Duan Wen’s voice was trembling.
“Arrested? How could he be arrested? Wasn’t he just investigating personal information?”
Li Bingbing couldn't comprehend, feeling her world spin.
“It’s not that simple,” Duan Wen’s tone grew heavier.
“The military just called me.”
“The military?” Li Bingbing’s pitch instantly rose.
Those two words sent a chill down her spine.
“Yes, the military,” Duan Wen took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm his emotions.
“They said Wu Fei is suspected of privately investigating an active military officer.”
“And secretly photographing a military base. This charge… it’s endangering national security.”
Endangering national security!
These words struck Li Bingbing like a bolt from the blue, making her vision swim.
She only wanted to help her artist uncover the background of a man.
How did it get linked to endangering national security?
This was simply preposterous.
“Furthermore, they also told me to immediately go to Haining City to cooperate with the investigation.”
Duan Wen’s last sentence was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
Li Bingbing’s legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed onto the floor; she held onto the sofa to barely steady herself.
“Then… then what do we do? Duan Wen, will we go to jail?”
Her voice was already tinged with a sob, full of fear.
Duan Wen on the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, then analyzed in as steady a voice as possible:
“Don’t panic yet. Things might not be at their worst.”
“They called me to come over, rather than sending people to arrest me directly.”
“This indicates they might not want to blow things out of proportion.”
“I guess their intention is to resolve major issues into minor ones, and minor issues into nothing.”
“But… but that’s a crime of endangering national security!”
Li Bingbing simply couldn’t calm down.
“This is precisely the crux of the problem,” Duan Wen’s voice became serious.
“This shows that Lu Mingyu is absolutely not the kind of swindler we thought he was.”
“His identity is not simple, and his military rank is probably not low. We’ve really hit a brick wall this time.”
Li Bingbing was completely stunned, her mind a blank.
She regretted it, regretted her impulsiveness, regretted her unnecessary actions.
She had acted out of good intentions, fearing that her good friend Gu Lina Zha would be deceived emotionally by a fake soldier.
But now it seemed, not only was he a real soldier.
He was also a powerful soldier whom she absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
This matter had completely spiraled out of her control.
After hanging up Duan Wen’s call, Li Bingbing sat on the sofa, distraught.
She had to tell Naza about this; she couldn't keep it a secret anymore.
With trembling hands, she scrolled through her contacts, found Gu Lina Zha’s number, and dialed it.
After a few rings, the call connected, and Gu Lina Zha’s cheerful voice came through.
“Hello, Bingbing Jie, calling me so late, what’s up?”
Hearing Gu Lina Zha’s unguarded voice.
Li Bingbing’s tears could no longer be held back and gushed out all at once.
“Naza… I’m sorry… I… I did something incredibly stupid.”
Li Bingbing’s voice choked up.
Gu Lina Zha on the other end of the phone was startled by her, and her tone immediately became worried.
“Bingbing Jie? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t cry, what happened?”
Li Bingbing took a deep breath, using all her strength.
She explained the whole situation from beginning to end.
“I… I was afraid you’d be deceived by that Lu Mingyu.”
“He said he was a special forces soldier, and I always felt it was unreliable…”
“So, I asked Duan Wen to find a private detective to investigate him in Haining City…”
The other end of the phone instantly fell into a deathly silence.
After several seconds, Gu Lina Zha’s disbelieving voice finally came through.
“What did you say? Bingbing, you found someone to investigate Lu Mingyu?”
Gu Lina Zha was completely stunned.
She never expected that Bingbing Jie would do something so crazy out of concern for her.
“I’m sorry, Naza, I truly know I was wrong,”
Li Bingbing’s crying grew louder, “Now that private detective has been arrested.”
“The charge is endangering national security, and even Duan Wen has been called by the military to Haining City to cooperate with the investigation…”
“What… what should I do…”
The more Li Bingbing spoke, the more frightened she became, and her voice grew more desperate.
“Naza, can… can you call your boyfriend and sound him out?”
“See what his attitude is exactly?”
“Will he… will he send us all to prison?”
Hearing Li Bingbing’s frantic and helpless plea, Gu Lina Zha, though equally shocked and apprehensive, knew she couldn't panic now.
She forced herself to calm down and gently comforted Li Bingbing on the phone:
“Bingbing, stop crying first, and don’t overthink.”
“This isn’t your fault; you were doing it for my good.”
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll figure something out. I’ll call him right away to ask about the situation.”
“You just stay home, don’t go anywhere, and wait for my news, okay?”
Gu Lina Zha’s words were like a reassurance, calming the distraught Li Bingbing a little.
After hanging up the phone, silence returned to the apartment.
Gu Lina Zha never imagined things would escalate to this point.
She knew Lu Mingyu’s identity was special.
But she never thought that a small investigation would touch upon a red line of “endangering national security” of this level.
Her heart was filled with worry for Li Bingbing, mixed with guilt towards Lu Mingyu.
Her friend investigated him because she didn't trust him; what would he think?
Would he think she also didn’t trust him?
Would he be angry because of this?
Countless thoughts swirled in Gu Lina Zha’s mind, leaving her in a state of turmoil.
She held her phone, found Lu Mingyu’s number, and her fingertip hovered over the dial button, but she hesitated to press it.
This was the first time she felt so apprehensive and uneasy when contacting Lu Mingyu.
After much hesitation, she finally closed her eyes and pressed the number.
The call connected quickly, and Lu Mingyu’s familiar, steady voice came through the receiver.
“Naza?”
Just hearing his voice, Gu Lina Zha’s psychological defenses instantly collapsed.
Feelings of grievance, fear, and guilt surged into her heart.
Her tears fell uncontrollably.
“Mingyu…Woo woo… I’m sorry… I… I’m sorry…”
As soon as she spoke, her voice was heavily choked with sobs.
Lu Mingyu clearly didn’t expect her to suddenly cry, and his tone immediately shifted from calm to urgent and worried.
“What’s wrong? Naza, what happened?”
“Don’t cry, tell me slowly, I’m listening.”
His voice was steady, gently comforting Gu Lina Zha.
Gu Lina Zha sobbed, intermittently explaining how Li Bingbing had found someone to investigate him.
“It’s all my fault, I didn’t explain clearly to Bingbing Jie…”
“I didn’t know she would do this… you… you won’t be angry, will you?”
Lu Mingyu listened quietly on the other end, not interrupting her.
After she finished speaking, he sighed lightly, his tone helpless yet doting.
“I thought it was some huge matter; turns out you’re crying over this.”
“Alright, stop crying, or you’ll turn into a little messy cat.”
He gently comforted her.
“I already know about this.”
