"Be careful," Bai Cha said with a smile, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.
Time changes many things, it changes people's attitudes towards her, makes trust fragile, and turns companions into enemies. But it also allows some people to remain the same, to keep their original intentions unchanged, like this new recruit.
Just now, when she said she still knew him, the light in the recruit's eyes was the same as when he saw her leap from the dragon and stand on the city wall that day.
It was that same look that attracted her then. Surprise, anticipation, mingled with admiration and excitement, gave her a rare impression of a young man.
"Miss Bai, Miss Bai, you, you are my idol," Xiao Zhang stammered, his neck turning red as if he were too excited. Bai Cha could see it. "You are so amazing, I've always wanted to be like you."
"Like me?" Bai Cha smiled strangely. "Even with handcuffs on and locked in a military vehicle?"
"No, no!" Xiao Zhang quickly refuted in a panic. "Miss Bai, Miss Bai is amazing... It must be a misunderstanding, someone framed you."
In fact, there were some things Bai Cha didn't know.
She was this recruit's ideal, even his belief.
At first, Xiao Zhang didn't want to be a soldier. He just wanted to do two years of compulsory service and then help his family with their work. His family was poor, and they had already found a woman similar to him to introduce him to upon his return. His life was destined to be ordinary, and he felt he wouldn't achieve much.
But that night, Bai Cha's appearance changed his mind. For the first time, he experienced what it was like to be filled with burning passion. That day, he specifically inquired about Bai Cha and discovered that she was still a minor.
So young and so amazing? If he worked really, really hard, would he be able to see this girl again? Perhaps by then, the girl would have grown up, or perhaps the girl wouldn't remember him at all.
Xiao Zhang stayed in the barracks. Every time he felt like giving up, he would recall Bai Cha's figure.
The elf of the night, the moth drawn to the flame. The dragon was so huge and terrifying, yet the swallowtail butterfly was calm and composed, dancing gracefully above the ugly dragon. She stood on the city wall with her hair flying, proud and uninhibited.
When would he see her again, beyond the screen?
She was too stunning, stunning his entire life.
The princess defeated the dragon and then quietly departed, without celebration or applause, like a shadow. Every time he thought of it, he felt admiration, and it became his goal.
After that day, Xiao Zhang suddenly realized that his mind seemed to work quite well. With effort, he could pass all his exams like everyone else. With even more effort, he managed to consistently rank among the top in the military.
Xiao Zhang clearly remembered the look of undisguised surprise on Old Li's face when he returned from another military camp to visit him after a night training session.
"Xiao Zhang, didn't you say you were only serving two years and then going back? Why are you even training late?" Old Li, who held a small official position, was a bit excited when he saw Xiao Zhang. "Not bad, you're ranking among the top now. Why have you started working so hard? Did the salted fish turn over and awaken?"
Xiao Zhang smiled shyly at the time. He was embarrassed to say that he was working hard just to see Bai Cha again. Let alone others, even he thought it was a fantasy, facing the gap between a genius and an ordinary person.
But even so, his efforts paid off. His hard work and abilities were recognized by his superiors, and he rose steadily. Although it was his own effort, Xiao Zhang never forgot the girl who had inspired him and made him better.
Even if it might have been just an unintentional act by someone else, Xiao Zhang was still very grateful.
All the way, Xiao Zhang tried his best to drive smoothly, avoiding small bumps and taking the flatter roads. The young lady beside him was breathtakingly beautiful, and Xiao Zhang just wanted to drive more steadily so that the young lady could rest more.
"We're almost there, Miss Bai." In five minutes, Xiao Zhang woke Bai Cha. Bai Cha hadn't actually rested; she had just closed her eyes to think. Hearing Xiao Zhang, she opened her eyes.
"Xiao Zhang, right?" Bai Cha sat up, her expression becoming slightly serious. "Find an excuse to leave in a moment. Don't get involved. Go find Gong Yuechen and tell him I sent you. He'll know what to do."
Xiao Zhang was stunned and quickly agreed, "Okay."
"If there's someone you trust, you can bring them along, but don't bring too many," Bai Cha said casually. "After all, one doesn't have that many true confidants in life."
"Yes, I understand," Xiao Zhang nodded. Kuaishu Ge
Although he didn't know what was about to happen, Xiao Zhang vaguely guessed that Bai Cha was looking out for him.
He was just a rookie soldier, far from having any say. Getting involved now would only make him a pawn, at anyone's mercy.
Thinking of this, Xiao Zhang's gratitude towards Bai Cha increased even more.
On the interrogation table.
Bai Cha lazily leaned back on the small leather sofa, leisurely scrolling through her phone.
The interrogators in front of her exchanged glances, not daring to neglect this esteemed guest, nor did anyone dare to stop Bai Cha's leisurely demeanor. The important people who brought Bai Cha here said nothing further.
If they were to make things difficult for her, they would need the courage, and even if they had the courage, they would need the ability. This young girl's aura was too powerful; the interrogators' hearts were weeping, on the verge of kneeling and kowtowing.
"Has the boss arrived? Go and inform them again," Bai Cha leaned back in her chair and kicked the table. "Tell them if they don't come soon, I'll tear this place down."
The interrogators kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.
When others said they would tear the place down, it usually meant some smashing and breaking. But when Miss Bai said she would tear this place down, it meant it literally, leaving not a single stone or brick.
