Chapter 122: Astonishment and Exhilaration

  As for going to the Golden Triangle, Su Mo Ruo also had her own considerations. The memories of her past life still existed, and there was always a lump in her heart. Since Hao Gang had found her this time, helping them once wouldn't hurt. Having experienced death once, she knew more than anyone about being cautious, and which places to be more careful about. With her previous near-death experience as an undercover agent, she also believed that no one in the Dragon Group was more suitable for this undercover mission than herself.

  After returning to the villa, Su Mo didn't even unpack her luggage. For special agents who were executing tasks, especially those doing undercover work, it was completely unnecessary to prepare anything because someone would take care of everything for them; all they needed to do was devote themselves fully to their mission.

  Soon after Su Mo arrived at the villa, Tan Yun Ning came over. After the phone rang, Su Mo opened the villa gate and saw Tan Yun Ning driving a black Volkswagen sedan into his line of sight, with a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth.

  As she walked to the door, she coincidentally bumped into Tan Yunning who was walking in. Without saying a word, she simply looked up and gazed at him quietly. "Was today very busy?" Su Moruo spoke first, then merged her entire body into the man's embrace, even pressing her head tightly against his chest. This feeling, warm and cozy, made her feel that ordinary life was also full of expectation and longing every day. Tan Yunning's warm chest made her feel like she never wanted to leave for a lifetime.

  "What's wrong?" Tan Yun Ning's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as he faced Su Mo Ruo, who had suddenly become clingy. He reached out to hold Su Mo Ruo's hand and led him into the villa, closing the door behind them.

  "Some things may take some time, and I'll set off tomorrow." Looking at Tan Yun Ning, he couldn't tell her the specifics, but it was okay to let her know that he would be going out to take care of something tomorrow.

  If it were an ordinary day, even if there was something to do somewhere, Su Mo would not have done so. Intuition told Tan Yunning that Su Mo must have some secret. With a straight gaze at the girl in front of her, "Do you need help?"

  Shaking his head, this matter is not something that ordinary people can help with. The fewer people involved, the better, lest they startle the snake in the grass and make it harder to complete the task.

  "Uh, as long as you're safe, otherwise I'll worry." Tan Yunning had never thought that Su Moye would have a day of injury. He just hoped that Su Moye was fine every day. For some things he didn't know about, his heart would be worried about her, but he absolutely wouldn't stop her because these things were her decision and he had no right to interfere with her decisions.

  "I know." He looked up at Tan Yun Ning's serious eyes, the black pupils had countless worries, but he didn't say a word, just silently supported his own decision, putting all his concerns in his heart. This kind of man made Su Mo Ruo's heart warm.

  "Busy all day, have you eaten?" It was already late at night when Sumo didn't call herself, she knew she must be busy. Now it's already dawn and she just got home, it seems that work has delayed her again. Thinking that her three meals a day are not on time, she asked a sentence.

  "After eating, after the meeting, I ate with the employees in the company." Tan Yunning is now considered a "high-ranking official", after all, at his age, he is already enjoying deputy department-level treatment, and should be considered a "high-ranking official". However, in front of him, this man didn't seem like a high-ranking official at all, but rather like a nanny, always caring about whether I had eaten or not.

  "I think that even if you don't go into politics in the future, you can still make a living for yourself." Su Mo's lips curled up, and she gazed at the man in front of her with a hint of a smile, her tone slightly warmer than usual, with a hint of playfulness.

  "I know, you'll support me from now on." Tan Yunning said this with a natural tone, her eyes filled with warmth and gentle gaze fell on Su Mo Ruo, making her mood also improve along with it.

  Two people sat down on the sofa in the living room, Tan Yunning made a cup of milk tea for each of them and put it beside them. The steaming hot milk tea tempted Su Mo's taste buds.

  Lowering her head and hands, she picked up the milk tea and placed it in her palm, then looked up at Tan Yun Ning, "Don't you know that drinking too much of this kind of disposable milk tea is bad for your body?"

  "It's occasional." This milk tea has a childhood taste for him, so he bought some and put them in the office. Today, when leaving, he also inadvertently saw it, and only then remembered to bring the milk tea over to share with Su Mo Ruo.

