Jingle, jingle.
Soon.
The table full of delicacies was wiped clean.
Luna frowned at the sight of the messy table, filled with soup and remnants.
"Speaking of which, you bunch of foodies!"
"Eating a meal, is there a hole below your mouths? Making such a mess of the table."
"I don't know if I'll be the one cleaning up later. You really are something."
During their house arrest in the villa, Meng Hao and Luna had settled into a routine resembling that of an ordinary couple.
Meng Hao was responsible for preparing meals daily, while washing pots and dishes naturally fell to Luna.
Seeing the American agents who frequented their meals, now considered friends, always left the table in disarray, Luna, who had developed a phobia of washing dishes, naturally had a sour expression.
"Oh, sister-in-law, we're all rough guys. It's normal for us to be undisciplined when eating..."
"Exactly, exactly. It's all because Ah Hao's cooking is so delicious, and using knives and forks isn't convenient for eating. Chinese cuisine really is better with chopsticks... but, you know, Chinese chopsticks are really too difficult to use..."
"How about this, whatever supplies you need, we'll get them for you overnight... Speaking of which, are you two getting along well in that department? If not, we can send some blue pills..."
"..."
Luna rolled her eyes.
"Nonsense, Brother Hao's physique is much better than yours..."
Faced with Luna's retort,
The men burst into laughter.
Truth be told.
This scene.
It was less like guarding and confining Meng Hao, and more like a gathering of lifelong friends.
Watching the men making crude jokes,
Luna's face flushed.
In reality.
She had a story she couldn't tell!
They had been alone together for half a month, yet Meng Hao hadn't touched her.
It was a blow to her self-confidence.
Was she really that undesirable?
Pretending to be angry, with a stern face, Luna cleared the dishes and prepared to head to the kitchen to wash them... Although there was a dishwasher to assist, she still insisted on hand-washing most of the plates and bowls.
Subconsciously, she felt that hand-washed dishes were cleaner and would make Meng Hao feel more comfortable.
While Luna was busy in the kitchen,
The men were chatting about everything and nothing at the dining table.
Suddenly.
Several text message alerts rang out from their pockets.
They instinctively pulled out their encrypted phones, glanced at the messages, and their expressions instantly turned grim.
"Sigh."
"Ah Hao, we have to leave for now... We have responsibilities to attend to."
"Actually, joining us in America isn't that difficult."
"It might be a bit of a shock psychologically, though... Don't be too upset."
After receiving a few nonsensical words of comfort, Meng Hao was bewildered.
As the black-suited agents filed out of his villa,
Soon, Meng Hao's phone rang.
It was Lieutenant General Tommy.
"What, you've agreed to let me go?"
Meng Hao answered the phone, still maintaining his usual jesting tone.
However,
Lieutenant General Tommy's voice was extremely low.
"Mr. Meng Hao, even if I let you go, I'm afraid you won't be able to return to China."
"I have some very discouraging news to inform you. I hope you can prepare yourself."
What the heck?
Why was it so discouraging?
It seemed like bad news.
But what bad news could be more upsetting to Meng Hao than being confined here?
Lieutenant General Tommy, with his feigned sympathy, in a somber tone, revealed the most infuriating aspects of the situation in China to Meng Hao.
"Of course, I believe you might not believe me."
"How about this, we'll temporarily restore your contact with the outside world."
"The signal jamming in your area has been lifted. You can see for yourself."
"Think about it, you poured your heart and soul into contributing to this country, and all you get is to be disappeared for half a month, and this is how they treat you... Think for yourself, is it worth it for them?"
...
Meng Hao's brow furrowed slightly.
He took out his phone, which had almost turned into a brick.
Indeed, as Lieutenant General Tommy had said.
The phone's signal to the outside world had been fully restored.
He casually opened a social media app.
Almost all the headlines were about him.
Some called Meng Hao a traitor who had forgotten his roots.
Others cursed his ancestors.
Some rebuked him, saying he didn't deserve to be Chinese.
The entire internet was ablaze with criticism against Meng Hao.
What made Meng Hao feel the most distressed was.
His mother had been hospitalized due to excessive anger.
And it was said that the authorities hadn't even offered the most basic of visits.
Just as Tommy had said.
Was it all worth it, working himself to death to develop all sorts of future black technology products for China?
Not far away.
Luna, who had paused her dishwashing, instinctively picked up her phone, which now had signal.
She also saw the almost unanimous criticism against Meng Hao on Chinese networks.
She stood not far from Meng Hao.
In the dim light, her emotions were complex.
Meng Hao must be feeling extremely upset right now.
Luna wasn't foolish; quite the opposite, having cooperated with American intelligence, she was a smart woman...
Even if she couldn't guess the full story,
Luna could roughly infer that this was definitely a conspiracy by the American government.
She wanted to comfort Meng Hao... but she was American, with a different skin color and nationality... Would Meng Hao think that Luna was also part of the conspiracy?
After a moment,
She mustered her courage.
She walked up to Meng Hao's side.
From behind him, she extended her slender arms and embraced him.
"My dear Meng."
"Perhaps you don't want to believe my explanation, but I can assure you, I am truly not a pawn or a part of this conspiracy."
"I can understand how you feel. If you have anger, you can vent it on me... Don't worry, I'm quite strong, I can take a beating from you."
Meng Hao, whose heart was filled with mixed emotions, found her words almost amusing.
Hitting a woman to vent his anger, was he that kind of person?
He instinctively retorted.
"So, you also think, like the agents who were eating with us earlier, that I should join America?"
Faced with Meng Hao's question,
Luna shook her head.
"My dear Meng."
"I don't think so... On the contrary, I have no interest in national honor, conspiracies, or political maneuvering."
"The only thing I'm interested in is you... Whether you choose to join America or remain defiant and continue to be under house arrest here, I am willing to stay with you."
"There's an old saying in China, 'marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog'... Oh, come to think of it, I'm not your woman yet... but I will still follow you!"