Sheng Chenjin walked over, saw Shi Xinxin's actions clearly, and the redness on her hands. He was instantly anxious and strode forward.
He carefully took Shi Xinxin's hand in his palm, inevitably worrying, "How could you be so impulsive? What if something happened?"
Although Sheng Chenjin's words carried a hint of reprimand, his eyes were filled with heartache.
Feeling her hand being gently massaged by his slightly rough palm, Shi Xinxin felt a bit embarrassed, but her hand was tightly held by Sheng Chenjin, so she could only say helplessly, "I know. I definitely won't be impulsive again. I'll find other ways if something happens."
Sheng Chenjin's anxiety lessened. He glanced at her, and his fiery heart softened.
He took out his phone to contact Bai Feng. Shi Xinxin, meanwhile, tried knocking on the warehouse door. However, the interior of the warehouse door was clearly made of a special material. Even if she battered her hands, the sound was swallowed by the unique core of the material. No wonder Jiang Ling hadn't been discovered here for so long.
Shi Xinxin took a small step back, studying the door with keen interest.
Elder Feng had planned everything, so this door made of special material must have been his arrangement.
Jiang Ling hadn't been locked up inside for more than an hour, so he was likely fine. Shi Xinxin even had the leisure to consider the door, planning to ask someone to dismantle it later to examine the material inside, perhaps even finding a way to make money from it.
Bai Feng was efficient and quickly came back with an iron box. Seeing Sheng Chenjin and Shi Xinxin's gazes fixed on him, he sheepishly lowered his head.
"You unlock these two iron locks first," Sheng Chenjin said, stepping aside. Bai Feng pushed the iron box forward, revealing a row of unlocking tools.
Shi Xinxin watched him work, raising an eyebrow. She then looked at Sheng Chenjin, "So it's this hard to be your assistant. Not only do you have to be proficient in eight languages, but you also need to master small skills like unlocking."
Sheng Chenjin watched as one iron lock clicked open. He didn't hide it from her, "The basics of being an assistant include knowing these little tricks. Otherwise, the shady dealings between corporations alone would be enough to put my company out of business."
True, when competing with rivals, one always needed some tricks to retaliate. Shi Xinxin understood this. She watched as Bai Feng began working on the second lock with his tools.
Bai Feng worked quickly and skillfully, with precision. In just ten minutes, he had unlocked both complex iron locks.
He tidied up his tools, and Sheng Chenjin stepped forward to push the door open.
A wave of dust, untouched by sunlight for years, assailed them. Sheng Chenjin raised his hand to clear the dust from his nose, frowning uncomfortably, and then held Shi Xinxin back.
Shi Xinxin's eyes darted around, trying to find Jiang Ling in the vast darkness of the small space.
Sheng Chenjin turned on his phone's flashlight, and a beam of light instantly illuminated a corner, also lighting up the surrounding edges.
Shi Xinxin immediately spotted a human figure in an inconspicuous corner. She gasped, fearing something had happened to Jiang Ling, and rushed over, "Jiang Ling! How could you..."
Her worried words caught in her throat.
—Jiang Ling was huddled in the corner, playing on his phone with utter boredom. The phone's light illuminated his entire face.
Shi Xinxin silently withdrew her concerns.
When Jiang Ling saw her, a smile appeared on his face, "Xinxin, you're finally here. I thought I'd never see you again."
Sheng Chenjin scanned the surroundings, ensuring there was nothing else, then walked over, his gaze sweeping over the rather disheveled Jiang Ling with a hint of sarcasm.
He spoke before Shi Xinxin, and if one listened closely, one could hear a trace of disdain in his tone, "Looking at your spirited appearance, you don't seem like someone who would die here."
Shi Xinxin knew him too well. As soon as she heard Sheng Chenjin's changed tone, she could guess his sarcastic expression.
A helpless smile slowly spread across her lips. Jiang Ling shifted his gaze to Sheng Chenjin, and hearing his words, he looked down at himself.
Indeed, his dark blue suit was covered in a layer of dust, and his meticulously styled hair was now falling onto his forehead. He could only be described in one word: a mess.
Jiang Ling's expression was quite grim. He had never been so disheveled since birth.
Being so disheveled in front of Shi Xinxin was the most unacceptable thing to him.
His face visibly darkened, and he then strode away, leaving behind a sentence with a hint of suppressed anger, "I'll go change first."
Shi Xinxin was taken aback. Seeing the two men fuming, she shook her head speechlessly.
She turned to follow and said to Sheng Chenjin, "Jiang Ling is currently our only lead. I advise you to restrain yourself and stop overthinking things."
Without waiting for Sheng Chenjin's reply, Shi Xinxin left the warehouse.
Sheng Chenjin felt a pang of displeasure.
It wasn't the displeasure of jealousy, but rather the displeasure of being reprimanded by Shi Xinxin.
However, he then thought, Xinxin even gave him her first kiss, so her heart must be entirely with him.
Sheng Chenjin instantly felt confident again, his spirits lifted as he followed them out of the warehouse.
Jiang Ling quickly contacted his assistant. As Shi Xinxin emerged from the warehouse, she saw a man wearing glasses rushing towards a room nearby.
She recognized this artistic man; he was Jiang Ling's assistant.
Shi Xinxin waited by the door of the room for a while. Sheng Chenjin stood beside her unobtrusively. The atmosphere between them was so harmonious, as if nothing had happened.
Shi Xinxin's lips curved slightly. She casually averted her gaze, pretending not to see Sheng Chenjin's stare.
The man beside her seemed to have lowered his demeanor considerably. Shi Xinxin felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
The next moment, the room door opened. Shi Xinxin quickly became serious and stopped Jiang Ling, "Wait."
Jiang Ling's expression was somewhat displeased. His disheveled state had been seen by Shi Xinxin, which had wounded his pride.
Shi Xinxin, having anticipated his thoughts, said helplessly, "Don't overthink it. I didn't even glance at you just now."
Shi Xinxin coughed lightly and got straight to the point, "Weren't you discussing a collaboration with Feng Xiao just now? Why was there a sudden explosion next door?"
Mentioning this, Jiang Ling's expression darkened slightly. "Just as we were about to finalize the deal, a timed bomb went off inside the box he opened."
"By the time I wanted to escape, it was too late. I rolled through a secret passage into the warehouse."