"Got it." Su Yue smiled faintly, picked up a slice of boiled fish, and put it into her mouth. The fresh, tender fish carried the savory fragrance of the clear broth. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
The two of them chatted as they ate. Before long, rain began falling outside the window.
"Drip, drip, drip..."
This time, it was not merely thunder without rain. The sound of the rain gradually grew clearer, and the drops struck the glass with a "pitter-patter."
Occasionally, lightning tore across the night sky, brightening the restaurant's lighting by several shades.
The bustling exhibition hall closed not long after Lin Li and Su Yue left. A red "Temporarily Closed" sign hung at the entrance, and only two dim streetlamps remained lit outside.
The dark clouds dimmed the sky. A security guard carrying a flashlight slowly patrolled along the outer wall of the exhibition hall. When the beam swept over the grass in a corner, he suddenly stopped.
In the secluded corner, a dark figure poked its head out from behind a trash can.
The man wore a black baseball cap, its brim pulled low.
One hand gripped something tightly inside his pocket, while the other rested against his ear, as if he were listening to something.
The security guard coughed. The flashlight's beam shone straight over, and the dark figure abruptly ducked back.
A few seconds later, the patrolling guard left, and the dark figure began quietly moving deeper into the exhibition hall.
Inside a villa compound, the detached villa beside the artificial lake stood in silence.
In the study on the second floor, the injured Bai Zhenyun sat in a chair.
He braced his elbows against the cold redwood tabletop, interlaced his fingers before his lips, and gazed blankly at the lake outside