Chapter 140: I've Waited for You All Day

At dinnertime, a piece of news finally brought some appetite to the glum Zhang Mingzhi, Ding Li, and the others. Through the efforts of several renowned physicians, a treatment method had been found for the poison afflicting Zhang Wu. Although progress was slow, it was already sufficient to ensure that Zhang Wu's life was out of danger. However, according to the unanimous verdict of the doctors, it would take at least two months of recuperation for Zhang Wu to fully recover and regain independent mobility.

Nevertheless, this news was enough to make Ding Li and his companions rejoice for a while. Even the ordinary dinner in their stomachs felt like a delicacy.

Yet, there was still one matter that left Ding Li somewhat absent-minded during dinner. Ever since his arrival at the Zhang residence in the morning until now, he had not seen Zhang Yurou at all. Although Zhang Wu's incident had largely erased the estrangement between him and Zhang Mingzhi, Ding Li still could not bring himself to ask about her. This matter, however, only troubled Ding Li for a short while. After downing a few cups of wine following the meal, Ding Li, who had not rested well the previous day, bade farewell to Zhang Mingzhi and returned to his guest room to rest.

Throughout the entire day, Qin Mo, who had followed Ding Li almost constantly, underwent a earth-shattering transformation in his heart. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected Ding Li to be the supreme leader of the South Sea Gang. Not only did he have the powerful Zhang Commercial Association backing him, but Zhang Mingzhi and Ding Li even addressed each other as brothers. Consequently, sharing a table with Zhang Mingzhi during dinner left Qin Mo feeling profoundly shocked.

On the way back to the guest room, Qin Mo, who had been trailing behind Ding Li, suddenly quickened his pace to catch up. He cupped his fists in salute to Ding Li and said in a deep voice, "Brother Li, although I don't know the specifics of the plan you mentioned today, when it comes to intercepting cargo, I believe I am more proficient than any of you! I hope Brother Li can give me and my brothers a chance. Otherwise, for us to keep following Brother Li without doing any work, especially when Brother Li treats us so well, would leave us with a heavy conscience!"

"Hmm?" Ding Li was slightly startled. He first glanced at the servant leading the way ahead, waved his hand to signal him to go on first, and after a brief moment of thought, nodded in agreement. He reached out and patted Qin Mo on the shoulder, instructing him in a low voice, "Since you've put it that way, you and your brothers will handle it. When the time comes, I will lead men to assist you as your subordinates! However, I still need to consider the specific plan further. But keep one thing in mind: this matter is of utmost importance, and someone might even have to pay for it with their life. I originally didn't want to let you..."

"Rest assured, Brother Li! Not a single one of my brothers is afraid of death!" Before Ding Li could finish, Qin Mo interrupted him in a deep voice, his tone exceptionally firm. "Since Brother Li was willing to take us in, naturally we must do something for Brother Li! Besides, if it weren't for Brother Li's help that day, our brothers would likely have died at the hands of the garrison long ago. Our lives were given to us by Brother Li; even if Brother Li asks for them one day, we won't even bat an eye!"

"You exaggerate! When I saved you, it was precisely because I didn't want you to die so easily! After all, these are precious lives!" Ding Li reached out to interrupt Qin Mo's pledge, sighed softly, shook his head, and added, "Actually, I feel that you are men who have been on the battlefield. Given the chance, I would like to send you into the military, or perhaps give you the opportunity to do some business in the future. After all, staying with me is not a long-term solution!"

This was indeed Ding Li's original intention, yet he also had his own selfish motives. For some reason—perhaps because the alcohol he drank made him talk more, or because of the events of the day, or perhaps due to the subtle shift in feelings he suddenly experienced upon arriving at the Zhang residence—Ding Li genuinely generated the thought of pushing Qin Mo and the others away.

Immediately afterward, without waiting for the utterly astonished Qin Mo to react, Ding Li turned and left, waving his hand without looking back and tossing out a casual "Sleep well."

Upon reaching his guest room, the physically and mentally exhausted Ding Li lay fully clothed on the soft bed, only to suddenly find himself wide awake. Tossing and turning for a long time, his large eyes remained bright and alert, unable to close, as if something in the surroundings was calling out to him. Not knowing how much time had passed, Ding Li could no longer endure the torment of insomnia. He got up, poured a cup of cold tea, and slowly walked toward the door.

"Gasp!" The moment he opened the door and stepped out with one foot, Ding Li gave a violent shudder, spilling the cold tea from the cup in his hand. Looking closely, Ding Li instantly felt his brain fail to process the sight: Zhang Yurou, dressed in a light purple long dress, was standing just a few meters to the side of the room, accompanied by her personal maid.

Ding Li had no idea whether Zhang Yurou had just arrived or had been standing there for a while, nor could he bring himself to ask. For a moment, he froze in place, clueless about how to handle this sudden scenario—after all, inviting Zhang Yurou into his room in the middle of the night violated propriety, regardless of whether the two of them cared about such things.

The first to react was the maid beside Zhang Yurou. Knowing her mistress's intentions inside out, she carefully withdrew her hand from supporting Zhang Yurou's arm and slowly stepped backward. After retreating a few steps, she suddenly raised her fist and made a threatening waving gesture toward Ding Li. Had the night not been so dark, Ding Li would have been able to see the warning and anger on her face.

"Rou... Sister Rou..." It seemed the maid's actions jolted Ding Li awake, but he was still at a loss as to how to face her. He didn't even dare meet Zhang Yurou's gaze directly; with his head slightly lowered, his voice trembled as he spoke.

