Chapter 121: Bickerers Turned Lovers

Hu Guozheng immediately ran over to help him up, slowly walking toward the edge of the woods. Li Ning followed behind with a cold snort. It took the four of them nearly an hour to emerge from the forest, weaving through residential alleys until they finally shook off the police cordon and hailed a taxi to the meeting point with Shasha.

After a two-hour drive, the taxi arrived at a remote village near the airport. Shasha was standing on the balcony of a three-story house she had rented temporarily. She was munching on an apple while playing with her iPad. Seeing them arrive quietly, she rushed downstairs to open the door. Once inside, Hu Guozheng was overjoyed to see his sweetheart and embraced and kissed her without hesitation. For Qin Ling, who was already married, this PDA was nothing, but the two behind them felt rather awkward.

"Old Du, if you're envious, why don't you two form a pair and join in on the PDA?" Hu Guozheng’s sharp eyes caught Du Bin’s despondent look, and knowing he was missing Ye Tang, he teased them to help lift his spirits.

Li Ning said with a look of disgust, "Who would want to pair up with him? How shameless."

"Wow, you nearly broke his ancestral line just now; you have to take responsibility one way or another! Actually, you're quite attractive on the outside, it's just your personality... it's too 'cute.' Aside from Old Du, I really can't imagine any other man who could appreciate your beauty." Hu Guozheng stifled the urge to laugh as he offered his compliments. He had wanted to call her rude, but felt it was too direct, so he changed it to "cute." He truly admired himself for finding such a word to describe her.

Du Bin was so angry at Hu Guozheng’s words he nearly spat blood. "Damn it, Fatty, you're setting me up."

"Setting you up? Sister here doesn't need your appreciation. Even if every man on earth died, I wouldn't pair up with you." Although she hated how Hu Guozheng described her, hearing a compliment still made her a little happy. As for that guy, she had liked him before, but felt disappointed when he turned cowardly for Fang Yilin’s sake.

"That's good, because my heart is spoken for. I can only say the timing was wrong for missing out on a 'cute' girl like you." Du Bin emphasized the word "cute," which to her clearly sounded like another form of teasing.

Li Ning's forehead immediately filled with black lines, but she walked over to him with a beaming smile and acted spoiled. "Am I cute?"

"Extremely cute," Du Bin said, feeling goosebumps all over but playing along regardless.

Li Ning suddenly stopped smiling, turned angry, and stomped hard on his foot. Caught off guard, Du Bin hopped on one leg in pain. Li Ning sat on the sofa, watching him with great satisfaction. Hu Guozheng shook his head and sighed, "Why do I feel like Old Du has a tendency toward masochism?"

Just then, a man nearing sixty, wearing reading glasses, walked down from upstairs. Shasha introduced him to everyone as Professor Huang Shaojun, a famous geneticist from Shanghai who had had several dealings with her father. He greeted everyone cordially.

"Mr. Du, have you brought the R vaccine?" After some small talk, Huang Shaojun got straight to the point.

Du Bin nodded and took the case out, placing it on the table. "You’re in charge of transporting the vaccine; you should know the password, right?"

Li Ning ignored his words. Du Bin felt exhausted by her, but fortunately, the persuasion from Qin Ling, Hu Guozheng, and the others had worked; she reluctantly opened the case. Inside were four vials of the vaccine, one of which was already half-empty.

"May I use it for research?" Huang Shaojun was excited to see the vaccine but still asked Li Ning cautiously. Seeing her nod, he picked up a vial and headed straight back to his room, where he began working with the tools he had brought in two suitcases.

Bored, Du Bin sat on the sofa and turned on the television. What he saw shocked him: the news was airing a video from the Fifth Hospital featuring the three of them. Du Bin and Hu Guozheng were labeled as dangerous individuals, while Qin Ling was described as a hostage. The police were calling on the public to assist in the investigation, and a massive police force had been dispatched to hunt them down.

"Holy crap, it’s only me and Old Du! What’s going on here!" Hu Guozheng looked bewildered.

Looking at the two "dead dogs," Li Ning shook her head. "Lingling is a public figure and the wife of Zeng Yilong. Do you really think the Tianyou Group would just sit by and do nothing?"

