My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

When Shi Nian saw Jiang Jinyan's ugly expression the first second he opened the door, her smile froze briefly. But then, she had decided to thicken her skin so she might as well stuck onto it until the end. She showed the container in her arms to him and gestured toward the artistic, childish and colorful drawing of emoticons on her board.

In a way, Shi Nian had tried her best to do it so that it didn't seem too forceful but at the same time, it didn't leave him any room for refusal either.

She peeked into the room behind him and saw a completely dark space without any lights.

"What do you want?" Jiang Jinyan's voice was hoarse and raspy as if he had just woken up.

Shi Nian returned her gaze and saw that Jiang Jinyan's complexion didn't seem right. His eternally untanned skin looked sickly pale at this moment and there were dots of sweat on his forehead. Worried yet couldn't let the things in her arms go, she only gave him a concerned look.

Jiang Jinyan lowered his eyes and didn't meet hers. "I have already eaten."

As if the whole universe decided to go against him, in that exact moment, his stomach growled loudly in protest.

Jiang Jinyan: "…"

Shi Nian: "…"

She tactfully pretended not to hear anything and waved the container in front of his eyes. The scent of warm food, mild spiciness and strong flavor of broth rushed to his nose and his stomach gurgled again.

The veins on Jiang Jinyan's arms bulged and his head was attacked by a strong migraine.

A soft and familiar sensation rubbed against his feet and he lowered his head to find his family's little idiot staring at Shi Nian with a fervent gaze. "Mew~"

Shi Nian's eyes brightened up. She opened her mouth to mimic the meow soundlessly.

The two instantly formed a tight bond at first meow.

That traitor even wanted to go through him and rubbed its head against the girl's calf. Jiang Jinyan closed his eyes for a second and used his foot to push the kitten inside. Shi Nian showed a regretful expression and looked at it longingly, then a pair of human and cat looked at Jiang Jinyan with a sad look.

For a split second, Jiang Jinyan felt like an evil witch whose life was dedicated to separating a pair of lovebirds.

The corner of Shi Nian's eyes curved happily. General Jiang and a little kitten, it was such a cute and unexpected pair! He was rich, talented, handsome, and a cat lover, could anyone be as perfect as her general?

She decided that today had been enough and shoved the container into Jiang Jinyan's arms, catching him off guard. She had come at the right time, Jiang Jinyan must have been famished. Shi Nian gave a wide grin and made a gesture of eating. Then, she waved him and the little kitten goodbye.

The sight of her back leaving was swift and decisive and the hem of her dress flowed like clouds drifting across the sky, leaving a trail of air smelled like hotpot along the hallway. When she opened the emergency stairs and saw Jiang Jinyan still standing on the door with his eyes on her, she waved happily at him.

Dealing with this kind of cautious, wary and sharp man, Shi Nian shouldn't be hasty. She ought to pretend that she was harmless, that she didn't have any bad attention toward him, that she was standing by his side.

Only then would Shi Nian be able to live under the shadow of his sharp blade and break through his armor.

Of course, Shi Nian learned it from General Jiang in her past life.

As expected, he really hadn't changed a bit.

***

"Captain!" Ke Shao barged into the office and looked around frantically. "Is Captain here?!"

Tang Wei lifted his head from the computer to show a pair of dark circles around his eyes, making him look like a panda with glasses. He pointed at the closed door of Jin Renguang's personal office soullessly.

With rapid footsteps, Ke Shao knocked on the door. "Capt—" The door opened amidst his knocking, showing the sight of an unkempt Jin Renguang.

"What's wrong?" His voice was very coarse as if he hadn't drank any water for three days.

Ke Shao tried to smooth his breathing, yet his eyes shone dazzlingly with excitement. "Our trap—the Butterfly trap—finally, the bait has been taken! Right now, our people have gone into position and surrounded the place!"

Jin Renguang's eyes turned sharp. He closed the door behind him and grabbed his coat. "Tang Wei, you stay here and support us behind the scene. The rest of you, come with me! Ke Shao, we will talk in the car."

"Yes, sir!"

Jin Renguang left his large jeep and opted for a police car. Five big guys crammed into the car, and Jin Renguang skillfully drove out, the police siren blaring along the way. His hands rested on the steering wheel casually, yet his whole body exuded danger as if he was ready to pounce anytime soon. "Report."

Ke Shao—in the passenger's seat—explained in a swift and concise manner. "Someone has broken through the gate and evaded surveillance cameras. Our people have been keeping an eye on him."

The Butterfly trap precisely meant what the name implied. It's a trap to trip the culprit and possible accomplices. The operation had started ever since Shi Nian was discharged from the hospital.

Xu Binchen and Ru Meiqi were responsible for the 'real' Shi Nian. While Jin Renguang and the rest of the SCI squad was responsible for the 'fake' Shi Nian.

By fake, it was really a substitute with similar body proportions, similar features, same height, and even same aura. By looking from afar, even Qiang Fei might not even be able to differentiate them. The substitute started to live as the real Shi Nian; being guarded tightly by the police, lived the way Shi Nian lived and took the route Shi Nian walked.

She managed to hide under the radar with the police's protection, then after two months passed, she felt that the culprit had totally lost interest in her. Thus, she started to work in multiple part time jobs under Shi Nian's name but she never took late night shifts anymore due to the trauma.

With the police's help, she moved into a better living area with good security. It was an inconspicuous, small complex which only consisted of good aunties and uncles, white collar workers, and elderlies walking their pets. Very peaceful, safe and serene.

But in fact, all of the people inside—including the Alzheimer granny, the rheumatic grandpa, their pets and cleaning janitors—were their own people. The whole complex was acting as a cage with multiple personnel living as ordinary people passing through days leisurely, all to give a false impression of a peaceful and tranquil place.

This was Jin Renguang's iron net, the impeccable movie set with him as the producer and director; the perfect trap that not even a fly could get through!