Chapter 262 Secret Research Lab (1/2)

Jiang Qianren visited Ying's residence for the second time. In fact, it was Xin Qing who had invited him.

”Qianren, am I your friend?” The pureness and dazzle in Xin Qing's eyes stunned Jiang Qianren slightly.

They were sitting in the garden. Not just the two of them, but three. Poker-faced Xiao Rui was there too.

”Look, whatever it is that you want to say, just say it.” Jiang Qianren felt a little bit frustrated; the way Xin Qing was acting made him feel as though there was a much greater distance between them now.

Xin Qing laughed. ”Well, let me tell you a story, then! Once upon a time, there was a girl, and her father...”

Once in a while, a bird or two would glide across the garden, flying in circles aloft the three of them before soaring away into the sky. Xin Qing told her story in a steady voice. Slowly, her and Ying Qingcang's pasts unfolded before Jiang Qianren's eyes like some kind of old movie.

”I understand,” Jiang Qianren said once he had finished listening to Xin Qing's account. He stared at Xin Qing. ”Now I truly believe that you'll never be able to fall in love with me.” While he spoke, Jiang Qianren found that he was not as devastated as he had imagined he would be.

He smiled. ”Let me guess, you're telling me all this because Ying Qingcang needs help, am I right?”

”Yes,” Xin Qing said with a nod. ”We couldn't find a way to remove the bomb. Chen Huan said that the military might know a way.”

Jiang Qianren felt a bit rueful when he heard the mention of Chen Huan's name, ”Chen Huan had always been under the country's protection. I know that she has a man, but I'd never been able to find out his identity. So it turns out that it's Boss Wan, a terrorist's greatest source of headache.”

Xin Qing had noticed the look of disdain on Jiang Qianren's face. ”You guys don't get along with each other?”

Jiang Qianren snorted. ”I'm a soldier and he's a thief. I wouldn't have liked him even if the country isn't trying to hunt him down.” When he saw the downcast look on Xin Qing's face, Jiang Qianren smiled again. ”Don't worry, okay? My dislike of him won't change anything. Whatever his faults are, they are all his and have nothing to do with you.”

”As for this matter, I think we have to seek out my old man,” Jiang Qianren said. Then, he shot a glance at Xiao Rui. ”However, I'm confident that he'll want to help you.”

Xiao Rui suddenly raised his head. ”Song Chunli can never know about this.”

Jiang Qianren did not seem to mind at all that Xiao Rui had just called his own grandmother directly by name. Although he did find it a bit strange that Xiao Rui would want to keep this from Song Chunli.

”I told you before that Xiao Rui is like a radar, right?” Xin Qing paused, choosing her words carefully. ”He's very sensitive to the emotions of others. He felt that... that there's something wrong with Aunt Song's emotions.”

Jiang Qianren felt somewhat irked at that insinuation. ”Hey, that's my mother, and Xiao Rui's grandmother! You think she would betray her own grandson?”

”I didn't mean it that way,” Xin Qing said apologetically, though she honestly had no idea how to explain it. Xiao Rui tugged her sleeve. ”Allow me to tell him,” Xiao Rui said.

”I didn't say that she would betray me,” Xiao Rui went on in a serious tone. ”But I'm positive that the emotions she's feeling deep down aren't the same as the ones she had shown us. She's very happy that I was found, but at the same time, she was struggling with fear, hatred and anger.” Xiao Rui looked Jiang Qianren in the eye. ”This is a life-and-death matter. We can't risk it.”

Jiang Qianren was quiet the whole time. After a long while, he sighed in resignation. ”I understand. I'll return to the capital right away.”

What Jiang Qianren never saw coming was that after he had relayed everything to his father, including the fact that Xin Qing wanted to keep everything a secret from his mother, Jiang Min actually nodded in agreement.

”It would indeed be best if we keep it from her.” The old man paused in thought. ”Tell Xin Qing that I'll help her.”

After that, Jiang Min gave Jiang Qianren a phone number and told him to pass the number to Xin Qing. The condition was that Xin Qing should not be the one to call the number. Instead, it should be Boss Wan and his wife who make the contact.

”Dad! I can't believe you knew all along that Professor Chen's man is Boss Wan!” In that split second, Jiang Qianren felt as if there was still a huge gap in ability between him and his father.

”I met him a few years back.” Jiang Min remembered that man with the poker face. Then, in a slightly regretful tone, he said, ”The country offered to recruit him. Too bad he refused.”

Jiang Qianren curled his lips in disdain. ”Since when were you on speaking terms, anyway.” Boss Wan's power was by no means inferior to that of an army. How could the country allow him to just run loose all over the place?

”Let's just say that he has a good wife,” Jiang Min said in a meaningful tone. After that he dismissed Jiang Qianren.

Jiang Qianren had no intention on delving further into the matter; he hurried back to S City to tell Xin Qing the news.

Even if Xin Qing had known that Jiang Min would likely agree to help her, she was still highly emotional after she got the confirmation. She contacted Boss Wan immediately and gave him the number that had been provided to her by Jiang Min.

Boss Wan got back to her before the day ended, telling her that the military had agreed to help. The condition was that they had to meet with Ying Qingcang and Rong Siman once.

”Do you know who those people are?” Xin Qing asked Chen Huan.

Chen Huan shrugged. ”I'm not clear on the specifics. But I heard from my thesis advisor that there were a lot of clandestine stuff and covert members in the military's special research lab. Each and every one of those people is a genius.”

”Then they must know a way, right?” Xin Qing desperately needed some sort of guarantee.

”Oh, you!” Chen Huan sighed. ”Let's just hope for the best but plan for the worst, okay?”

The light faded away in Xin Qing's eyes. She knew very well that if this attempt resulted in a failure, then there would be no one else in the world who could save Ying Qingcang...

The public had been following closely any news regarding the joint project involving Xin Enterprises and Ying Enterprises; namely, the establishment of holiday homes in the vicinity of the underground hot springs. In the beginning of November, the holiday homes were finally in business. This event instantly became a new talking point for the citizens of S City who had been slightly rattled due to major news from a few days ago; three murderers had escaped from prison a few days ago.