  She slightly shook her head, gently blew on the milk tea, and slowly took a sip. Her eyebrows suddenly relaxed, and she had a taste of childhood. Whether it was Mu Qing or Su Mo Ruo in the past, they all had this kind of milk tea when they were young. Although it wasn't expensive, although it was very cheap, but it was a beautiful memory of their childhood.

  "By the way, you've been so busy these two years, have you gone to see your foster parents?" Su Mo Ruo couldn't help but glance at Tan Yun Ning as he thought of the elderly couple who still insisted on running a stall to make money despite their advanced age, and then asked softly.

  "Mm, yes." Tan Yun Ning responded dully to Su Mo Ruo's question. If it were someone else, he wouldn't have even bothered answering. He had always remembered the kindness of his foster parents in his heart, but few people knew that he had foster parents to begin with. After all, he hoped that the old couple could live a more peaceful life, with fewer disturbances from others.

  "Your promotion is like a rocket, didn't it attract the attention of those people?" Su Mo thought that a man who was not used to being flashy and had a calm and cold personality would not be so high-profile at work. After all, in their country, age and seniority were supposed to be proportional, but his rise was too rapid and intense. If he hadn't attracted attention from the other side, that would be strange.

  Tan Yun Ning's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he fell silent, staring blankly at the milk tea in front of him emitting white smoke. The driving force that had always been in his heart wasn't it to make that family look at him with new eyes? He wanted everyone to see that he wasn't as useless as they said, and his mother shouldn't be treated as shamelessly as they did. All the grievances his parents suffered, they couldn't explain clearly to these people, so he would take their place.

  Although he didn't hear Tan Yunning speak, Su Mo Ruo could feel the excitement on her body. He patted his hand back and said, "Being seen like this, your efforts, they can see."

  "What I want is not for them to see my efforts, but for them to regret... Regret everything they did to his family. People with such power, he would never acknowledge those people again. If it weren't for them, would his mother have had to flee with him? If it weren't for them, would his parents have been separated and eventually left the world? Thinking of this, his eyes involuntarily filled with bloodshot, his thin lips tightly pursed, and his entire body exuded a cold and ruthless aura."

  "It's all in the past, and you'll get better and better from now on." Knowing that Tan Yunning had a deep wound in his heart, the death of his parents was the greatest stimulus for him. His eyes were filled with heartache. This man, who seemed to have a bright future and a promising career to outsiders, actually had a lot of pain that many people couldn't understand.

  The two of them leaned against each other on the sofa, time slowly passing by.

  The next day when Su Mo Ruo woke up, the fragrance coming from the kitchen brought a faint smile to her eyes. After quickly going upstairs to wash and change into new clothes, she went downstairs just in time to see Tan Yun Ning carrying out a dish of food from the kitchen.

  "When are you leaving?" Tan Yun Ning asked softly while looking at Su Mo Ruo who was eating breakfast seriously.

  Listening to Tan Yun Ning ask herself, Su Mo Ruo raised her wrist to glance at the time before saying: "Depart in the afternoon, do you have something to do in the morning?"

  Subconsciously shaking his head, he always felt that Su Mo had something on her mind. Even if he was busy, he could still make time for her. After all, it might be a long time before they saw each other again.

  "Uh, after we have breakfast, come with me to a place, how about it?"

  "Good."

  For Tan Yunning, she was very accepting of his non-inquisitive nature. She didn't like men who asked themselves too many whys. With a mysterious smile, "You'll know when we get there, it should be pretty good for you."

  Shangguan Hongping contacted her after the last Beijing University internal friendly match. Although they didn't meet many times, their relationship was still good because of their compatible personalities. She also didn't know many people in Beijing and only recently found out about Shangguan Hongping's identity. Although she didn't like it when some people went through the back door, for someone like Tan Yunning who already had ability, going through the back door wasn't a big deal. First of all, let the two meet each other, if Tan Yunning could get Shangguan Hongping's appreciation, then he would be able to get his help, otherwise it would just be empty talk.

