Having been thrown by Hongfa countless times, Lanli developed experience; the moment he saw her stance, he knew what she intended. He yielded to her momentum, leaped up, maintained pressure on two points of her body with both hands, and countered with a shoulder throw.

Naturally, Hongfa wouldn't be thrown so easily.

She planted a foot firmly on the ground, turning to face him—

But Lanli hadn't planned a shoulder throw at all; he was waiting for this very countermove. Thus, as Hongfa spun around, she was conspicuously pinned by Lanli pressing down on her shoulder.

Her center of gravity was entirely in her upper body; a slight pressure was enough to make her lose balance and collapse forward.

Worse still, Mr. Lanli also went down, landing right on top of her, of all places.

Hongfa swore she had never suffered such a humiliating fate in her life and instantly flushed a deep crimson.

Lanli maintained his gentlemanly composure, bracing himself on the carpet with both hands, preparing to spring up. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something, leaned in, and smiled tenderly, "My apologies, I seem to have landed on you. Could you move?"

Hongfa froze for a second—could he really use an excuse like that? She immediately bristled, "Move my foot! You pretentious boor, get off me, you scum."

Lanli frowned briefly: "I can't roll away; you've pinned my clothing."

Hongfa glanced down, seeing nothing trapped, then looked again and finally spotted the tip of her heel pressing into the edge of his trousers.

Damn it all!

Anyone with such a thick skin had to be some kind of talent.

She was no saintly believer, so she swiftly aimed a kick at his vital area. Lanli leaped up in alarm, dodging it with pinpoint accuracy.

Hongfa pretended to recover her composure, rising slowly, her face still somewhat flushed.

In that instant when she was beneath him and he was above her, she had experienced a strange, almost electrical sensation—like a laser beam narrowly missing her, that moment of fatal proximity made her break out in a cold sweat down her back.

She pretended to look down to adjust her hair, and when she looked up again, her expression was normal. Seeing Lanli watching her with a half-smirk, she hardened her resolve and delivered a sharp kick to the back of his knee. Lanli leaned back slightly, quipping with showy confidence, "This young master's flexibility is excellent."

The moment the words left his mouth, Hongfa grabbed his chest with both hands and shoved backward forcefully. Poor Lanli, lacking Hongfa’s prowess, lost his balance and tipped backward. Hongfa held onto his chest to prevent him from falling, but dragged him all the way down until he was just about to hit the floor, then sneered coolly, "I never hold grudges; vengeance is served immediately. Anyone who dares to press down on me hasn't been born yet." With that, she pushed him lightly to the ground, stood up with leisurely grace, and announced, "We should go find the President."

Poor Lanli, having only ever been bullied by An Junlie, had never suffered such treatment from anyone else. Yet, he couldn't really do anything to Hongfa, so he stood up as if nothing had happened, giving a slight smile: "To be pinned beneath such a beautiful lady is truly my honor, Madam."

Hongfa decided to ignore the endlessly shape-shifting Deputy Commander, picked a direction, and strode forward.

Lanli naturally followed, neither of them looking at the other. After a while, Lanli suppressed his emotions, his expression turning serious. "We’ve searched so many places without seeing a trace of the President. Perhaps there’s a secret location here that we don't know about?"

Even though she had pinned Lanli, Hongfa’s mood remained somewhat foul, and she sneered, "Pretentious boor, aren't you supposed to be brilliant? Why don't you sniff him out then?"

Truthfully, Lanli detested the nickname "Pretentious Boor."

How could a handsome, dashing, and elegant man like himself be called something as vulgar as that?

He resolved to win this exchange back!

Lanli pondered carefully, then said, "My dear lady, it is my profound honor to serve you. Please watch closely now."

Hongfa raised an eyebrow and, without a word, followed his lead.

Lanli suddenly seemed to remember something and tenderly took Hongfa's hand, leading her.

Hongfa frowned, "What are you doing?"

Lanli turned his head toward her and whispered, "Shh. Just follow my lead."

Hongfa didn't know what scheme he was brewing, so she allowed him to lead.

Lanli’s hands were very well-maintained; his nails were neatly trimmed and pink, his palms smooth and soft. Hongfa’s hands, calloused from years of gripping firearms, were large, with prominent knuckles and rough palms.

Upon grasping his hand, Hongfa instinctively assumed control, immediately gripping Lanli's hand back like a valiant man. Poor Lanli instantly felt like a delicate maiden.

He walked calmly and elegantly, but inside, he was boiling, his thoughts screaming.

His inner voice insisted that as a man, he must maintain the initiative; he shouldn't let Hongfa hold his hand, but rather, he should hold hers. Yet, he didn't want his assertion of dominance to result in Hongfa shaking him off.

For the first time in his life, he agonized over such a trivial matter.

Should he switch hands and grip Hongfa’s instead, or maintain the current posture and continue walking?

His inner state was like that of a six-year-old child, filled with excitement, yet tinged with resentment.

The distance wasn't far, but his mental struggle made every step agonizingly slow, executed with extreme elegance. He deliberately avoided the elevator, stretching what should have been a few floors into over ten minutes of walking.

He was ascending.

Hongfa assumed he was heading for the revolving restaurant and looked slightly surprised.

After the incident, most people would have moved toward the lower levels. Although this was a space station where up and down held little difference, human instinct made them trust the direction closer to the ground; in an accident, they were reluctant to head higher up.

However, Lanli’s destination was not the top-floor revolving restaurant; instead, he turned toward the wedding venue of Illya and Karu.

Hongfa seemed to grasp something, offering a cool smile. Since he wouldn't explain, she didn't ask, following him through the wedding hall and into the adjoining lounge.

In the lounge, there were shockingly more than twenty beautiful young women!

Besides a few who were Illya’s sisters, the rest were waitresses and hostesses from the reception.

Illya’s sisters looked pale-faced, yet they were being attended to like princesses by the staff. Most of the waitresses looked relatively calm, occasionally fetching food for them, otherwise sitting aside chatting or tidying the immediate environment.

Compared to the political maneuvering among the world leaders, this place felt like an independent realm.

The moment Hongfa saw them, she knew Lanli had tricked her. She withdrew her hand expressionlessly, watching calmly to see what he would do next.

The lead waitress, seeing the two enter, approached them with practiced professionalism. "What would you two like to eat?"

Hongfa had been too busy to get anything to eat and was quite hungry now. "I would like—" She stopped herself the moment the words left her mouth.

Because she watched Lanli approach the lead waitress with an ostentatious and exquisite grace, taking her hand and leaning in slightly to kiss the back of it gently. "My beautiful lady, you have suffered."

-RS