Su Xiang stopped Xiao Xun at the door of an office. "Wait a moment, I'm going in to make a call."
Xiao Xun obediently stopped. Peeking through the office window, he saw Su Xiang pick up a red telephone, holding the receiver in his right hand and twirling the phone cord with his left index finger, biting his lower lip.
"Xiao Xun..."
Hearing his name called, Xiao Xun turned to see an unfamiliar young woman.
"It really is you!"
The girl walked over. Xiao Xun looked her up and down, this woman in a white coat and goggles. "Do we know each other?"
"I've seen you. You might not remember me. I'm your girlfriend Chu Ningxiang's best friend."
Upon hearing Chu Ningxiang's name, Xiao Xun's face immediately turned cold. "She was never my girlfriend."
"Still sulking?"
Just then, the office door opened, and Su Xiang stood at the threshold. "Got nothing better to do?"
The woman immediately lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry," before quickly leaving the scene.
Su Xiang led Xiao Xun into a design studio. "Can you do computer drafting?"
"I've studied it, it should be fine."
"Brother, it's not just 'should be.' I've already made the call. If you can't do it, we're finished."
Xiao Xun patted Su Xiang's shoulder. "Brother Xiang, relax. Am I that unreliable?"
"I didn't know before, but I can't say for sure now. Tell me what you need quickly. All the armories in the country are stopped, waiting for your blueprints."
Xiao Xun looked at Su Xiang in surprise. "Such a grand arrangement?"
"So, hurry up, okay?"
Su Xiang was sweating. He was only supposed to attend a routine meeting today and never speak, but unexpectedly he was embroiled in this. He regretted calling Xiao Xun in. He had intended to show off and give Xiao Xun a glimpse of something impressive, but it turned into a spectacle.
Xiao Xun was busy drawing, while Su Xiang gnawed on his thumbnail and paced back and forth.
"Brother Xiang, stop pacing. I'm hungry. Can you get me something to eat!"
Su Xiang was about to lose it. "What time is it? You're still thinking about food? The meteor is almost here."
"Even if we're going to die, we should at least be well-fed ghosts!"
"Fine, eat. I'll get it for you."
After the food was brought, Xiao Xun ate while drawing. Su Xiang was so anxious he wished he could feed him himself.
Now, as soon as a drawing was finished, it was faxed away. Then, based on the materials sent from abroad, they would see which armory could produce it. If none could, they would urgently contact foreign countries to procure machines and production equipment. Knowing the seriousness of the situation, other countries dared not delay.
Xiao Xun sped up his work. The key blueprints also needed proportions marked, which was more troublesome. Xiao Xun tried hard to recall the schematic of the particle laser cannon and drew it on the computer.
Finally, after five hours, all the blueprints were completed.
He stretched and flexed his finger joints.
Su Xiang asked Xiao Xun, "Where did you get these blueprints? I've never seen them at 'Deep Sea'."
"I never said I found them at Deep Sea!"
Su Xiang's face broke into a smile. "You're still holding back?"
"Alright, it's getting late. I should go home."
Su Xiang panicked. "With all this happening, why are you in a hurry to go home?"
"I can't stay here all day! I didn't tell anyone where I was going. It's getting late, my wife will be worried."
"Heh! You're completely controlled by women your whole life. I knew your cousin was formidable, but I didn't expect your wife to be even more so. Alright, since you're so eager to leave, I won't keep you. But you must come early tomorrow!"
"No problem."
When he returned to the villa district, it was almost midnight. Upon arriving, he saw a large crowd of fire trucks, police cars, and news vans gathered at the entrance.
Xiao Xun got out of the car and asked a security guard curiously, "Whose house is on fire?"
The security guard's eyes lit up upon seeing Xiao Xun. "Mr. Xiao, you're back."
Xiao Xun's heart sank. "What happened?"
"Your house caught fire. The blaze was so intense, no matter how much they fought it, it wouldn't go out. Once they finally put it out, nothing was left."
Hearing this, Xiao Xun immediately rushed forward. The security guard, fearing an incident, quickly followed.
Indeed, the first villa was reduced to ruins. Firefighters were still at the scene, and a crowd had gathered to watch.
Xiao Xun approached a firefighter. "What happened?"
"Who are you?"
The security guard explained to the firefighter, "This is the owner of this villa."
The firefighter looked Xiao Xun up and down and said, "The house caught fire. The flames were extremely fierce. The cause of the fire is still under investigation."
Xiao Xun anxiously asked, "Were there any casualties?"
"None found yet, but with a fire this big, if someone was inside, the chances of survival would be very low."
Xiao Xun rushed towards the ruins, shouting, "Wife, wife..."
Firefighters and security guards quickly grabbed him. "It's too dangerous inside, don't go in."
"My wife is still in there."
"Our firefighters have already entered the fire scene."
Then, they signaled the security guards to hold Xiao Xun back.
Xiao Xun's legs gave out, and he collapsed on the ground. "How could this happen..."
When the fire was completely extinguished, a firefighter emerged and reported to the captain. "Everything inside has burned down, including the basement. The cause of the fire could not be determined."
The captain asked the question Xiao Xun most wanted answered. "Were there any casualties?"
The firefighter whispered, "With a fire this large, if someone was truly inside, they'd likely be reduced to ashes."
At this point, the police arrived and took Xiao Xun away.
Back at the police station, Xiao Xun refused to answer any questions, only muttering, "Wife, my wife..."
Then, a lawyer arrived and took Xiao Xun away.
Xiao Xun asked the lawyer, "Where are you taking me?"
The lawyer adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "You'll know when we get there."
The car drove into the city and stopped in front of a luxurious hotel.
The lawyer led Xiao Xun into a room. When the door opened, Sister Mei was already sitting inside. It was evident she was also very nervous.
Seeing Xiao Xun enter, she stood up excitedly. "Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Xun frantically grabbed Sister Mei. "Sister Mei, what happened? Where is President Mu? Where is my wife?"
The lawyer grabbed Xiao Xun's arm. "Mr. Xiao, please calm down."
Xiao Xun roared at the lawyer, "My wife is gone, how can I not be agitated?"
At this moment, Sister Mei took out a sealed letter from her inner pocket and handed it to Xiao Xun. "President Mu asked me to give this to you."
Xiao Xun eagerly tore open the seal. Inside was Mu Jiahe's handwriting, but the script was not in their native language, but another language, akin to foreign script, possibly to prevent others from reading its contents:
My dearest, you may be angry or surprised when you read this letter, but I hope you will be happy. You do not belong to that world. Please think of me as a dream, okay? Let the people from our world bear what happened there. I know you mean well for me, and I love you very much. I am so happy to have been your wife in this life.
If there is a next life, I hope we are in the same world, and I am willing to be with you again. Will you marry me again then, okay?
I am the Empress of Saint Luoman. I have my responsibilities. If you must hate, then hate me. I truly cannot bear for you to face it with me. I hope you will live well, and live for me as well.
Finally, I want to say: Husband, I love you.