Chapter 119: Who Hired the Human Trafficker?

Sheng Zexi was holding her so tightly that Gu Jianing could barely breathe. Instinctively, she tried to push him away, turning her head—only to see the redness in his eyes. She froze, her heart suddenly melting with tenderness.

“Brother Xi, I’m sorry for making you worry,” Gu Jianing apologized softly. Before she left, she’d promised nothing would happen, but in the end, something did.

“But really, Brother Xi, don’t worry. I’m fine, truly. You can check—I’m not hurt at all.”

“And I even managed to take down that human trafficker. He’s at the police station right now.”

Seeing that Sheng Zexi was still silent, Gu Jianing grew anxious.

She softened her voice further. “I’m sorry, Brother Xi. I really made you worry.” She reached out and gently hugged him to comfort him.

The warmth and softness in his arms, along with her gentle words, finally brought Sheng Zexi back to his senses. His hands, which had been cold, slowly regained their warmth.

The heart that had been pounding with panic at the news of Gu Jianing’s encounter with a trafficker finally began to calm.

He rested his chin on her head and explained, “I’m not blaming you. I was just worried about you, Ningning. You’re still pregnant.”

No one knew how he felt during training when a young soldier rushed in to report that Gu Jianing had run into a human trafficker in town.

Even though the soldier said Gu Jianing was amazing and had taken down the trafficker—

Only Sheng Zexi knew how delicate his little wife was, how she didn’t have much strength, and now she was pregnant. How could she possibly take down a trafficker?

Even if she did, what if she got hurt?

Thinking about all this, Sheng Zexi couldn’t bear it.

If he thought any further, he was afraid he’d go crazy.

So he rushed out of the military compound and drove straight to town.

It wasn’t until this moment, with his wife in his arms, that his heart finally settled.

“I know you were worried about me, Brother Xi, but I’m really fine. I even managed to take down that trafficker…”

Listening to his little wife excitedly recount how she’d taken down the trafficker, Sheng Zexi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the end, he could only squeeze her hand and lead her into the police station.

Sheng Zexi saw the trafficker, who still hadn’t woken up, his eyes cold as ice. He instructed Zhang Weidong to interrogate thoroughly and to report any news to the military at once.

“Don’t worry, Brother, I will.”

Finally, Sheng Zexi helped Gu Jianing and Zhang Shuwan load their purchases into the car and drove them back to the military compound.

As soon as they arrived, Zhang Shuwan saw Lin Xing anxiously waiting.

Lin Xing had just learned that his wife and Comrade Gu had run into a trafficker outside—he was frantic with worry, especially since both women were pregnant.

Seeing his wife safe and sound, Lin Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Sheng Zexi slowed his steps, carrying their things as he walked beside Gu Jianing.

When they got home, Sheng Zexi put down the bags. Gu Jianing was about to start sorting things out when Sheng Zexi suddenly scooped her up and sat down on the kang in the living room, holding her in his arms.

He rested his head on her lap, full of reliance.

“Should we unpack?” Gu Jianing asked.

“No rush,” came his muffled reply from her lap.

“Are you hungry? Want something to eat?” Gu Jianing asked again.

“Not hungry. What about you?”

“I already had dumplings at the state-run restaurant.”

“Mm.”

Sheng Zexi said nothing more, just continued to hold her quietly, not moving at all.

Gu Jianing thought: Well, after being scared, this man has turned into a big, aggrieved puppy.

She stroked his head, over and over, and couldn’t help but feel like she was petting a big dog.

And honestly, he seemed to enjoy it.

Gu Jianing couldn’t resist teasing him, exaggerating a little, “Oh my, our tall and mighty Captain Sheng, the king of soldiers in the army, turns into a clingy husband at home, hugging his wife and refusing to let go. Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you if they see?”

The man in her arms gave a soft hum. “What’s wrong with hugging my wife? Most of them don’t even have wives.”

Just like that, Sheng Zexi made it sound like having a wife was a badge of honor.

Gu Jianing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she stopped teasing him.

She just held him, leaning against him, quietly enjoying their time together.

Maybe his embrace was just too warm, too familiar and safe. Before she knew it, her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.

When she woke again, it was already dark outside.

For the next two days, Sheng Zexi kept following up on the human trafficker’s case.

On the third day, he finally came back with news for Gu Jianing.

“The trafficker has confessed. He was identified by Qin De as the same one who tried to work with him to kidnap Qin Tian.”

“Fortunately, he hadn’t kidnapped anyone else, and for now, he has no accomplices.”

“Then why did he target me?” Gu Jianing asked.

She wasn’t surprised by what Sheng Zexi said—she’d seen it in flashes of her future vision, which was why she’d warned the police.

“At first, he said it was because you’re pretty.”

“That can’t be the only reason,” Gu Jianing immediately dismissed.

“You’re right, it wasn’t. After another round of questioning, he finally admitted that someone hired him to target you specifically. He’d been waiting around town and Kaoshan Village for quite a while. Today, he got word that you were in town, so he made his move.”

“He got word? From whom?” Gu Jianing’s heart skipped a beat.

Sheng Zexi’s face was calm as he shook his head. “Even the trafficker doesn’t know who it was. Whether it was the hiring or the messages, that person never showed their face. He doesn’t even know if it’s a man or a woman. He just received instructions at a certain place. As for how they knew about you, the person who hired him gave him a drawing of you.”

Sheng Zexi had seen the drawing—it was a good likeness, though of course, Gu Jianing was beautiful enough that anyone could recognize her from it.

“What did the person who hired him say?” Gu Jianing asked.

“They said, kidnap you first, and then…” Sheng Zexi looked at her face.

Seeing her confusion, Sheng Zexi said in a low voice, “Then use a knife to ruin your face.”

“What?!” Gu Jianing cried out, clutching her fair, pretty face with both hands. “That’s just evil! It must be a woman—someone who’s jealous of my looks!”

Actually, Gu Jianing had a vague suspicion.

A woman with such strong hostility toward her.

There was only one person it could be.

Li Shuyao!

Gu Jianing was eighty to ninety percent sure it was Li Shuyao."