  As Tan Yunning's path went further and higher, some people couldn't help but see him as an enemy to be eliminated. The Tan family was not easy to deal with, and Shangguan Hongping's close relationship with the No. 1 leader could also serve as a golden signboard for Tan Yunning. This kind of help could ward off many troubles for Tan Yunning, so she didn't mind helping him out in this way.

  Because Sumo said he still had to go somewhere in the morning, the two of them didn't savor their breakfast slowly and finished eating in about twenty minutes. After Tan Yunning cleaned up, they left together.

  The black Volkswagen was driven by Tan Yunning, and its sleek lines showed a sense of stability.

  After the two set off, Su Mo Ruo made a call to Shang Guan Hong Ping and hung up after understanding the location.

  All the way, Su Mo gave her directions and slowly guided the car into the destination.

  Shangguan Hongping did not live in the large courtyard specially arranged for them, but in a villa he had purchased himself. The environment was very good and it was close to Jinghua University. There was a park nearby where Shangguan Hongping liked to go every day to practice boxing and martial arts. It was also because of this hobby that he met Su Mo.

  Because it wasn't a high-ranking official's residence, just an ordinary villa, Tan Yunning didn't have any suspicions.

  Shangguan Hongping is no longer often seen by the public nowadays, so Tan Yunning doesn't know him either.

  When the three met, Su Mo was actually accompanied by a strange man. Shangguan Hongping was slightly stunned before bursting into laughter, "Girl, I didn't expect you to have a boyfriend."

  For Shangguan Hongping calling Su Moye his girlfriend, Tan Yunning expressed satisfaction and smiled slightly to show her good mood.

  "Just a friend." Su Mo heard this and didn't get particularly excited, but still gave an explanation. Although he had a good relationship with Tan Yunning, they never finally confirmed their relationship.

  Magistrate Hongping didn't say a word after hearing this, but the smile on his face grew even thicker.

  "Just Old Man Shangguan." Su Mo's tone was somewhat awkward, and the way she introduced Shangguan Hongping sounded a bit too direct.

  However, the smile on Shangguan Hongping's face did not decrease but increased instead. He chuckled and said, "This little girl's way of addressing me is truly special."

  After listening to Su Mo's introduction, Tan Yunning had a polite smile on his face and greeted Shangguan Hongping politely, "Hello Uncle Shangguan, I'm Tan Yunning, a friend of Mo's."

  "Tan Yunning?" Shangguan Hongping listened to Tan Yunning's self-introduction, his original smile slowly solidified, and then his gaze stayed on him, constantly going back and forth, probing up and down. He felt that this name was too familiar, but for a moment, he couldn't think of it.

  Being sized up by Shangguan Hongping's gaze, Tan Yunning also looked at her with a puzzled expression.

  "Let's go, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, let's have a good chat today." Su Mo Ruo looked at Tan Yun Ning's appearance and pulled up Guan Hong Ping to head into the villa.

  As soon as Su Mo Ruo said this, Shangguan Hongping's eyes instantly revealed a smile, and he smiled, "That's really great, I was just thinking about who to practice boxing with." He followed Su Mo Ruo's footsteps.

  After entering the villa, looking at the man sitting upright in the living room, although it was just a back view, his overall demeanor could be seen at a glance that he was not an ordinary person, and in his heart, there was also a faint sense of familiarity.

  "Hey, kiddo, come here. Let me introduce you to Murong Qi. You can call him Grandpa Murong. I knew you were coming today, so I specially called him over. I want to show him that I'm not bragging about your skills. Your kung fu is actually better than those people under his command."

  Sumo was already stunned when listening to Shangguan Hongping's introduction, and when the old man with only his back turned slowly around, her brain buzzed loudly, suddenly exploding, directly disrupting all her thoughts, leaving her staring blankly at the familiar old man in front of her.

  In her past life and this life, the old man's face has always been remembered in her heart. The position of her godfather in her mind is the same as his.

  Murong Qi, the good mentor and friend of Murong Qing in his past life, looked at the current Murong Qi, who hadn't changed much from his past life. At sixty years old, he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, with a ruddy complexion and seemingly in excellent physical condition.

