Su Wan tiptoed out of bed and walked into the living room, where the faint moonlight filtering through the window revealed Lu Shiyan's tightly closed door.
He probably wasn't asleep yet; she thought she heard a slight movement inside.
It's best to strike while the iron is hot when doing ideological work.
Su Wan braced herself, walked to Lu Shiyan's door, raised her hand, then lowered it.
Knock directly?
What excuse?
She couldn't just righteously say, "This old lady knows there's military ordnance there; if you don't take me, you'll come back empty-handed"?
That would be too exposing.
A flash of inspiration struck her mind.
Got it!
Just as she was about to knock, she heard, "Not coming in yet?"
The door opened.
Lu Shiyan was wearing a simple black T-shirt and long pants, his short hair still damp, clearly having just finished washing up.
"Something wrong?" His voice was steady, betraying no emotion.
"I..."
He rested one hand casually on the doorknob, the other casually in his pocket, leaning against the doorframe with a tall posture, his gaze calmly fixed on her.
Water droplets rolled down his dark hair, across his sharply defined profile, disappearing into the slightly open collar of his T-shirt.
Su Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly averted her gaze from his neck.
Beauty is deceiving, beauty is deceiving!
Boss, I need your body... Ah, no, I need you to take me to get military ordnance!
Su Wan's tongue tied, "I... I can't sleep."
Lu Shiyan raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by the answer, and didn't respond, just watching her, waiting for her to continue.
The moonlight outlined his clear jawline, and the night added an inexplicable sense of oppression to him.
Su Wan bit the bullet and continued, "I'm thinking about tomorrow's mission."
"Mm." Lu Shiyan responded, still showing no reaction.
This conversation couldn't go on!
Su Wan was a little frustrated. Was this guy a block of wood? Couldn't he actively ask her what she wanted to say?
She gritted her teeth and decided to get straight to the point: "I think I should still go with you."
Lu Shiyan looked at her, his expression unchanged: "Reason."
"I... I seem to have some impression of that abandoned factory." She spoke cautiously, trying not to appear too deliberate.
Lu Shiyan raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little interested.
"Impression?"
Lu Shiyan was wearing a simple T-shirt and long pants, his hair still slightly damp, clearly having just washed up.
He leaned against the doorframe, his eyes questioning, "Something wrong?"
Su Wan forced out a worried and somewhat eager expression, lowering her voice: "Lu Shiyan, I... I remembered something, it's very important!"
Lu Shiyan raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.
"That South District Abandoned Factory," Su Wan leaned in closer, her voice even lower, as if revealing top-secret information, "My dad... my dad mentioned it to me before!"
Lu Shiyan's expression remained unchanged; he just watched her quietly.
Su Wan felt a bit guilty under his gaze, but with the arrow already on the string, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue fabricating: "My dad accidentally mentioned that the factory used to be a temporary military supply transfer point, and there might... there might be a batch of military ordnance hidden inside that didn't get transported away!"
As she spoke, she nervously observed Lu Shiyan's reaction.
To increase credibility, she deliberately emphasized the words "military ordnance" and widened her eyes, trying to appear as if the "matter was significant and not to be taken lightly."
Lu Shiyan was silent, his gaze sweeping over her face, as if evaluating the truthfulness of her words.
Please, believe it!
This was the most reasonable excuse she could think of!
After a few seconds, Lu Shiyan slowly spoke, his voice emotionless: "Your father told you?"
"Yes! Absolutely true!" Su Wan nodded vigorously, almost breaking her neck. "At the time, I didn't pay attention, but just now, lying in bed, I thought about it, and the mission location just happens to be the South District Abandoned Factory. This... this is just too coincidental! I felt I had to tell you!"
She had an expression that said, "I've worried myself sick for the team."
Lu Shiyan looked at her, the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly, but quickly returned to calm.
"Military ordnance?" He repeated, his voice trailing upward slightly.
"Mm-hmm!" Su Wan nodded vigorously again.
"So?" Lu Shiyan interrupted her. His gaze lingered for a moment on her flat stomach.
Su Wan: "..."
She immediately reined in her movements and put on a pitiful yet incredibly determined expression: "I know I'm pregnant, but I promise I absolutely won't run around. I'll just follow behind you all and definitely won't be a burden! Please, okay?"
She even added a slight wheedling nasal tone, almost giving herself goosebumps.
Lu Shiyan said nothing, just looked at her, his gaze complex and unreadable.
"Do you think I would put you in danger just to be a mobile warehouse?"
Su Wan: "..."
Why did that sound so awkward? But...
He didn't kill her back then precisely because of her mobile warehouse, didn't he?
What did he mean now...?
He sighed, "You must stick close to me the whole time. Go back to sleep, get some good rest. I'll call you in the morning."
The man dropped another sentence, his tone flat and unruffled.
"If you can't get up, stay behind."
As his words fell, with a soft "bang," the door closed in front of her, cutting off his figure.
Su Wan: "..."
He agreed! He agreed!
As dawn broke, Su Wan groggily opened her eyes, then snapped awake after a few seconds of confusion. She grabbed the watch from her bedside table—5:00 AM. She tossed and turned in bed for ten minutes before settling down, closing her eyes in a feigned sleep. At 6:00, she heard the knock on her bedroom door right on time.
She sprang up like an arrow, and Xiao Han stood outside the door.
"Tsk, look at that spirit." Xiao Han pouted. When Xiao Han knocked on the door, he could add a teasing remark, "Little pregnant woman, the sun's already high; if you don't get up, the military ordnance will grow legs and run away!"
"Lu Da Shao said you have 10 minutes, by the way."
"Ten minutes?" Su Wan's eyes widened.
"Nine minutes and fifty seconds left."
Su Wan slammed the door shut, quickly changed her clothes, casually wiped her face, and hastily washed up. Eight minutes later, she rushed into the living room in a flurry.
Lu Shiyan and A Mo were already waiting there.
"You're here." Lu Shiyan gave her a faint glance, then turned, "Let's go."
The sun had just risen, and the streets of the base were not crowded. They drove unimpeded to the South Gate. The sleepy soldiers guarding the gate checked their mission papers and waved them through.
Su Wan sat in the back seat, eating, eating, eating. She felt her appetite had grown again recently.
"The South District Abandoned Factory is very close, a three-hour drive." Xiao Han, sitting in the driver's seat, said, "Lu Da Shao, what made you decide to let the little pregnant woman come along?"
Lu Shiyan glanced at Su Wan, who was sitting in the back, and said faintly, "I have my reasons."
"Hey, you two are being so secretive!" Xiao Han smiled slyly, "Could it be that last night—"
Lu Shiyan's gaze turned cold, and Xiao Han immediately shut up.
The scenery outside the window became desolate, and finally, the outline of a massive, rust-stained factory building appeared on the horizon.