Jing Lei: "Since he's still Hua Zi, won't our enemies immediately recognize his true identity? Tomorrow, there's an important meeting. There will be about five or six attendees. Besides Brother Hui and his brother, everyone else is our sworn enemy. Tell me, if any one of them suspects Hua Zi's appearance, what do you think the outcome would be?"
Lan Ya seemed to understand a little, but she was still hazy and hadn't fully grasped it.
Jing Lei: "The elder, to prevent them from recognizing Sheng Hao as Li Hua at the venue, devised this stratagem of self-inflicted injury. He was attacked in front of Principal Sun, and then the elder used special techniques to create this effect. It can be said that his appearance is now beyond recognition. Do you think they would still associate him with Li Hua?"
Lan Ya suddenly realized, and quickly ran over to touch my face. Jing Lei hurriedly said, "Don't touch, it hasn't set properly yet." Dafeng Novel Network
Lan Ya withdrew her hand and said, "The elder is too amazing. Anyone who sees this would believe it."
Elder: "I'm not amazing, it's a simple matter. I'll teach you, and you'll be able to do it too."
Lan Ya: "The elder is very modest. This is far from simple. I estimate that without decades of skill, this cannot be accomplished."
As we were talking, Wen Siqiang pushed the door open and came in. He rushed to me and said, "The people watching the hotel just said that Brother Hui and his group have left. Principal Sun and Chen Liben from the other side went out with them."
I said, "Okay, let's hurry back while they are gone."
Qian Fugui came to support me. I dared not make any big movements, fearing that I would deform the material stuck to my face.
Jing Lei came to me and said, "Don't do anything when we get back. Just rest well, there's a lot waiting for you tomorrow."
Then she handed the medicine Wen Siqiang retrieved to Qian Fugui, telling him to make sure I took it.
We still walked through the staff passage, not the main entrance.
Jing Lei and Lan Ya sent us to the door. I told them to go back to their rooms. Tomorrow, everything would return to normal. We could discuss our own matters after this situation was resolved.
Being Sheng Hao is truly exhausting. It's like being one person but having to pretend to be two, and being surrounded by people who know me well, especially my opponents like Principal Sun, the Young Master, and Chen Liben. They aren't fools; even the slowest among them could see through me.
Fortunately, the elder altered my appearance. But this isn't a movie where time can be manipulated to allow one person to play two roles simultaneously. I am a real individual; no matter how my appearance is altered or disguised, it's still just me.
It's either Li Hua or Sheng Hao.
There's always been a knot in my heart, and that's Xie Nana.
Frankly, I can't let her go anymore. As the time for the truth to be revealed draws nearer, the more distressed I become.
Is there a perfect solution, at least one that would lessen her pain when she learns the truth?
Whether she will still love me doesn't matter, because Sheng Hao is an imaginary character. If I revert to being the unrestrained Li Hua, she probably wouldn't even spare me a glance.
In the car, the elder and I rehearsed tomorrow's procedure again, scrutinizing every detail until we were satisfied before proceeding to the next step.
After going through it, the car stopped at the entrance of the hotel lobby.
Wen Siqiang prepared a hat, sunglasses, and a mask for me, so I wouldn't look so frightening.
As we walked in, many people still cast sideways glances.
I walked with my head down, ignoring their gazes.
Back in the room, as expected, Xie Nana was startled.
She hurried over to ask me what was wrong. I said it was nothing, I just fell downstairs and would be fine after resting for a while.
Tears welled up in Xie Nana's eyes. She asked how I could be so careless and fall so badly.
I said it was nothing, just superficial wounds, and it would be fine once the swelling went down.
I asked her to sit on the sofa and said I wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
I said, "Nana, we've been dating for so many days. Tell me, what are your thoughts about me, and about our future?"
Nana: "You already know my thoughts about you, don't you? Asking like this. As for our future, let's leave it to time. I think it's best to let things happen naturally. We are both young people with higher education. We don't need to get bogged down by notions of social status or parental approval. If one day, the passion between us fades, let's both take a step back, let each other go, and walk our separate ways."
I said, "What you said is so poignant, but it's the truth. If we don't love each other anymore, we let go. We won't entangle or hurt each other anymore."
Xie Nana nestled in my arms and nodded solemnly.
I continued, "If one day I change, if I'm not like this today, if I become unrefined, no longer disciplined, like a street hoodlum, would you still like me as you do now?"
Xie Nana: "Aren't you fine now? Why would you want to become like that?"
I said, "I'm just using it as a metaphor. Honestly, if I were to become like that, even I couldn't accept myself."
Xie Nana: "I didn't say I wouldn't like you. As long as it's you, I don't care what you become. Even if you turn into a bandit, I'd still like you the same."
My heart skipped a beat. It seems Xie Nana loves me deeply. If I were to suddenly change my identity or Sheng Hao were to disappear, it would be a heavy blow to her.
My heart sank again. She can accept me becoming a bad person, but she might not accept me no longer being me, or no longer being Sheng Hao.
I said, "I'll remember your words. I promise not to become like that and won't make you worry about me."
Xie Nana: "What I said is from the heart. I love you. No matter what you become, as long as the love is still there, I will continue to love you wholeheartedly as always."
I couldn't go any deeper, or she might become suspicious.
I embraced her, and she buried her head in my chest, enjoying this affection.
I said, "Are you hungry? I'll ask Qian Fugui to buy you something to eat. In my current state, I probably can't eat much, so he can just bring some milk."
Xie Nana: "I don't feel like eating either. Girls worry about getting fat. I'll just have some milk too."
I called Qian Fugui and asked him to bring a few boxes of milk up.
Before long, Qian Fugui came in with a tray. There was not only milk but also bread and boiled eggs.
I said, "Come, let's eat something, then get a good night's sleep. I have a meeting to organize tomorrow and need to be full of energy."
Xie Nana nodded, opened a carton of milk, handed it to me, and then took one for herself.