"That’s true. Dr. She has deep ties to the Tianyou Group; as long as he says the word, Lingling will be fine, but as for us..." Hu Guozheng had a sudden epiphany. Thinking about being labeled a dangerous person, he pouted.

Only then did Du Bin notice his clothes were in tatters. Fortunately, Hu Guozheng had asked Shasha to prepare everything. He took some new clothes and a towel and headed to the bathroom. Seeing Li Ning following him, he turned around and said, "Why are you following me?"

"I'm keeping an eye on you." Li Ning leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

Du Bin couldn't understand why she was always targeting him. "Why do you only watch me?"

"If I don't keep an eye on you, what if you run away?"

Du Bin felt irritated; this girl was definitely doing it on purpose. "Why would you think I'd run? If you're watching me like this, what if Fatty runs away?"

"He’s more loyal than you. You’re a coward, so watching you is enough."

"Do you want to take a bath together then?" Du Bin didn't want to continue the conversation. Seeing her following him like a vengeful spirit, he opened the bathroom door and gave a deliberately lewd grin.

"You pervert, you scoundrel!" Seeing him staring at her body with such a lewd expression, Li Ning realized his intent, kicked him in anger, and stormed back into the living room. After closing the door, Du Bin rubbed his aching foot with a helpless expression.

He took off his tattered clothes, looking at the shocking scars on his body. Damn it, the old wounds hadn't healed and new ones had been added. A shower was impossible, so he could only use a towel to wipe away the blood. After cleaning up, he returned to the room.

Overnight passed, and Professor Huang Shaojun remained buried in his room analyzing the R vaccine. The next morning, the group sat down for breakfast. Hu Guozheng was looking at Shasha with eyes full of love as they fed each other. Seeing Du Bin and Li Ning walk downstairs one after another, his paparazzi instincts kicked in.

"Hey! Why did you two come down together? Don't tell me someone actually took responsibility for Old Du last night." Hu Guozheng's remark made everyone look over, and the two felt very uncomfortable under the gaze.

"You're thinking too much. She’s just keeping an eye on me. What 'pair'? You dead fatty, don't talk nonsense. I can't afford to be with such a 'cute' girl." Du Bin emphasized the word "cute" again. The others understood he was teasing her, and she replied indignantly, "If you weren't a police officer, do you think I'd want to spend all day watching a pervert like you? You’re not handsome, and you’re not my boyfriend. I feel sick just looking at you. I just don't agree with your methods, but in my line of duty, I can't let you leave; it would make me look negligent."

Everyone had a bead of sweat on their forehead. Hu Guozheng had wanted to break the awkward atmosphere with a joke, but instead, he had lit a fuse for no reason. A thought crossed his mind: these two definitely have a secret affair.

"Pervert? Damn it, even if I were to be a pervert for a middle-aged woman, I wouldn't be one for you."

"Is that so? Then do you still remember at the Binxing Hotel when you held me and forcibly kissed me, you pervert?"

Hu Guozheng, who was drinking a glass of water, spat it all out upon hearing this. He then watched with a gloating expression as Du Bin’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the floor.

After coming to his senses, he couldn't believe it. He looked at Qin Ling, hoping it wasn't true, but Qin Ling gave a bitter smile, seemingly confirming it. No wonder she had always been unfriendly to him—damn it, wasn't he unconscious at the time?

"Old Du, you’re too pathetic. You can't even win over a little sister." Hu Guozheng gave a skeptical look. Shasha and Qin Ling started joking as well.

"Damn it, who’s trying to win her over?"

"If he dares to pursue sister here, I’ll blow his little brother off with a bullet." Li Ning pulled out her gun and slammed it on the table.

"I really wonder if you two were a pair of bickering lovers in your past lives," Hu Guozheng sighed.

"I'm not that unlucky," they said in unison.

"Look at that, if not, then why would..." Hu Guozheng looked back and forth between the two with a suspicious gaze. Li Ning snorted coldly and sat next to Qin Ling to eat breakfast.

Du Bin ignored everyone and sat down to eat his breakfast, thinking: I curse you to never find a man; if anyone dares to marry this girl, they’ll definitely have a miserable life. In any case, it’s definitely not going to be me. God, amen, protect me.