Chapter 23

Arriving at the school's surveillance room, Yan Su pressed Zhen Ai into a chair in the corridor, bending down to meet her gaze: "Stay here and don't move. I'll be right back, okay?"

Zhen Ai felt her face flush, puzzled by his suddenly gentle tone, as if he were comforting a child.

When she didn't respond, he misunderstood.

He solemnly patted her shoulder, "Don't be afraid; I'll catch him soon."

Zhen Ai: … I'm not actually scared.

Yan Su then entered to watch the video.

As the officer had said, the bomb was placed in a blind spot in the lower left corner of the video, showing only a hand putting a small box on the steps around six in the morning.

The blind spot… further confirmed that the perpetrator was someone from the school.

But Yan Su wasn't looking for that time segment; he was interested in when he walked out of the teaching building.

In the video, Zhen Ai followed him, and someone approached to speak to him. At one point, a man in a wide-brimmed black hat appeared in the lower right corner and quickly walked toward Yan Su.

He crossed over Zhen Ai's shoulder, handing Yan Su a gift, while his other hand…

His other hand slipped something into Zhen Ai's hat!

The man then turned and left, and Yan Su chased after him, quickly running out of the surveillance range. However, Zhen Ai made a strange motion behind him, gazing in the direction the man had run off, surprisingly touching the back of her head.

That person had actually pulled Zhen Ai's hair!

Yan Su couldn't help but clench his fists, his expression darkening as he continued to watch. Soon, Zhen Ai ran after him. A few seconds later, a female student bounced into view from the lower left corner of the video, and the scene exploded into chaos.

The crowd on the steps scattered like fireworks.

In the lower right corner of the screen, Zhen Ai turned in shock, and the girl named Angie, drenched in blood, was propelled into her by the force of the explosion.

It looked as if she had protected Zhen Ai…

When Yan Su walked out, Zhen Ai was sitting in her original spot, motionless, but stubbornly rubbing her hands one at a time.

He sat beside her, his expression not quite bright, but his voice gentle, "What's wrong?"

She jumped, embarrassed, and stopped moving, taking a long time to say, "It still smells."

Yan Su naturally understood she meant the smell of blood, but he didn't know how to comfort her; he had never been good at saying soothing words.

Zhen Ai didn't seem to need it; she appeared to be lost in thought, staring at her fingers in silence for a long time before finally speaking, "I guess you figured out my identity long ago, right?"

Yan Su wouldn't lie; he nodded woodenly: "I saw it at first glance…" He rubbed his nose, "Uh, at this point, it's okay not to emphasize first impressions."

"I should have thought of that," Zhen Ai said, smiling softly as she gazed upward.

Yan Su looked up as well.

After a long while, Zhen Ai quietly said, "My fourth agent is named Harvey, from Alabama. He said that Alabama's name comes from the Native American language, meaning: I will clear the path for you.

He also said that the blood of Alabama men carries the soul of a warrior. His name, Harvey, also means warrior. He is a warrior among warriors."

"I will clear the path for you; 

I will fight to protect you."

"Every time he came home, he would first check the indoors. One day, he stepped on a gravity-triggered time bomb; there was one minute until it exploded. I knew that once the pressure on a gravity bomb was released, the time would accelerate exponentially. He said that after lifting his foot, that minute could shrink to just a few seconds. He said:

"Quick!"

"123, without looking back, let's run…"

Zhen Ai lowered her head and chuckled softly, "Ah… I'm so silly."

Yan Su remained silent, already imagining the scene at that moment: the warrior-like agent must have watched her run to safety before releasing his foot.

Compared to those few seconds together, he would rather give her a minute while taking only a few seconds for himself.

"After running far, I stepped on a dirty hand… He was a very neat and handsome guy… I rushed back, just like today, pressing on his chest wound. But he only had one breath left, still saying:

"Run, Kim, please, run!"

Run, Kim, please, hurry!

Zhen Ai took a deep breath, looking up at the fluorescent lights in the corridor, then exhaled deeply.

Yan Su's gaze was deep and unreadable, but the curve of his jaw was tightly set, resembling gloom yet also helpless anger.

He knew this was just the tip of the iceberg of her dark past.

Once she finished speaking, the long corridor fell silent.

After a while, he suddenly turned to her, firmly saying, "Zhen Ai, look at me."

Zhen Ai met his gaze, confused.

Yan Su stared into her dark eyes, taking a deep breath, his feelings more resolute now. He spoke softly:

"Without a doubt, you are the strongest and kindest girl I've ever met."

Zhen Ai's eyes widened in surprise; this was undeniably a significant compliment for both of them.

She doubted whether Yan Su meant to comfort her.

But Yan Su was certain.

After all the unimaginable tragedies she had endured, she still upheld her principles and professionalism, never wallowing in her own sorrow while shedding tears for the suffering of others.

"I think today, I've seen your heart." He generously praised her, "It's very clean, very beautiful, and it makes me happy."

Yan Su smiled slightly, "No, I should say, I'm proud of you."

Such a nonsensical yet sincere compliment warmed Zhen Ai's heart.

He truly wasn't good at comforting, but his praise and recognition had brightened her mood, filling her with renewed determination.

Since he genuinely appreciated her, she gratefully accepted it.

She didn't blush at all, instead offering him a big smile as thanks.

Her smile was sincere and pure, with a hint of shyness he wasn't used to. He paused, momentarily lost in thought, realizing that Owen was right; she really looked beautiful when she smiled.

Feeling a bit flustered, he awkwardly averted his gaze and asked, "Have you ever shared these experiences with anyone else?"

Zhen Ai shook her head. "I'm not allowed to see a psychologist. Besides, I can handle it myself."

"I believe you can," he nodded heavily in support, feeling an inexplicable sense of superiority that he later scorned himself for.

