He originally thought this undercover mission would take a long time to resolve.
He didn't expect it to end so quickly.
However, the price was immense. He had taken a great risk and almost lost his life.
Although Kong Mo was dead and the top executives of Xingzhi Group were all arrested, he still didn't know who the mastermind was. Perhaps Fan Lei had some clues.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked him to return with Bai Jing.
The next day, at the hospital.
Bai Jing had clearly received instructions to recuperate on the spot.
Li Chonglou, who had mostly recovered, sat by the bed, his hand still bandaged. He opened a bottle of water and handed it over.
"How many days do you need?" Bai Jing asked, raising an eyebrow as she took the water.
This guy was truly unexpected, having beaten Kong Mo to death.
She had to admit, he was impressive and hadn't disgraced the Eagles.
This man was truly courageous.
"As long as possible!"
"Well, it takes a hundred days for bones to mend. Three months should be enough, right?" Bai Jing finished the water and extended her fair hand. "What about my reward?"
*Slap!*
Li Chonglou smiled and slapped her hand away. "I risked my life for you, and you still want a reward."
"Stay in the hospital. I'll have my junior nephew come to keep you company."
"I'll pick you up in Zhonghai after I'm done with my business."
"Heartless!" Bai Jing glared at Li Chonglou, a rare sight, and said coquettishly.
The tacit understanding between them was thus established.
After leaving the hospital, Li Chonglou called Qi Yu. Xingzhi Group had been sealed, and she was unemployed again.
However, she still had something to do: helping to look after Bai Jing in the hospital. The two women could also chat.
His senior sister had already passed on the first two layers of the sheepskin scroll mental cultivation method to Qi Yu. With this girl's temperament and comprehension, he expected her to have made some progress by the time he returned to Zhonghai.
"Let's go. Back to Qin Zhou first, then to Chang'an!" Li Chonglou got into the car, a hint of emotion rising in his eyes as he looked out the window.
He hadn't contacted his mother and Jiang Yuxin for such a long time.
He yearned to see them and was impatient.
As for Chang'an, the ancient capital of Chinese civilization, where his father's clues lay, he couldn't afford to delay even a moment.
He had wanted to go with his master, but he learned that his master and the others had already set off for the former site of Qinghai Prefecture to search for clues about Shi Bōqióng.
They were only accompanied by Xu Lie.
Fortunately, Qin Zhou was nearby. He would go back and spend time with his mother first.
As night fell.
Jiang Yuxin sat in the villa's courtyard, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the starry sky. Listening to her parents and mother-in-law chatting and laughing inside, she couldn't feel happy.
After all, she hadn't been able to contact Li Chonglou since receiving his message last time.
Fortunately, Xu Lie had woken up. Entrusting him with the task of finding Li Chonglou in Zhonghai gave her a little peace of mind. Otherwise, she felt like she was living on clouds every day, her heart floating.
"What are you doing? There shouldn't be any danger, right..."
"Why can't you tell me? I can help you too."
After a long while, Jiang Yuxin lowered her head, lightly drawing on a blade of grass by her feet, murmuring to herself.
"Because that's what the organization arranged." The next second, a warm and magnetic voice sounded from outside the iron gate.
Jiang Yuxin's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly looked up.
Her beautiful eyes immediately welled up with tears, and her voice was choked with emotion. "Li Chonglou!"
She had never imagined she would miss her husband so much one day.
Even less did she imagine she would show such a soft side in front of him.
Crying?
It had never happened before.
But now, she couldn't help it.
This man had completely captured her heart.
"Aren't you going to open the door? Do you want me to climb over the wall?" Li Chonglou looked at his wife's appearance, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and said with a smile.
"Com... Coming..." Jiang Yuxin fumbled to open the iron gate of the courtyard.
Immediately, she was pulled into Li Chonglou's embrace.
"You... you've lost so much weight?" Holding Li Chonglou, Jiang Yuxin finally realized he was much thinner than before.
She tenderly touched his bony back, wondering what he had endured during these days.
How much suffering he had gone through.
"It was due to cultivating in seclusion in Yong'an. It had nothing to do with going to Zhonghai," Li Chonglou explained.
"Let's go inside. Mom will be overjoyed to know you're back," Jiang Yuxin quickly lowered her head to hide her most vulnerable side, changing the subject.
"No hurry. Let them enjoy their conversation. There's no need to rush to disturb them," Li Chonglou held her tighter. "Let me feel you more."
His return to Qin Zhou had touched him the most, seeing his mother and parents-in-law chatting and laughing in the living room.
After all this time, the two families had finally dissolved their estrangement and could live together.
Jiang Yuxin's efforts in this were undeniable.
Although it was only the beginning, he believed their relationship would only get better.
The weight on his heart finally felt lifted.
"How long are you going to hold me like this?" Jiang Yuxin's face turned red, her ears burning, and she whispered softly.
"Forever!" Li Chonglou said without any self-consciousness.
Back then, the Jiang family couldn't wait to eat his flesh and drink his blood, yet he still kept Jiang Yuxin in his heart and helped her. Why?
It was for today.
For himself, and even more so for his mother.
He was never a saint, but some things were acceptable, and some were not. He understood the distinction between right and wrong.
If it were some foolish person, they would have long since turned their back on Jiang Yuxin.
Did such narrow-minded and petty people deserve a harmonious marriage?
Could a man who couldn't even tolerate his own wife be called a man?
Heh...
Li Chonglou couldn't help but feel fortunate that his life experiences had long since made him less narrow-minded.