  In this life, Mu Qing is gone, has he ever been heartbroken because of her departure?

  No matter what, their relationship in the past life was extremely good. Now that they meet again, she is no longer herself. Even meeting each other, they can't say they know each other. This feeling is like a thorn, deeply stuck in Sumo's throat, making it difficult for her to speak.

  "Haha, I've heard Director Wang mention you before, but unfortunately, we've never had the chance to meet until today. I feel very lucky to finally see you." When Mu Rongqi saw Su Moruo, his heart skipped a beat, because Su Moruo gave him a feeling similar to that of Mu Qing. Mu Qing was one of his top generals and also a close friend in private. Recently, he had been having a hard time, as the director, he hadn't made the plans precise enough, resulting in the death of his subordinates, which was entirely his fault.

  Now that he sees Su Mo Ruo, he feels as if Mu Qing has come back to life and is standing in front of him again. His heart skips a beat, and his emotions involuntarily reveal themselves on his face.

  "M-Mu...?" he stuttered, trying out the name in a trembling voice, then looked at the girl in front of him with expectant eyes for an answer.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and her body stiffened suddenly. She looked up at Mu Rong Qi in shock, the complex emotions in her heart surging instantly. How did he know she was Mu Qing? No, that wasn't right - now she was Su Mo Ruo, only possessing Mu Qing's soul. And Mu Rong Qi didn't have any special abilities, so how could he possibly know she had Mu Qing's soul?

  Clasping her hands tightly, she forced a normal smile on her face and smiled faintly at Mu Rong Qi, "You must be mistaken, Grandfather Mu. My name is Su Mo Ruo. Who is this Mu Qing you're talking about? Does he look like me?"

  Others may not understand, but Tan Yunning beside her sensed that Su Mo's explanation was too much and his tone had changed completely from before. Moreover, his urgent hope for the other party to believe in his words made him inevitably raise doubts in his heart.

  Why did Sumo Ruo have such a big emotional fluctuation when the old man called her Mu Qing, and what kind of relationship does Mu Qing have with her?

  "Hello, Grandfather Murong. I am Tan Yunning, a friend of Su Moye." Because Su Moye's emotions were somewhat out of control, Tan Yunning took a step forward and first greeted Murong Qi with a polite smile and respect, making it impossible for anyone to find fault.

  He was also embarrassed because he suddenly called out the name of a strange girl, Mu Qing, and luckily Tan Yun Ning came out to help him out of the awkward situation. With a smile on his face, he shook hands with Tan Yun Ning, "Good kid, so you're the Tan Yun Ning who rose through the ranks like a rocket."

  "Ah, I knew it! Earlier outside, when I heard this kid's name, it sounded so familiar. I said to myself, 'Isn't that you?'!" Officer Hongping, who was standing beside them, also slapped his forehead and looked at Tan Yunning with a sudden realization.

  "I can't afford to say that I'm on a rocket." As for his own rapid promotion, Tan Yunning also knew it was fast, and for many people, it's indeed like riding a rocket. However, he had made efforts, and as for the repeated promotions, they were all because he seized those opportunities one after another, seeking victory from the cracks. If someone else were in his place, if some things weren't grasped well, then some positions wouldn't have fallen to them.

  Three people chatted again, because they were friends brought by Su Mo Ruo. The two had a very good impression of Su Mo Ruo, and after chatting with Tan Yun Ning, their impression was also very good. Naturally, the relationship became familiar all at once, and the conversation was lively. It was actually Su Mo Ruo who was left alone to watch the three people chat.

  Tan Yunning was a bit skeptical about the identities of the two, after all, his department and the people he contacted could not be connected with Murong Qi and Shangguan Hongping, and these two people were even more reclusive, so he didn't know them. The suspicion was that the descendants of the two might have some ability, and they themselves were still okay when they were young. When the two old men asked him for his phone number, he exchanged numbers with them without hesitation.

  Shangguan Hongping's excuse was very grandiose, and he gave it a nice name: "So you can also box, let's practice together next time."

