Chapter 221: Action! Japan Wants to Cause Trouble? Then We’ll Create a Surprise

Gu Shengsheng mentally made a list. ’First, buy a cipher-cracking device. Then, find the air-raid shelter at the location on the envelope.’

’Four hours or so... If I push it, I should be able to do it.’

Lu Shijing nodded and said, "I’ll take you."

Afraid Gu Shengsheng would refuse, he quickly added, "I can help. I’ll drive to save time, and once we’re there, I can get people to take care of it quickly."

Just a moment ago, while driving, he had declared: I’m not a chauffeur.

But now, all he wanted to be was a chauffeur.

Gu Shengsheng glanced at him. She really did need his help at this moment, so she nodded. "Alright, but I don’t have any money to pay you."

"It’s fine. Mr. Zhao will pay." He looked at Zhao Dehai.

Then, the couple walked out, one after the other.

Zhao Dehai: ???

"Wait, where are you two going?"

"What’s going on? What do you mean I’m paying? What are you about to do? Will you be back in time?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

He was just an old man, and he had barely begun to process what Gu Shengsheng had said. How were the two of them already springing into action?

Gu Shengsheng gave a lazy wave as she walked. "You don’t have to do anything. We’ll be back within four hours."

"Just wait for news."

"Alrighty!" Zhao Dehai sat down in his office chair, suddenly ecstatic.

The chance to ride Shengsheng’s coattails to an easy victory had come again!

’Heh, at my age, with these old arms and legs, I’m perfectly suited for sitting around the office. And watching the young couple be all lovey-dovey doesn’t seem so bad anymore.’

The more he thought about it, the more comfortable he felt.

Just a moment ago he was a bundle of nerves, but now he was completely relaxed.

Gu Shengsheng was just about to say she wanted to go buy a cipher-cracker.

But Lu Shijing spoke first. "Grandma used to have a very good cipher-cracking device. I just called and asked her to use it again. If you give her the contents of the envelope, she’ll tell you what it says."

"Then we can go find the air-raid shelter based on the location. We’ll unearth more artifacts, and then... it would be best if we could make Japan suffer a crushing defeat."

"As for cracking ciphers, that’s what Grandma used to do back in the day," Lu Shijing explained.

Gu Shengsheng was also surprised. She hadn’t said a word, yet Lu Shijing already knew her entire plan.

What she wanted to do was not just knock Japan down a peg, but also watch their museums and cultural artifact departments... lose all credibility.

She looked at Lu Shijing. At first, she was surprised that he understood everything, but on second thought, if he didn’t have at least this much capability, he wouldn’t have become the chairman of LG at such a young age.

With that, she nodded. "Okay, I’ll talk to Grandma. Thank you."

While Gu Shengsheng was messaging his grandmother, Lu Shijing spoke, his words coming out with difficulty, "Shengsheng, just now... my tone was a bit harsh."

"Oh, it’s fine." She didn’t seem to take it to heart, replying casually with her head down.

"I was worried about you," he said.

Gu Shengsheng’s fingers paused for a moment before she changed the subject. "Grandma replied. She sent me the address. It’s around the Fourth Ring Road, which looks like the suburbs on the map. It’ll probably take us another hour to drive there."

"Mm," he said. "Send the address to me. I’ll tell the geological survey team to head over there."

"Okay." As Gu Shengsheng went to send it, she realized she had already deleted Lu Shijing from her WeChat.

It was instantly awkward. Lu Shijing, however, happily pulled out his WeChat QR code. "This time," he said, "add me as Lu Shijing."

Gu Shengsheng glanced at him, then scanned the code and sent the address.

Lu Shijing waited until they were at a red light to accept the request, gloating inwardly.

For the past few days, his messages to Gu Shengsheng wouldn’t go through, so he had to resort to text messages. Heaven knows how frustrated that made him.

When he found out Gu Shengsheng had deleted him, he’d even started questioning his life, sulking for a long time.

But he hadn’t mentioned a word of it to people like Lin Kai and Jin Ran. He was probably the first man in history to be deleted by his own beloved wife.

Just as his delight reached its peak, Gu Shengsheng said, "About your death certificate—I looked into it. It can be rescinded in a week at most. After that, all you have to do is sign the divorce agreement."

"The terms aren’t disadvantageous to you. I don’t want anything from your family. Madam Lu was very good to me, your grandmother was very good to me, and Linnin was very good to me, too. Speaking of which, I should thank you..."

As Gu Shengsheng said this, a wave of irritation washed over Lu Shijing.

He cut in, "Shengsheng."

"Do you not like me at all?"

’Is she that eager to leave my side? That desperate to be free?’

"As long as you don’t divorce me, I won’t interfere in your life. You can do whatever you want. I can even go back to how it was before, barely ever appearing... in front of you."

He had never said such things before.

Lu Shijing was proud to his very bones. He had never bowed his head since he was a child, and he’d never been particularly kind to anyone.

But with Gu Shengsheng, he felt a sense of powerlessness. As long as she didn’t leave, he was willing to maintain the status quo.

’Why? All I’m asking is for her not to leave. I’ve never cared about someone so much before. I even find myself concerned with her every emotion...’

As he spoke, his fingers tightened on the steering wheel. The veins on his hands bulged slightly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to suppress his emotions.

Hearing his words, Gu Shengsheng also sensed that something was wrong.

She had always been one to talk things out clearly, and she didn’t believe this was the kind of relationship they had.

She said, "Mr. Lu, you don’t have to do this. Really."

"Now that I know you’re my husband, your deliberate absence, your departure just to avoid me, your lack of contact... what meaning does a marriage like that have for either of us?"

"Besides, I think you’ve misunderstood something all along." Gu Shengsheng looked up at him. "It’s not that I dislike you. I’ll even admit that you’re different from others in my eyes."

She had always been honest in facing her own heart.

A flicker of something—undoubtedly hope—shone in Lu Shijing’s eyes, quickly replaced by even greater confusion. "Then why..."

"Mr. Lu," Gu Shengsheng said, her tone serious. "I don’t think you understand what kind of relationship I want. Back then, when you refused to admit your identity, did you think it was fun to keep me in the dark? That I was amusing to fool?"

"Even when everyone else was encouraging me to date other people, I was your wife. You conspired with everyone to hide the truth from me. But the one person who, above all others, should not have hidden it... was you."

Gu Shengsheng stated all of this calmly, without anger or sadness. These were matters she had been sorting through in her mind for a long time.

"In my memory, the Mr. Ryan from before was a very, very good person. He was my friend, someone I could fight alongside. But as a friend, you weren’t honest. And as a husband, you weren’t honest either."

"So, how am I supposed to convince myself to trust you and continue this life together? The little bit of good feeling I have... I don’t think it’s enough to sustain us."