"You've been here for a whole day, why didn't you come to see me?" Zhang Yurou seemed prepared, showing no sign of shyness. The moment Ding Li spoke, she immediately strode toward him. Although her words were a reprimand, her tone was extremely calm. Especially after she spoke, her bright, beautiful eyes shimmered with rippling tenderness beneath the moonlight, exceptionally clear.

"I... I was too busy... Besides, wasn't Brother Wu injured by assassins at the dock?" Ding Li's response was clearly evasive, his gaze flickering away from Zhang Yurou like a child caught stealing candy. Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in his heart, making him feel at that moment more like a faithless scoundrel who had done something shameful.

"Mm, I heard about it!" Zhang Yurou gave a slight nod in response. As she spoke, she had already reached Ding Li. Catching him off guard, Zhang Yurou suddenly reached out and tightly grasped one of Ding Li's hands. Her icy fingertips and palms made Ding Li freeze entirely, as if struck by lightning.

"Do you know? I waited for you all day..." She raised her gaze, her red lips parted slightly, her tone brimming with desolation and disappointment, and ripples instantly formed in her pretty eyes, though that deep tenderness was already veiled by a thin layer of mist. Next, as if unwilling to give Ding Li any chance to react, the bold and stubborn-natured Zhang Yurou suddenly took a step forward, pressing her entire body against Ding Li's. At the same time, standing on tiptoe, her tearful eyes stared directly into Ding Li's eyes, which were filled with guilt and helplessness.

"I, Rou..." Ding Li wanted to say something about everything that was happening, but the moment he opened his mouth, the distance between their eyes suddenly vanished. Ding Li could even clearly see two tears squeezing out from the slowly closing eyes of the beauty before him. Then, before Ding Li could summon any sense of tenderness, Zhang Yurou's warm and even burning red lips pressed firmly against his.

This time, what Ding Li felt was no longer as simple as being struck by lightning; rather, he felt as though he had become a power generator, his entire body stiffening and his mind short-circuiting in an instant. More importantly, Ding Li had no idea what he should do. Reciprocating felt wrong, yet he didn't dare push Zhang Yurou away, though a lingering sense of reluctance and fondness was mixed within.

"Sigh!" Not far away, in the woods along the path, came a long, low sigh. Uncle Xiang, who had witnessed the scene of Zhang Yurou and Ding Li pressed tightly together, could only shake his head helplessly. Yet neither his expression nor his eyes showed any blame or anger; aside from profound helplessness, there was even a trace of an imperceptible joy.

The truth about Ding Li's identity had already been concluded through the judgments of Zhang Kuang and Yang Ru, and Uncle Xiang naturally knew all this. In his view, there was nothing inappropriate about Zhang Yurou being with Ding Li, not only because of Ding Li's identity, but also because, from the bottom of his heart, Uncle Xiang held Ding Li in very high regard.

The only helplessness was that Ding Li already had Liu Sheng at his residence in Guangzhou Prefecture. What Uncle Xiang worried about was that the status of Zhang Yurou, the young lady of the Zhang Commercial Association, might be wronged; after all, Uncle Xiang did not believe that the loyal and righteous Ding Li would demote Liu Sheng to a concubine or cast her aside. Moreover, according to the information Uncle Xiang had gathered, Ding Li and Liu Sheng's relationship was quite extraordinary. However, there was one detail: Liu Sheng's background remained a mystery that Uncle Xiang had been unable to uncover any clues about.

"Uncle Xiang..." A soft call startled Uncle Xiang out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw it was actually Zhang Mingzhi standing behind him. He immediately moved to block the other's path, wanting to obstruct Zhang Mingzhi's view. Zhang Mingzhi, however, gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and sighed softly, "Don't block me, Uncle Xiang. I saw it all, and I've known about this for a while..."

With that, Zhang Mingzhi glanced at the somewhat flustered Uncle Xiang, smiled slightly, shook his head, and continued to sigh, "Don't worry, I have no intention of interfering anymore. After all, I don't want my sister to go out to sea again! And I promised her personally back then: what I guard is not only righteousness, but also her, including everything about her. Whatever she wants, I will give it to her, and I will protect her always!"

"Young Master, you..." Zhang Mingzhi's reply left Uncle Xiang somewhat at a loss. Based on Uncle Xiang's understanding of Zhang Mingzhi, even if he didn't fly into a rage on the spot, he would definitely find a way afterward to tear Ding Li and Zhang Yurou apart, especially since Zhang Mingzhi did not know Ding Li's true identity.

"It's nothing, I've just figured some things out. After all, I don't want to lose my sister again!" Zhang Mingzhi smiled faintly, replying offhandedly. Without caring whether Uncle Xiang could understand, he turned his gaze once more toward the two figures clinging to each other not far away, his eyes full of tenderness. Then Zhang Mingzhi shook his head, smiled as he tossed a final sentence to Uncle Xiang, and turned to walk away quietly: "Uncle Xiang, get some rest early, take care of your health!"

"Ah! He has matured..." Watching Zhang Mingzhi's gradually receding figure, a gratified smile appeared on Uncle Xiang's face. He then turned back to look at Ding Li and Zhang Yurou, who were still not separated in the distance. Uncle Xiang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, shook his head with a smile, and turned to tiptoe away, as if fearing that the slightest sound might disturb the two of them.