Gu Pan's words hit the silence like a stone, and the air in the room instantly grew heavier.
She looked at Gu Jin's taut profile, her Adam's apple bobbed, and finally, she let out a soft sigh, her voice dropping even lower: "Xiao Jin, forgive me for not being able to say more. I can't tell you the specific details about our enemies right now—the more you know, the more dangerous it will be for you."
Gu Jin lowered his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the hem of his clothes. After a long while, he looked up, his gaze devoid of its previous agitation, replaced by a near-calm detachment: "Officer Gu, I don't care about these matters."
The three words "Officer Gu" pricked Gu Pan's heart like fine needles. She clenched her hands abruptly, the pain in her eyes almost impossible to hide.
She knew that behind this address lay the thorn of a decade of estrangement, his unspoken resentment.
But Gu Jin didn't notice her reaction and continued, his tone so flat it was as if he were talking about someone else's affairs: "I have my own life in Japan now. I train and play basketball every day. It's ordinary, but stable. I just want to finish the upcoming matches well, live my own life, and not get involved in these things."
He spoke from the heart, but also hid an unspoken thought—the moment he heard "the Gu family is targeted by enemies," his heart had already skipped a beat.
He wasn't stupid; he knew that his aunt's appearance at this time wasn't just for a family reunion. The situation must have been so critical that they had no choice but to lay everything bare.
He deliberately feigned indifference, deliberately used "Officer Gu" to create distance, simply to reassure them, to let them know that he wouldn't be a burden.
His resentment was real, but his understanding of their difficulties was also real.
His parents and aunt chose this path for justice. He had no right to resent them, and even less right to cause trouble.
Perhaps, maintaining "indifference" was the only help he could offer right now.
Gu Pan looked at his feigned calm, her eyes welling up slightly, but she didn't argue further. She simply turned and walked back to the desk, opened the bottom drawer, and took out a dark brown passbook, gently pushing it towards Gu Jin: "This was left by your parents. Before they left, they deposited a sum of money into it every month, saying they would give it to you when you grew up and could be independent."
Gu Jin's gaze fell on the passbook. The cover was a bit worn, and the date printed on it was exactly one month before his parents 'abandoned him' over a decade ago.
He reached out and took it, his fingertips trembling slightly as they touched the hard cover.
Opening the flyleaf, neatly listed inside were deposit and withdrawal records, until six months ago when there were no new deposit records... When he saw the balance on the last page, his heart jolted.
That string of numbers far exceeded his expectations, enough for him to live a stable life in Japan forever.
The hand gripping the passbook turned white from the force (ps: forgive me for the 'white' again), and his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to speak.
It turned out that his parents had never forgotten him, and had even paved his future path for him long ago.
Gu Pan watched his reaction, her voice incredibly soft: "Xiao Jin, your basketball skills are already so good. Your aunt is very happy that you found a sport that makes you happy.
Subsequently, we will provide you with additional financial assistance under the name of 'sports public welfare sponsorship.' This way, the source of the money will be legitimate and won't arouse suspicion, allowing you to play basketball with peace of mind, without having to worry about making a living."
Gu Jin held the passbook, the warmth from his fingertips gradually spreading, as if he were holding the warmth left by his parents.
He didn't speak, just nodded gently—this time, without refusal.
He knew this wasn't charity; it was his family's concern hidden in the years, and the most secure protection they could offer him.
The car stopped near Gu Jin's rented place, and Ling Fei'er suddenly leaned over, teasing him with a deliberately cheerful tone: "Boyfriend, I'll be bothering you a lot for the next year, so please take good care of me."
Gu Jin didn't stop walking, his gaze sweeping over the familiar front door, but he didn't respond to her words.
Ling Fei'er was indeed very beautiful, but what did it matter how good-looking she was?
She was just a 'partner' for a mission, not a real girlfriend, and she would take up a year of his time—thinking about it, he wouldn't be able to have a real girlfriend now.
Opening the door, Ling Fei'er poked her head in, surveying the one-bedroom, one-living-room layout, and offered a new suggestion: "Oh, by the way, if you think this place is too small, I can help you find one with two bedrooms, the environment is much better than this."
"No need," Gu Jin said, bending down to change his shoes, his tone flat. "I'm used to living here, it's quite good."
Ling Fei'er blinked, pointing to the only bedroom door, her tone carrying a hint of a reminder: "But there's only one room here, how are we going to live?"
"It's fine," Gu Jin straightened up and walked towards the bedroom. "I'll sleep in the bedroom, you can sleep in the living room, on the sofa or on the floor, whatever you prefer."
"Hey! Aren't you a little too unchivalrous?" Ling Fei'er followed him, frowning in protest. "I'm a girl, and you're making me sleep in the living room?"
Gu Jin turned to look at her, his eyes holding a hint of amused clarity: "Chivalrous? What kind of 'jade' are you? With those skills that stunned me with electricity earlier, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call you a diamond. Are you still afraid of sleeping in the living room?"
Ling Fei'er choked, then poked his arm: "You stingy guy! Are you still holding a grudge about stunning me with electricity?"
Gu Jin ignored her little gesture, walked straight to the coffee table, took out paper and pen, and wrote down simple "cohabitation rules": "From now on, the rent will be split equally each month, as will the utility bills. Also, for meals, either everyone eats their own, or we go AA, or AB."
"I understand AA, typical stingy guy behavior," Ling Fei'er leaned over to look, curiously asking, "What's AB?"
Gu Jin pushed the paper to her, tidying up the passbook he had just brought back from the safe house, his tone mysterious: "You'll find out later."
The AB system, of course, meant she would be 'A,' and he would shamelessly 'B' to freeload, since she was on mission expenses. He couldn't let him, the 'protected person,' suffer a loss, could he?
Ling Fei'er stared at Gu Jin's retreating back, unable to help but mutter to herself—this guy was tall and well-built, with sharp lines on his profile. When he lowered his head to write the 'cohabitation rules' just now, his fringe fell, revealing a hint of youthfulness. He was indeed very good-looking.
She shook her head, then remembered his calculating demeanor when he was figuring out the rent and suggesting AA, and couldn't help but pout: What a shame, he's just too stingy. If he could be more generous, not always remember being stunned by electricity, and not be so clear about the accounts, being a real boyfriend wouldn't seem so impossible... The thought had just surfaced when Ling Fei'er quickly cut it off, "Hey! Ling Fei'er, what are you thinking?"
In contrast, Gu Jin just walked towards the bedroom with his belongings—he had no interest in guessing the thoughts of this Interpol agent. He only hoped that this year would pass quickly so he could return to his normal life sooner.