"I'm sorry," he clenched his fists on his lap. "I won't say those things again."

Zhen Ai looked puzzled. "What did you say?"

"Those things that made you see a doctor." His expression darkened as he squinted. "I can't believe you forgot what I said."

Zhen Ai sensed he was upset and quickly replied, "I thought those words were your concern; it's just, um, your way of showing concern is a bit... unique."

Yan Su's face was serious, and he replied flatly, "Who cares about you? I was just analyzing the problem." Yet a hint of embarrassment crept onto his face.

"Oh, I see." Zhen Ai felt a bit disappointed and turned to look at the wall.

Seeing her like this, Yan Su furrowed his brows but ultimately said nothing. After a moment of silence, he reached into the back of her hat and fished something out.

Zhen Ai was startled and turned around to see him producing a colorful object as if by magic.

"Ah? You can do magic?"

Yan Su's handsome face paled slightly. "Do I look like a magician?"

Ignoring him, Zhen Ai focused on the colorful object in his palm. "Oh? Is this a conch?"

"Strictly speaking, it's called a nautilus." Yan Su was about to elaborate on the nautilus's origins and evolution, but his only audience had already tuned out, fiddling with the small shell and shaking it curiously. "Wow, it's beautiful."

Yan Su decided to stay silent.

Zhen Ai looked around. "No wonder it's called a nautilus; it's as colorful as a parrot."

Yan Su held back but finally corrected her. "Actually, many of the 358 species of parrots in nature are not colorful at all. Take the African grey parrot, for instance; it's all grey and particularly ugly..."

"But how did you pull it out?" Zhen Ai asked, looking at him.

She didn't listen; she was intentionally ignoring him.

Yan Su's expression darkened. "I told you I'm not a magician!"

"La la la, I didn't hear you," Zhen Ai looked up at the sky, listening to the sounds from the nautilus, ignoring him.

Yan Su watched her in silence, suddenly thinking that not telling her where the nautilus came from might be better. He didn't know if the mysterious person was targeting him or Zhen Ai, but he didn't want her to feel uneasy.

What was clear was that he hadn't placed the bomb on the stairs; after all, that person couldn't guarantee that no one would kick the bomb while climbing.

But what did "The Pipa and the Nautilus" signify?

Just then, Yan Su's phone rang; it was Officer Blake. He answered the call and left with Zhen Ai.

Zhen Ai caught snippets of the conversation and asked, "Did you identify the suspect?"

"Enrique Jason, 31, has been studying at Columbia University for nearly a decade. He has a bachelor's in physics, a master's in mechanical automation, and a PhD focusing on mechanical physics. He's part of a research group studying electronic physics engineering technology. Recently, however, his years of research were declared a failure, and his thesis was deemed radical and unrealistic by his advisor. Meanwhile, his competitor received $5 million in government funding and became his advisor's assistant, ready to start the second phase of research. Naturally, he was excluded."

Yan Su spoke rapidly, walking even faster.

Zhen Ai had to jog to keep up, glancing at her watch, thinking it was impressive they had identified a suspect in under fifty minutes.

But when she looked up, Yan Su's face was grim, and he was moving at a lightning pace. "Aren't you happy?" she asked.

Yan Su's voice was cold. "The guy ran."

Zhen Ai felt a pang; Jason seemed too alert.

Noticing his mood, she refrained from asking further questions.

After walking in silence for some time, Yan Su finally said coldly, "The police found his residence, but that's definitely not where he made the bomb. He's more cautious than I expected; he noticed the police suspicion right away. It looks like he'll prepare for his next move early. He's from Texas and has no relatives or places to use in New York. So where's he making the bombs?"

Zhen Ai hurried down the stairs behind him, acutely aware of his cold demeanor and sensing his anger.

He had promised her that he would catch the suspect before the next explosion, but now the clever Jason had sensed something was off and vanished.

Zhen Ai felt awkwardly anxious, wishing that promise didn't put too much pressure on him.

Lost in thought, she suddenly misstepped, letting out a gasp just before she fell hard onto the steps.

Yan Su hadn't anticipated this sudden situation. Hearing her cry, he immediately turned back to help her. But he had moved too quickly and lost several steps, arriving too late, watching helplessly as she fell at his feet.

Realizing he had been too hasty, he quickly helped her up, worriedly scanning her face. "I'm sorry."

Zhen Ai blinked in surprise, feeling pain but waving her hand, feeling no need for an apology.

But noticing his bad mood, she wasn't sure how to respond. He then asked softly, "Does it hurt a lot?" His tone had an uncharacteristic gentleness he wasn't even aware of.

Zhen Ai shook her head, smiling nonchalantly. "It's just a fall; it's not that serious." The pain was brief and quickly faded.

Yet he frowned, clearly upset with himself.

He silently scolded himself, then bent down to gently brush the dust off her pants.

Zhen Ai watched him bending down, then glanced at the passing students, feeling a bit embarrassed. She quickly bent down. "I can do it myself..."

But just then, he straightened up.

In a split second, her chin bumped against his forehead, and it almost felt like she kissed him on the forehead.

His skin was more delicate and firm than she had imagined, with a manly toughness and a faint, forest-like scent in his hair.

Zhen Ai felt completely embarrassed and chose to remain silent, feigning ignorance.

Yan Su was slightly stunned, taking two seconds to regain clarity in his eyes.

He stood two steps below her, their eyes meeting, and assured her, "Next time I'm with you, I won't walk so fast."

Zhen Ai blushed, unable to respond, and simply nodded obediently.

Yan Su turned to continue walking but furrowed his brow internally. The moment her lips touched his forehead left a lingering, soft, and moist sensation.

The gentle entanglement lingered, unexpected yet not unwelcome, with a faint hint of pleasure.