Finally, Jiang Yuxin broke free from his embrace, her face flushed, and glanced at the floor-to-ceiling window of the living room.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Mom has been asking me when you'll be back these days. I'm almost at my wit's end. Hurry up and go talk to her," Jiang Yuxin whispered, reminding him.
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou, despite his reluctance to let go of the fragrant embrace, had no choice.
He hadn't seen his mother for many days and was still wondering how to comfort her.
So, he quickly returned to the car, took out the gifts he had bought along the way, and entered the house with Jiang Yuxin.
All three of them noticed Li Chonglou entering the house at the same time.
Liu Zhiru was the first to react, getting up and greeting him exuberantly. "Oh my, son-in-law, you're finally back!"
"Why did your business trip take so long? You must have signed some big contract!"
"Chonglou is becoming more and more accomplished..."
At this moment, in her eyes, Li Chonglou was no longer just a son-in-law living off his wife, but a genuine cash cow.
The Jiang family had fallen, but she still lived a life of luxury, even better than before.
It made her envious relatives look at her with renewed respect, their mouths watering.
This was all thanks to Li Chonglou.
Looking at him not just for his status but for his wealth, how dare she look down on Li Chonglou now?
Jiang Hongyi, seeing his wife's practicality, showed a hint of embarrassment and apology.
"Mom, these are for you and Dad," Li Chonglou handed the gifts to his mother-in-law, not wanting to prolong the conversation with her, and immediately walked up to his mother.
Liu Zhiru looked at the various expensive cosmetics worth tens of thousands of yuan in her hand and beamed.
Jiang Hongyi quickly pulled her. "Let's go upstairs. Chonglou just got back, give the mother and son some space."
"Then you two chat. Sister-in-law, have a good chat." Liu Zhiru was overjoyed.
Jiang Yuxin's face burned with embarrassment.
Her mother was too embarrassing.
"Son, why have you lost so much weight?" Zheng Xiumei held Li Chonglou's hand, her eyes moist, and the other hand stroked his face, her voice trembling with concern.
She didn't care if her son had money or was successful.
What she cared about was whether her son could eat enough three meals a day and if he was safe and happy.
Seeing Li Chonglou, who had lost a lot of weight, instantly pierced her heart like a knife.
"Mom... I didn't suffer. I just ate less. I'll gain it back in a while," Li Chonglou quickly comforted her.
Seeing the tears welling up in his mother's eyes, his chest felt tight.
Before returning, he had countless words to say, but now he couldn't utter a single one.
Everything was left unspoken.
As for his father's matter, he definitely couldn't ask about it.
If she worried so much about him losing a little weight, she would likely faint if she knew his father might still be alive.
Jiang Yuxin, with her keen intuition, saw the situation and quickly changed the subject, chatting about pleasant things with her.
She asked about the situation in Zhonghai.
Li Chonglou, of course, seized the opportunity to divert his mother's attention.
He said, "The matter in Zhonghai was handled very successfully. It's estimated that I'll earn a large sum. However, they want me to go again to further refine the cooperation."
"It will be two to three months at the latest, or ten days at the earliest."
"Mom, I know you're worried about me, but your son has grown up. It's time for me to venture out into the world."
"Only if you take good care of your health can I work hard outside with peace of mind."
Zheng Xiumei nodded vigorously, wanting to say something but unable to.
"You just got back and you're leaving again?" Jiang Yuxin also sensed something was amiss.
She thought that with Li Chonglou's return this time, he wouldn't have to leave again. It was also time for the live appraisal platform they were developing with Chen Hao to officially launch.
With him as the leader, the path forward would be much smoother.
Who knew that after just a few words, he would be leaving again?
"I have something very important to do. You understand," Li Chonglou winked at Jiang Yuxin desperately.
The latter understood his intention and pretended to understand, temporarily giving up her questioning.
She knew there must be something that couldn't be told to her mother-in-law.
As night fell, Li Chonglou personally boiled a kettle of water, massaged his mother's feet, and served her to bed.
After doing this, he washed up and returned to the master bedroom with Jiang Yuxin.
"Let's sleep. I didn't know you were coming back today, so I haven't changed the quilt," Jiang Yuxin took a pillow from the cabinet and threw it at Li Chonglou's face, a blush flashing across her face afterward.
Full of shyness.
Li Chonglou looked at her current demeanor and thought of the icy beauty she used to be, feeling a surge of emotion.
Women, if you enter their hearts, they can become gentle as sheep.
If you can't enter their hearts, they are an ice wall.
And he was already impatient to melt this ice wall and then peel this sheep.
With a powerful pounce, he grabbed the beauty and rolled onto the bed.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Yuxin's voice was almost dripping with water.
"Doing what I should be doing but haven't done yet!" Li Chonglou's body was burning, like a small sun.
Instantly, he melted Jiang Yuxin completely.
That night, the two souls separated by distance finally merged into one.
Late at night, Li Chonglou embraced his wife, whose hair was disheveled and her face flushed, his mind filled with endless possibilities.
If they had a son, he would teach him martial arts to strengthen his physique!
If they had a daughter, he would teach her appraisal skills to sharpen her vision and calm her mind!
He had a premonition that this journey to find his father might be fraught with difficulties, and he had to leave something for the Li family and for Jiang Yuxin.
Children were the best gifts.
Perhaps this thought was a bit selfish, but he had no choice.
"Let's go..." Only now did the two old people eavesdropping outside reluctantly return to their own room.