Chapter 267 - Déjà Vu (1) (1/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Due to the nature of his work, Huo Shaoheng rarely appeared in public.

General Ji had encouraged him to step out of the shadows and take center stage, but for the moment Huo Shaoheng’s name was known only to the military and the upper echelons of the Empire. The common folk on the street did not know who Huo Shaoheng was.

But Wen Shouyi had called him “General Huo.” She obviously knew both his name and his real ident.i.ty.

Huo Shaoheng knew who Wen Shouyi was. He had ordered his men to run thorough background checks on He Zhichu and Wen Shouyi when Gu Nianzhi had applied for B University Law School.

It was strange for Wen Shouyi to know who he was, however. Or, to put it another way, nothing in Wen Shouyi’s background indicated any connection to Huo Shaoheng, or any possible interest in him.

Something stirred within Huo Shaoheng’s mind. He kept the indifferent expression on his face as he turned to look at Wen Shouyi and wait for her reply.

There was a flicker of panic in Wen Shouyi’s eyes. She quickly glanced towards He Zhichu, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks, before lowering her head. She gripped the iron bars on the window of her room, and said in a stammer: “…I saw you at the dinner party in the Prime Minister’s official residence. I asked Qingyan who you were, and she told me.”

The explanation was water-tight.

But Huo Shaoheng did not let his guard down. He asked: “Oh? Are you good friends with Dou Qingyan?”

“I was Qingyan’s defense lawyer when I was abroad. I helped her with a lawsuit.” Wen Shouyi gradually calmed down. She looked up at Huo Shaoheng, silently appraising him.

This was the first time she had seen him up close, and she was not quite prepared for it.

Huo Shaoheng was so devastatingly handsome, the sight of his face was enough to send most people into an existential crisis.

She stared at him for a long moment, before averting her gaze. The major general had been handsome enough in his photos, but she had not expected him to be even more beautiful in person…

Huo Shaoheng glanced sideways at Wen Shouyi. He gestured for his men to open the door to He Zhichu’s room.

He Zhichu emerged from the room, his expression stony. He said to Huo Shaoheng: “General Huo, you seem very interested in my a.s.sistant. Why?”

Huo Shaoheng smiled, but did not reply. “Professor He, this way, please.”

He Zhichu snorted. The expression on his face had grown even icier. He pressed his lips together and walked towards the room opposite them.

Just as Huo Shaoheng turned to leave, he caught sight of Wen Shouyi’s face out of the corner of his eye. There was a faint smile on her face.

She was watching He Zhichu’s retreating back with her complete and undivided attention. Beneath her thick bangs, her narrow eyes seemed alive with emotion; her snowy white skin, her round face, her slender eyebrows and her small mouth seemed oddly familiar. Huo Shaoheng was momentarily overcome with a sense of déjà vu.

…

Upon entering the interrogation room, He Zhichu stopped to sweep his gaze over the room, before seating himself at the rectangular table inside. He chose to sit facing the door.

Huo Shaoheng did not enter the interrogation room after him. Instead, he entered the room next to the interrogation room, and seated himself. He crossed his legs and lightly tapped the table before him with a slender finger as he said to Zhao Liangze, who was standing behind him, “Begin the interrogation.”

“Yes, sir.” Zhao Liangze exited the room and entered the interrogation room next door.

Huo Shaoheng took up a leisurely stance as he fixed his gaze upon the window before him; it was actually a sophisticated one-way mirror, disguised as a normal wall on the other side.

He could see everything that was going on in the interrogation room next door, but the occupants in the interrogation room could not see him.

Zhao Liangze walked into the interrogation room, and was instantly met with a frosty look from He Zhichu as the professor looked him over. Zhao Liangze suddenly felt as though their roles had been reversed—who was the suspect being questioned here, exactly?

“I see you’re taking this in stride, Professor He.” Zhao Liangze calmly sat in the chair opposite He Zhichu. He opened the laptop he had brought with him, and began the interrogation. “What is your full name, Professor He? Where are you from? What are you doing in the Huaxia Empire?”

He Zhichu leaned forwards. He said frostily: “Why are you the one interrogating me? Where’s General Huo?”

“General Huo is the commander of this outfit. He has better things to do, obviously.” Zhao Liangze put on his best “I can’t believe you’re too dumb to realize that” look to go with the undisguised condescension in his eyes.