Chapter 6: Who Doesn’t Have a Little Secret?

There is an eight or nine in ten chance that a miracle will happen. They only need to wait patiently now; after all, the carpet search yielded no results, and not finding them is, in itself, a sign of hope.

...

Accompanied by Lu Siyan, Chu Wanning felt as if she had activated a VIP service mode, moving through everything with remarkable efficiency and zero obstacles. Once she retrieved her phone, she immediately logged into her account, sent her previous cheongsam design drafts to the high-end studio, and thus concluded her shopping.

"Does Master Lu have some kind of secret base? Is that where we are going?" Chu Wanning had guessed as much and was quite looking forward to it.

"What did you call me?" the man’s voice turned icy.

"Master Lu, obviously. What's wrong?" Chu Wanning replied casually, then opened WeChat and held the QR code out to Lu Siyan. "Add me!"

"What did you call me?" the man asked again. This time, Chu Wanning caught on.

"A-Yan?"

"Husband?"

Boom!

Lu Siyan’s heart instantly erupted like fireworks. He was overjoyed, though he kept his expression neutral. "Husband"—the term was unfamiliar, yet he found he quite liked it, especially when spoken in the girl’s soft, sweet voice.

He silently took out his phone. As his long, slender fingers tapped the screen to scan the code, Chu Wanning felt an urge to play with his hands.

"Do you like what you see?"

Chu Wanning swallowed, tore her gaze away, and clicked accept. The two were now officially WeChat friends.

"We are heading to the training base. You only have three hours today; we must leave at four o'clock to pick up Lu Siqing," Lu Siyan replied to her earlier question. He was in a good mood and felt like going to get the little demon early, just so he could tell him that he now had a sister-in-law.

The training base was located in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital. If not for someone leading the way, no one would ever find it. Chu Wanning realized this man was quite something—he had truly brought her into his inner circle. Even a place like this, which was clearly a trump card and of great importance to him, was open to her.

The Rolls-Royce glided along the road, steady and fast. Chu Wanning’s anticipation grew. Upon arrival, she fell in love with the place at first sight. It featured modern architecture while preserving the complex, rugged mountain terrain, perfectly suited for both daily drills and field training. It even boasted a comprehensive medical system and high-tech security!

She wondered if her calm demeanor seemed abnormal. She decided she should offer some praise.

"Thank you, I really like it here!" Chu Wanning looked up at Lu Siyan, her eyes sparkling. Lu Siyan believed her.

Chu Wanning had never imagined such a place existed in the Imperial Capital. She no longer believed for a second that this man was merely "rich."

But then again, who doesn't have a few little secrets? He didn't speak of them, and she didn't ask.

"You go get busy, I'll look around on my own," Chu Wanning said politely. She was surprised when he agreed immediately.

"Take this. It gives you access to anywhere in this facility. If you run into trouble, press the red button, and I will find you quickly."

Lu Siyan handed her a gold plate. No matter how she looked at it, it looked like solid gold; if Lu Siyan hadn't been standing right there, she might have been tempted to bite it to check.

"Got it! I'm off!" Chu Wanning turned and headed toward the shooting range. She had spotted it upon arrival and couldn't wait to test her marksmanship.

Lu Siyan watched her retreating figure, the corners of his lips lifting slightly before his face returned to its icy mask.

When Chu Wanning arrived at the shooting range, it was empty and locked. She took out the gold plate and pressed it against the black electronic screen.

Click!

It worked perfectly. Looking at the wall filled with various models of handguns and submachine guns, her blood began to race. She was a sharpshooter who never missed. She grabbed one at random and started playing.

"Not bad, my aim hasn't rusted," she murmured, coolly blowing on the barrel.

After satisfying her itch, she went to the boxing gym. To her surprise, there were sparring robots. She tried one out; it remembered all the moves, though it lacked a bit of strength. It seemed she needed to rest more and perhaps brew herself some medicinal tonics.

Checking the time, she realized three hours had flown by, and there were still so many places she hadn't explored. But there would be other days; for now, she should go find Lu Siyan.

Just as she exited the gym, she heard an unusual sound. She held her breath and listened closely, realizing it was the muffled groan of someone in unbearable pain. She didn't want to meddle, but her feet carried her toward the source of the noise anyway.

Rounding a corner, she saw Lu Siyan followed by a group of people. He didn't say a word, walked straight to her, took her hand, and continued in the direction he was originally headed—the very place the sounds were coming from.

They walked for several minutes in heavy, uncomfortable silence.

"Open the door," Lu Siyan said in a deep voice.

"Master Lu, they are in a state of loss of control; we cannot open the door," a middle-aged man cautioned. "Standard tranquilizers are no longer effective on them!" He hung his head in shame.

These men were among Lu Siyan’s most trusted and elite subordinates. It was a tragedy that they had returned from a mission in this state.

"A-Yan, they’ve been poisoned!" Chu Wanning’s gaze locked onto the men, her tone certain.

"We didn't detect any toxins!" an attractive woman immediately retorted.

Lu Siyan glanced at the girl. "Can you provide an antidote? What do you need?"

"First, get me a set of silver needles." Chu Wanning hadn't stopped observing them for a second.

"Lu Bei!"

"Yes, Master Lu! Right away!" Lu Bei rushed toward the medical center; the staff present were all trained in Western medicine and kept no such thing as silver needles.

"Master Lu, you’re just going to let her mess around? These men are your..." The woman hadn't finished her sentence when Lu Siyan cut her off.

"I trust her."

Lu Siyan pulled Chu Wanning closer, his actions demonstrating his faith in her. The medical team here consisted of the ten most famous doctors in the world. While their credibility was high, he chose to believe her.

Chu Wanning whispered to him, "Don't worry, as long as they are people you want to save, they won't die!" She didn't add the rest: *And those you want to kill, won't survive either.*

She turned her attention back to the men, noticing a pattern in their behavior.

"Madam, here are the silver needles you requested."

The word "Madam" shocked everyone present. The female doctor stared at Chu Wanning with a complex expression, making it impossible to ignore her. It seemed this one had designs on her newly appointed husband.

But saving lives was the priority. She guessed this condition had persisted for days; if they didn't receive effective treatment soon, they might never recover their sanity.

Taking the needles, Chu Wanning walked to the door and produced the gold plate with her other hand. She was now certain that this plate granted her the highest level of authority in the base.

This was the trust Lu Siyan had placed in her.

Just as her hand reached for the lock, it was suddenly grabbed.