Chapter 513: Matters of the Heart (Part 4)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Are you okay, Miss Gu?” Gu Yanran asked worriedly the moment she saw Huo Shaoheng walking over, carrying Gu Nianzhi. Jogging over to Huo Shaoheng, she stood in front of him and looked at Gu Nianzhi closely before asking again, “Would you need a full-body checkup? Saving two people from the waters of the blue hole was really a feat.”
Her gaze was filled with concern, and she chose her words and tone carefully, worried that she might anger Gu Nianzhi.
Seeing Gu Yanran’s concern, Gu Nianzhi felt obliged to give her a reply. She moved a bit in Huo Shaoheng’s embrace and was just about to talk when Huo Shaoheng pressed down on the back of her head. That immobilized her, causing her to only be able to remain in his embrace.
“Miss Gu, Nianzhi saved two humans from the blue hole. How could she be fine? Can’t you see that I was just about to bring her for a full-body checkup?” Huo Shaoheng replied to Gu Yanran on Gu Nianzhi’s behalf.
He Zhichu raised his brows and stood by the side with his arms folded. He did not expose Huo Shaoheng’s nonsense.
Gu Yanran turned around to look at He Zhichu and asked, confused, “Mr. He, you do have doctors on your s.h.i.+p, don’t you? Miss Gu is in critical condition right now. We won’t know if she’d be able to withstand the journey back…”
The corners of He Zhichu’s mouth twitched. He folded his arms and said casually, “Well, I really wanted Nianzhi to stay. Sadly, someone didn’t allow that. What can I do?”
“How can this be?” Gu Yanran looked upset and shook her head at He Zhichu. “We have to prioritize. Nianzhi must be in extremely critical condition now. Mr. Huo, Mr. He, I think you guys know this better than me, don’t you? Get Nianzhi checked immediately. If there are no doctors here, I have some on my s.h.i.+p. I have a habit of bringing doctors and nurses with me every time I go out to sea, just in case.”
If even Gu Yanran had the habit of bringing doctors and nurses...o...b..ard every time she went out to sea, it’d be ridiculous if He Zhichu didn’t have any on his!
Seeing that Gu Yanran had already made her stand, He Zhichu shrugged. “Actually, the doctors on my s.h.i.+p already gave Nianzhi a checkup. However, it seems like Mr. Huo wants to do it again after he gets back…”
“Already checked? Then that’s good, that’s good…” Gu Yanran nodded, full of relief, then asked again, “Is she ok? Let me know if you need any help.” She turned to Huo Shaoheng and apologized profusely, “My sincerest apologies to the both of you. It’s my father’s mistake. I don’t know why he wanted to build this electric fence back then; I said that it was a bad idea, but he refused to listen. This fence hasn’t been able to start ever since he got into the accident. I didn’t expect Mr. Huo and Miss Gu to have such luck to have witnessed and experienced it starting.”
Gu Nianzhi was stuck in Huo Shaoheng’s embrace, listening to Gu Yanran’s words, and understood a few points:
1. The fence had been set up by Gu Xiangwen personally, then—her father was really something!
2. Gu Yanran had no idea how to operate this electric fence—really? Gu Nianzhi had some doubts about this.
3. There had to be a reason why the electric fence started on its own—Gu Nianzhi did not believe that it had been by chance.
Setting up an electric fence of such technology and scale, and you tell me it can be started by chance? Gu Yanran’s knowledge of Physics must be really mediocre…
Gu Nianzhi mocked her silently, over and over again.
Hearing Gu Yanran talk about her father and the electric fence, He Zhichu fell silent. His gaze fell instead on the back of Gu Nianzhi’s head, looking at her intently as if it was about to have flowers sometime soon. Huo Shaoheng, however, was listening intently to Gu Yanran. He nodded after she was done and said, “It, indeed, is weird. Then what do we do about the waters around the blue hole now? The electrical arcs are still there, no?”
“Yes, they are. I have no idea how to turn them off, either. Not many in this world are able to make sense of my father’s inventions.” Gu Yanran sounded proud of her father as she said this.
Indeed, with a father like Gu Xiangwen, she had the right to be proud.
Huo Shaoheng got lost in his thoughts for a while. He looked at Gu Nianzhi, who was in his embrace.
This is his biological daughter, isn’t she? Genetics are an amazing thing—she is as intelligent and capable as he was, and determined as well. She never gives up on the things that she sets her heart on. Even if she were to be injured, she’d just smile and say that she’s fine…
“Mr. Gu was really amazing,” Huo Shaoheng said meaningfully. “We’ll pay him a visit next time.”
What he meant was to go to the hospital to see how Gu Xiangwen was.
Gu Yanran understood what he meant and nodded. “Sure, of course. We’ll be waiting for you.” She took a step forward toward Huo Shaoheng, tiptoed, and looked at Gu Nianzhi, whom Huo Shaoheng was carrying.
Huo Shaoheng loosened his grip, allowing Gu Nianzhi to turn around to look at Gu Yanran.
Gu Yanran smiled immediately. “Nianzhi, you’re really fine? That’s great!”
Tilting her head, Gu Yanran reached out to Gu Nianzhi. “Nianzhi, you were so amazing today. No one has survived my father’s electric fence yet. How did you do it? Actually, I have another question that I can’t understand and wanted to ask you. I hereby invite you to my place as well; you definitely have to come!”
Gu Nianzhi blinked. She wanted to talk, but after much struggle, she only managed a soft “…Ok.”
