his hand away while laughing.
Peng Hao became serious. "You know, ever since Yuki Chiba came back, she hasn't been as cheerful. She doesn't talk to anyone anymore."
Chen Rui waved his hand dismissively. "Of course, normal girls would act like that."
"No, what I mean is, she seems particularly close to you—closer than usual. When I dropped her off just now, I noticed it. When did your relationship get so good?" Peng Hao analyzed, finding this situation quite rare.
"Is it just because of that hug at the subway station?" Peng Hao pondered.
Chen Rui smacked Peng Hao on the head. "Idiot! A girl finds support when she needs it; how can she not lean on someone?"
"No wonder you're such a pro at flirting; your words show experience and come from a girl's perspective. I'm truly impressed," Peng Hao laughed as he ran off, having anticipated that Chen Rui would retaliate after his comment.
Chen Rui instinctively reached out to pat Peng Hao's back but found nothing there. Turning around, he saw that Peng Hao had already dashed out of the conference room. He smiled wryly and contemplated Peng Hao's earlier words.
Suddenly, Chen Rui realized that since Yuki Chiba returned, they hadn't exchanged a single word; even with him, they communicated only through simple gestures and glances.
He recalled a scene from not long ago:
Chen Rui turned to look ahead and suddenly noticed a woman running towards him at full speed. The unexpected situation caught him off guard, but Higashizaki reacted much faster than Chen Rui; he immediately crouched down and pulled out a black object from his ankle before standing up quickly to shield Chen Rui.
"Don't shoot!" Chen Rui exclaimed urgently.
"I am doing this to protect your safety; I won't act unless absolutely necessary." Higashizaki tucked the handgun into his waistband and assumed a defensive stance in front of Chen Rui.
"Zijing." The woman called out to him in Chinese, her voice tinged with a slight sob.
Just as the woman was about to run past Higashizaki, he intercepted her...
Chen Rui couldn't help but wonder: if she had rushed to his side then, would it have mirrored the scene in the subway station?
Suddenly, images of the other five standing beside Li Xue flashed through Chen Rui's mind. These six individuals were all wealthy tycoons!
This game was likely just a form of entertainment for these businessmen, and now resting in the girls' dormitory was not Yuki Chiba, but Li Xue!
The sudden thought startled Chen Rui; it didn't make sense. How could they know there was someone who looked exactly like Li Xue?
Xiong Kai had assured him that if there were any unreasonable or unfair elements in the script, he would show favoritism towards Chen Rui's side.
But in reality, there had been no favoritism at all; the game had been proceeding fairly and justly up to this point...
"So, was I mistaken?" Chen Rui muttered to himself. "But it's still quite possible; after all, she hasn't spoken..."
He decided not to dwell on these matters; he would find out when the time came.
Chen Rui lay back on the sand and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
When he awoke, it was already dawn. Golden sunlight filtered through the steel forest, casting warm light on Chen Rui's face and waking him up.
He hurriedly got up and opened his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found 'Chiba Kaede' and pressed call.
"Hello? Officer Chen, good morning!" Chiba Kaede's cheerful voice came through the line, accompanied by a noisy background.
"Sorry, something happened last night. I was worried it was too late and didn’t want to disturb your rest," Chen Rui said awkwardly, as he clearly heard Liu Xin's voice mixed in with that of gamblers and dealers on the other end. They must have been at it all night!
"Hmm? You..." Chiba Kaede's tone noticeably cooled down, and the background noise diminished significantly, indicating she had moved away from the gambling table.
“Yuki Chiba had some trouble last night, but she is safe now,” Chen Rui hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
“Hmm? Trouble? Was she… kidnapped?” Chiba Kaede's voice had turned cold, lacking the warmth it had just moments ago.
“Yes, that’s right. But we brought her back safely very quickly; she is safe now,” Chen Rui replied, his mood not much better, so he didn’t want to elaborate.
“That’s good. As long as she’s safe,” Chiba Kaede suddenly smiled again. “I hope next time you can ensure her safety in advance.” There was a sharp edge to her words.
Ensuring safety in advance meant preventing something from happening in the first place, which implied that they should have caught the kidnappers before anything occurred. That was indeed a difficult task.
“We will,” Chen Rui replied vaguely. “I won’t disturb you any longer; I’ll hang up now.”
“Alright, you all stay busy and remember to work seriously,” Chiba Kaede emphasized the last few words, as if hinting that their previous efforts had been lacking.
“Understood.” Chen Rui hung up the phone, pondered for a moment, and decided to take a risk.
He arrived at the girls' dormitory and was just about to knock when the door swung open, nearly causing him to bump into Zheng Hui.
Zheng Hui looked surprised for a moment but quickly recovered, teasing him, “Oh my, it seems you’re not only charming but also a bit shameless, standing out here so early in the morning. What are you up to?”
“What do you mean?” Chen Rui was at a loss for words at Zheng Hui's wild imagination. “Where’s Yuki? I came to see her.”
“Ahhh!” Zheng Hui playfully pushed against Chen Rui's chest. “You’re calling her by name directly now; are you two…”
“Don’t think too much. I’m just taking her out for something,” Chen Rui quickly changed the subject.
“For something? What could be so important?” Zheng Hui gave him a knowing look that made Chen Rui feel quite uncomfortable.
Yuki Chiba emerged from the bathroom, her hair partially draped over her shoulder, looking very lovely.
“Hey, our boss is looking for you,” Zheng Hui said with a smile as she patted Yuki on the shoulder and turned back into the bathroom.
Yuki Chiba looked at Chen Rui, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
"We're going out to take care of some things." Chen Rui couldn't directly ask her to hang out, so he had to play it off.
Yuki Chiba nodded and then went into the bedroom, leaving Chen Rui alone outside.
After a while, Yuki Chiba came out in a new set of workout clothes and looked at Chen Rui, signaling him to lead the way.
The two fell into an unspoken silence. Chen Rui quietly led the way while Yuki Chiba followed silently, neither of them willing to break the ice.
Chen Rui was also feeling conflicted inside. How should he even start? He couldn't just remain silent forever, could he?
"Let's go on a date," Chen Rui blurted out, shocking even himself. What was that?!
Yuki Chiba froze at his words, momentarily taken aback.
"Um... um... I... I... got it..." Yuki Chiba stammered in Japanese, suddenly realizing that Chen Rui didn't understand. She quickly adjusted her breathing and, after calming down, looked at Chen Rui.
Chen Rui felt a chill run down his spine under her sudden gaze, but to his surprise, she smiled.
Yuki Chiba smiled and said in a Californian accent, "Sure! Let's go!"
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