  Murong Qi seemed more reserved, saying that from now on everyone would be friends and could meet up to drink tea and chat whenever they were free.

  Because the three of them were having a great conversation, Su Mo Ruo basically sat alone on the sofa making tea and drinking it until almost noon, without disturbing their chat, letting the three of them be extremely happy.

  "Girl, this boyfriend of yours is not bad, you'd better hold on to him." Shangguan Hongping suddenly turned his head and looked at Su Moruo with a sentence when they were chatting enthusiastically.

  Listening to this, Su Mo had a speechless expression and remained silent, not knowing how to respond to Officer Hongping's words. In her heart, however, she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. At their age, why did he still speak like a child? Even many times, it made her feel like a little kid.

  But Tan Yunning didn't say a word, only the corners of his eyes and eyebrows were tinged with a smile, no longer giving people the cold impression he had when he came over.

  Although sitting and watching her own TV, Su Mo could vaguely hear the three of them starting to discuss political matters, and the corner of her mouth involuntarily curled up. This time bringing Tan Yun Ning along was precisely because she hoped he would get along well with Ouyang Hongping, but Mu Rong Qi was an unexpected addition. However, since she had a good understanding of him from when he was still Mu Qing, it was also her hope that they could get along well.

  At noon, I had a simple meal at Shangguan Hongping's house. After adjusting myself, Shangguan Hongping insisted on going out with Suomoruo to exercise and loosen up his muscles. Although Suomoruo was unwilling, Shangguan Hongping was very insistent, so he could only go along with him for a practice session.

  Shangguan Hongping's skills are quite impressive, despite being nearly seventy years old. His movements have not declined at all and are even more agile than before. If he was previously considered a mediocre martial artist, now he can be called someone with some skill. To avoid hurting the mischievous old man's feelings, Su Mo also sparred with him for a while before defeating him.

  And also because of Shangguan Hongping's constant flattery in front of Murong Qi, it led to Murong Qi taking an interest in her today. Following Shangguan Hongping, Murong Qi personally took action and wanted to compete with Su Mo'er.

  "You don't have to worry about hurting this old bone, although I won't say that my skills are as good as they were in the past, but I'm not so fragile either." Mu Rongqi's aura was completely different from the rookie-like Suo Hongping earlier. His eyes were filled with focus and seriousness, and when he looked at Su Mo, a sharp and fierce aura burst out.

  It's been a long time since she last sparred with Murong Qi. In the past, this senior who was both her teacher and friend was also her best sparring partner in private. Because of her exceptional skills, it was basically impossible to find someone in the group who could match up to her. Those skilled individuals couldn't possibly have the time to accompany her every day as they had their own tasks to attend to. Therefore, Murong Qi became her best practice opponent in her past life and taught her many things.

  Today I have the opportunity to spar with someone I respected in the past again, and isn't it also what I've been looking forward to?

  "Please——" he said with a gesture, Sumo's face wore a quiet smile.

  Such Sumo, makes Murong Qi feel more familiar. The death of Muclear is forever a pain in his heart and also a regret. Over the years, he has been blaming himself. Now seeing Sumo again, the pain in his heart seems to be gradually decreasing. This girl gives him a feeling as if he saw Muclear come back to life. His inner guilt also faded a bit, although he knows it's just self-consolation.

  Without any intention of showing respect for the elderly and love for the young, Su Mo suddenly made a swift kick.

  His eyes paused for a moment, but quickly recovered, and with a swift flash, he dodged her attack. Immediately, his left hand stretched out, striking towards Sumo Ruo's right arm.

  Her eyes gleamed with intensity, her right hand equally unyielding, ready to engage in a fierce battle with Murong Qi. It had been a long time since she'd fought like this, and she also wanted to see if her old leader's skills had declined.

  Seeing Su Mo Ruo actually using the same fighting style as Mu Qing, the shock and curiosity in his eyes grew thicker, but at the same time, he felt more and more interested, and his speed of striking out also became faster and fiercer.

  Su Mo's movements were just as swift and fierce, her techniques mixed with violent power, each move executed with a majestic aura, not at all like the moves of a young girl, yet full of explosive force without any hint of coarseness.