Gu Yanran nodded and looked at Huo Shaoheng. “Mr. Huo, I haven’t asked you. Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to dive around here? The waters around the blue hole look calm, and everyone thinks that it’s a perfect spot for diving, but it has its hidden dangers. The number of people coming here has been decreasing in recent years.”
Huo Shaoheng agreed and replied, “It was impromptu. We wanted to use this opportunity to relax out at sea and did not expect the hidden dangers.”
“The ocean on its own is a place where humans have not been able to fully explore, much less the blue hole. Mr. Huo had learned a lesson this time around. If you guys want to have fun here in the future, let me know in advance, and I’ll arrange a perfect trip for you so nothing like this will happen.” Gu Yanran said this happily, her face glowing. She was as pa.s.sionate as a newly bloomed flower. Then, turning to Gu Nianzhi, she said cheekily, “Nianzhi, of course, you can come, too. I welcome you with open arms as well!”
Gu Nianzhi tried to smile before ignoring Gu Yanran completely. She turned her back to Huo Shaoheng’s embrace and leaned her head against his chest, her face calm and tranquil.
Huo Shaoheng’s phone rang. At the same time, they heard the sound of chopping coming from above. Yin s.h.i.+xiong had arrived with a chopper.
Nodding to He Zhichu, Huo Shaoheng said, “Professor He, I owe you one this time around. I’ll treat you to a feast when we’re back at the Hua Xia Empire.”
Of course, He Zhichu couldn’t be bothered with a meal from Huo Shaoheng, but seeing Gu Nianzhi look at him expectantly, he couldn’t bring himself to reject the invite.
“We shall see after we get back,” he replied coldly.
Gu Nianzhi smiled immediately and nodded toward him, before closing her eyes and turning her head back toward Huo Shaoheng’s embrace to rest.
Huo Shaoheng nodded to Gu Yanran politely. “Miss Gu, we’ll be making a move first.”
He left, carrying Gu Nianzhi.
Zhao Liangze had already woken up when they arrived on the top deck of He Zhichu’s s.h.i.+p. He was lying down on the stretcher, and a couple of people were placing hooks on the stretcher to pull him up to the chopper. Yin s.h.i.+xiong stood beside him quietly, a stark contrast to his usual behavior of teasing Zhao Liangze.
Zhao Liangze had just regained consciousness and was feeling tired as well. He didn’t feel like talking, so he only acknowledged Yin s.h.i.+xiong’s presence before closing his eyes to rest.
Huo Shaoheng carried Gu Nianzhi, and Yin s.h.i.+xiong walked toward them. “Huo Shao, are you okay? Nianzhi, you’re amazing!”
Yin s.h.i.+xiong already knew that it was Gu Nianzhi who had saved Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze. He totally admired her courage and bravery and looked at her with total admiration in his eyes.
Gu Nianzhi was speechless and didn’t want to talk anymore. So she behaved like a little ostrich and buried her head deeper into Huo Shaoheng’s embrace.
Huo Shaoheng hugged her tightly and placed hooks onto himself. Pulling the ropes, the people from the chopper began pulling him up to get them onto the chopper. The chopper that Yin s.h.i.+xiong had brought was big and stable. The moment they went up, Chen Lie and Ye Zitan came over to them.
Huo Shaoheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Lie. “You’re here, too.”
“Big Xiong informed me.” Chen Lie looked at him disapprovingly. “Mr. Huo, you’ve gotten into quite a big pile of sh*t this time around. How did you get into such trouble? How is Nianzhi? Can she still walk? Why must you carry her?”
“Give her a check again.” Huo Shaoheng placed Gu Nianzhi onto a stretcher carefully and told Chen Lie, “He Zhichu’s doctor had already given her a check and said that she was fine, but I’m still worried.”
He had thought that she was fine, too, but when he saw that she was tired to the point of nearly losing consciousness—and knowing the power of the electric fence—he realized that he had truly neglected Gu Nianzhi.
Chen Lie nodded. “Of course, we’ll have to check. Oh yeah, General Ji is waiting on the line. You had better go and explain to him. Mr. Huo, you’re already a Major General. You cannot do things like that anymore. General Ji was so worried that you might have met with some sort of mishap and stayed awake the entire night.”
Huo Shaoheng stood up quickly. “Then look after her. I’ll go answer the call.”
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes shot open and looked at Huo Shaoheng. Her gaze was deep but quiet, like a deep well.
Huo Shaoheng felt Gu Nianzhi’s gaze. He stopped and turned back to caress her head. “Good girl. I’m just going to answer a call. Will be back in a minute.”
Chen Lie almost laughed out loud. He rolled his eyes and mumbled, “The phone is just a meter away. Do you have to…?”
The moment Gu Nianzhi looked up, she would be able to see Huo Shaoheng on the phone. However, she did not say anything. She looked at Chen Lie, then looked at Ye Zitan, who was busy doing her duties. Her gaze spoke of nothing but accusations.
Chen Lie understood that gaze immediately, coughed a couple of times, and stopped teasing her. Turning away, he brought a machine over and began doing the checkup for Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi relaxed her body and closed her eyes. However, her mind was thinking nonstop. She recounted the incidents that had happened for the past two days and remembered something.
She hadn’t told He Zhichu where she was going when she’d requested permission to be absent from school. How did he know that she would be coming to Barbados?!
And he’d still managed to bring a medical staff at the very last minute to save her?