This had a precedent. Years ago, someone had tried to frame Bai Cha, and at that time, Bai Cha had indeed dismantled an interrogation room into a pile of rubble. What's more, she had dismantled it neatly, placing the parts in an orderly fashion.
Steel plates were placed with steel plates, glass with glass, screws with screws...
By the time the boss, accompanied by others, rushed over to persuade her to calm down, Bai Cha was already dismantling the last piece of equipment in the interrogation room, the most expensive one. The surrounding parts were neatly stacked into small piles, indicating someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder at work.
"I'm here."
A calm and composed figure, exuding righteousness, Bai Cha let out a soft hum, not even turning her head. The interrogators, as if granted a great pardon, bowed to the boss and fled in disarray.
The interrogation room was very quiet. The boss, accompanied by Gong Yuechen and a person of considerable status named Qian Jiang, arrived. The scene of this interrogation was truly grand, showing her immense respect, Bai Cha thought sarcastically.
"What are you waiting for? Speak," Bai Cha raised her hand, displaying the shiny silver handcuffs on her wrists to the three of them. "Are they pretty? Pure silver."
Gong Yuechen's expression twitched, and he awkwardly stood up, clearing his throat twice. "Uh, well, let me unlock them for you..."
"No need, what's there to unlock? Keep them on!" Bai Cha kicked the table again, shifting the solid, heavy, old wooden table, forcing Gong Yuechen to sit down.
"Why unlock them? Give me an explanation first. Is it betrayal, or undermining from beneath, or burning the bridge after crossing it, or good deeds go unrewarded?" Bai Cha was truly enraged this time. Her eyes were calm, and her face showed no anger, yet the three of them saw a storm brewing in Bai Cha's eyes.
"A spy? Unclear dealings with the Evil Dragon? Do you know what you've tacitly agreed to?" Bai Cha coldly raised her chin. "I gave you so much information. Since the laboratory incident, I've found plenty of evidence of the Light Faction colluding with those people to raise Evil Dragons. So now, I've dug my own grave, haven't I? You locked up the evidence, and now you're pointing fingers at me."
"Uh, no, it's not like that. Um... Bai Cha, you also know that it's difficult to move against them right now," Gong Yuechen said awkwardly, scratching his head to smooth things over. "They are currently gaining international fame, and several of their inventions have world-defining significance..."
"So I'm a sacrifice," Bai Cha cut off Gong Yuechen with a single sentence. "So the world where only I get hurt is achieved. I'm the most ridiculously wronged person."
"Just a heads-up, I have backups of the evidence, and I'm also monitored. Although not at all times, I have recordings of everything," Bai Cha licked her small canine teeth, her demeanor somewhat devilish. "You don't actually think that by tacitly agreeing with them, they'll win, do you?"
"No, no, no, Bai Cha, you've misunderstood. How could we tacitly agree? We don't know what those people are doing either," Gong Yuechen felt bitter in his heart and cursed all those scoundrels in the neutral faction in his mind, apologizing to Bai Cha. "This was our oversight. We didn't receive any news. You know how busy we are every day."
Thinking of this, Gong Yuechen really wanted to drain all the water from the brainstems of those people. What good was offending Bai Cha? And if you're going to offend, at least face her yourself!
Now look, they stirred up the trouble and left, and now they have to clean up the mess. How can they do this?
As Bai Cha's direct superior, the one she scolded the most fiercely, Gong Yuechen truly wanted to bang his head against a wall. He genuinely couldn't understand the thought process of his idiotic colleagues. Just dealing with their aftermath and pacifying Bai Cha's anger had almost worn Gong Yuechen out.
"So, your neutral faction has split, hasn't it?" Bai Cha crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "The neutral faction is now divided into the Light Neutral Faction and the Shadow Neutral Faction, isn't that right?"
"Uh..." Gong Yuechen stiffened and glanced at the boss. His palms were already sweating. He hadn't expected Bai Cha to be so bold.
"To repel foreign enemies, one must first pacify internal strife. Do I, someone under twenty, have to teach you this basic principle? Have you been eating for decades for nothing?" Bai Cha was furious. She began to scold relentlessly. "I protected you so that you could be well-behaved and govern the country. Now you've been spoiled by me, haven't you? Kicked your mother after drinking her milk?"
"You say I'm not giving you face in front of so many people from the country. Did you give me face when you handcuffed me? Your face is face, and I have to go along with you?" As if deflating, Bai Cha kicked the table again. "You really are capable. Gong Yuechen, did your father get involved too?"
"Ah? Me, my dad?" Gong Yuechen looked completely bewildered. His confused gaze almost made Bai Cha want to stand up and hit him.
"My dad arrested me, and you didn't know!?" Bai Cha's anger flared.
The boss: "Who? Gong Tingjian arrested you?"
Gong Yuechen: "What? My dad arrested you?"
Qian Jiang: "Ah? Our people arrested you?"
The three of them spoke in unison, which made Bai Cha laugh with anger.
The interrogation room fell into an awkward silence.
"Why did you change the system?" Qian Jiang awkwardly changed the subject. "The systems for the neutral faction and the shadow faction are linked, allowing us to access and synchronize information at any time. When we were reviewing the data this time, we found that the systems were no longer connected. Did you encrypt them?"
"Is there a problem?" Bai Cha raised an eyebrow.
The three of them were silent.
There was no problem. How could there be a problem?