"..."
"...No need." Bai Lin, catching Jin Hu's glance, took a breath and restrained his urge to punch him.
The white dragon phantom slowly circling him shattered into silver particles and dissipated, and the next moment, he vanished from the spot.
"What the—? He just left like that?" Jin Hu was stunned, then jumped up in anger. Just as he was about to turn into a beam of golden light and leave, a red pillar of light suddenly descended from the sky, as if something heavy had crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Jin Hu jumped back quickly. When he looked closely, he saw a huge, red, furry divine turtle phantom flickering in and out of view within the red light pillar.
"Master Gui?" Jin Hu exclaimed in surprise.
A child in a thick red down jacket grinned and waved at him. "Boss Jin, long time no see."
"What brings you here?" Jin Hu couldn't help but feel his temples throbbing.
"Oh, I was worried that Captain Bai, being inexperienced on his first mission with a rookie, might cause you trouble. You know how he is—once he starts fighting, he doesn't hold back. To ease the aftermath work for the Supervision Bureau, I came along," Gui Suishou said with a smile, strolling over to Jin Hu and patting his waist.
"You're family! This is true camaraderie—fighting side by side, creating brilliance together! Old Gui, no more words; I'll remember this." Jin Hu's tiger eyes filled with tears, his voice choked as he bent down to shake Gui Suishou's small hand, his tiger paws trembling slightly.
...
Inside the meeting room, Bai Lin gently placed Huangfu Jun on the liver-red conference table. She lay quietly with her eyes closed.
After a brief check to confirm that most of the snake venom had been cleared, Bai Lin gritted his teeth and poked Huangfu Jun's face.
"..." The unconscious Huangfu Jun naturally made no response.
Bai Lin then pinched her cheeks, squeezing her mouth into a pout like a chick's beak.
"..." Unaware, Huangfu Jun allowed Bai Lin to knead her face as if venting.
After a while, bored, Bai Lin grabbed a white cloth and draped it over Huangfu Jun. When he spread it out, he realized it was a flag with the Supervision Bureau's emblem. Looking around, he found nothing else to cover her, so he let it go, folded his arms, and sat beside her, staring.
Seeing the marks his pinching had left on her cheeks, he guiltily looked away.
A moment later, he looked back, stood up, and pulled the cloth up from her neck to completely cover her face. Satisfied, he nodded and returned to his seat.
His fingers seemed to still feel the soft, delicate texture of her skin. He curled his fingers, took a deep breath, covered his face with his hands, and slowly exhaled.
Jin Hu pushed the door open and saw this scene: Huangfu Jun covered with a white cloth, Bai Lin burying his face in his hands as if crying. He froze in the doorway.
Behind him, Gui Suishou, seeing Jin Hu frozen, was confused. "What's wrong? What do you see?" Leaning to peer through the gap at Jin Hu's waist, he looked.
Both of them had their pupils dilate.
"What the—? Did the intern die?"
"What the—? Did Miss Huangfu die?"
They said in unison.
Gui Suishou snapped out of it, rushed to the conference table in three steps, and yanked the white cloth off, revealing Huangfu Jun with a rosy complexion and steady breathing.
Jin Hu also rushed over.
Bai Lin stood up and gave them a cold, disdainful look as if they were idiots.
"Well, that's awkward... hehehe..." Jin Hu rubbed his bald head and looked away.
"Why did you cover her face? You scared me to death," Gui Suishou complained, patting his chest.
With the Supervision Bureau's flag draped over her, one would think she had sacrificed herself! He almost bowed and offered a wreath, dammit!
Gui Suishou suddenly noticed Huangfu Jun's pale complexion. "Miss Huangfu is poisoned, right?" He pressed his fingers to her wrist to feel her pulse, then looked back at Bai Lin as if in disbelief.
"Yes, she was poisoned by Jiuying. Fortunately, this Jiuying's bloodline was greatly diluted, and its potency is far less than at its peak."
Gui Suishou widened his eyes in surprise. Jiuying? That thing still exists? But even diluted Jiuying venom should not be underestimated. Miss Huangfu's constitution is somewhat special?
He kept switching the angle of his fingers to feel the pulse. Hey, it's beating quite strongly. He couldn't help but marvel.
"Had your fill of feeling?" Bai Lin displeasedly slapped Gui Suishou's hand away, repositioning Huangfu Jun's wrist. After a thought, he curled her hand into a fist and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket.
Gui Suishou watched this series of actions with intrigue, immediately sporting a gossipy expression. He leaned close to Bai Lin, his eyes shining with startling light: "Confess! What exactly is your relationship with Miss Huangfu?"
Behind him, Jin Hu turned his gaze to Huangfu Jun, a glint of inscrutable cunning flashing in his eyes.
Author's note:
I've been hospitalized these past few days without a computer, so the word count is a bit low. Please forgive me.