Does the princess already know?

"Hello, Senior Shangguan!"
"Senior, could we take a picture with you?"

After parting ways with Yao Baisheng, Xia Wushuang and Shangguan Qinglin walked hand in hand through the campus of the Fudan School of Journalism, looking just like any ordinary campus couple. However, as a campus belle, Shangguan Qinglin was a household name on Fudan's internal forum. Along the way, quite a few junior female students came up to greet her. Walking and stopping like a movie star, Shangguan Qinglin cheerfully posed for photos with those bright, sunny girls. Meanwhile, the young men harboring similar intentions automatically backed away under the stern, warning glares secretly cast by Xia Wushuang.

"You really are petty!"

Linked arm-in-arm with him, her entire arm tightly entwined with his, Shangguan Qinglin was well aware of Xia Wushuang's covert petty actions. Pouting playfully, she scolded, "Look at how much jealousy you've bottled up all the way here. First it was Albert, and now these junior students. Are you a giant vinegar jar born this way?"

"I am the biggest vinegar jar in the entire universe!" Xia Wushuang muttered, his grip not loosening by even a fraction.

"Really?"
"Really."
"You jar spirit!" Shangguan Qinglin burst into a giggle. She actively threw herself into Xia Wushuang's embrace and whispered softly, "So being jealous feels this happy. Now I finally understand why, back in *My Fair Princess*, when Xiao Swallow hit Yongqi with a stone and left a big lump on his head, he must have felt happy inside too." She smiled, "I used to worry he'd get angry and flip out."

Taking advantage of the moment, Xia Wushuang planted a light kiss on her innocent lips and smiled, "Who says he wouldn't get angry? When a young couple gets angry, they close the doors—it's not something meant for you to see. Forget getting angry, there are other things turning over that you wouldn't get to see either."

Hearing his words and involuntarily conjuring up those delightfully suggestive images in her mind, Shangguan Qinglin chided, "Improper! You only ever bully me!"

Xia Wushuang pulled her tightly into his embrace once more and said earnestly, "Alright, I promise you, I'll never be jealous of those random people ever again. Shangguan Qinglin is my woman, and that's something only the whole world—wait, no, only I need to know best."

"That's not too bad!"
"Let's go eat Sichuan food. There's a pretty good Sichuan restaurant in the cafeteria."

"Sichuan food again? Are you even a real Nanjing native?"
"None of your business! I just love spicy food!"
"Eating spicy food is great—sour for a boy, spicy for a girl. Tonight when we get back, I'll work extra hard and see if I can get you pregnant with a son."
"Shameless!"
......

The two of them settled dinner at the School of Journalism's cafeteria. Fortunately, Shangguan Qinglin was an unpretentious girl, and the meal was spent in high spirits and full of laughter.

Xia Wushuang's phone chimed again. Opening it, he saw a bank transfer notification for a full 50,000 yuan—the investigation fund Director Liu had previously promised him. It seemed the recent report had truly achieved remarkable results.

"Well done! The moment the report was published, it sparked a public outcry and a wave of renewed interest in reinvestigating the Jinshan Island incident across the entire city of Shanghai. You could say our newspaper is experiencing a paper shortage due to high demand. Right now, the media circles throughout Shanghai, and even across East and South China, are keeping their eyes fixed on our Storm Weekly, waiting for our follow-up reports. This time, all the other newspapers in Shanghai were collectively silenced, and your contribution is monumental!"

Director Liu had sent Xia Wushuang an official thank-you text. Xia Wushuang smiled and replied, "It was entirely due to the Director's brilliant arrangements; the whole city of Shanghai is waiting for your next moves."

"Mhm, this is a great start. The follow-up matters need to be discussed in detail. Take some time tomorrow to come by the office so we can touch base." Director Liu added another sentence, "The Editor-in-Chief will be present tomorrow, and I will make a point to report your achievements directly to him."

Xia Wushuang was in a great mood. This report had given the newspaper's senior management a taste of success, signaling that the investigation into the East Sea was about to move out into the open. With the full support of the newspaper, he felt even more confident about rescuing the trapped girls and dragging the dark secrets of the East Sea into the light.

"Is the investigation going smoothly?"

Seeing him in such high spirits, Shangguan Qinglin asked with a hint of sympathetic concern, "I checked your newspaper's digital news and livelihood section. You didn't come back last night because you went to rescue Liang Feicai? Did you get hurt?"

"Besides, that father-and-son pair of Liang Feicai committed all sorts of outrages in Suzhou, and their bad reputation even spread all the way to Nanjing. Getting kidnapped this time is nothing less than what they deserved. Still, there's no telling which local capital tycoon in Shanghai made a move. Be careful not to get dragged into their dog-eat-dog power struggles."

Xia Wushuang comforted her, "You knew all about that? How could I possibly get hurt?"

Lifting Shangguan Qinglin up, Xia Wushuang spun her around in a circle and murmured by her ear, "My lady, care to engage in a three-hundred-round battle?"

"Hate you~"

Xia Wushuang did not tell Shangguan Qinglin that he was the one who had kidnapped Liang Feicai, as he did not want to worry her.

Glancing at her watch and seeing it was already seven in the evening, Shangguan Qinglin turned serious. "Didn't we promise Sister Qingmang to attend the event at Pure Color Bar tonight? At this rate, we should get going. It's the evening rush hour, so traffic will be pretty heavy. Send Sister Qingmang a WeChat message letting her know we might be late."

"Also, since it's Sister Qingmang's friend's bar, we should help out by calling some people over. I'll call Xiaoyu and Baitu, and you should call your friends too."

When Shangguan Qinglin was not wrapped up in Xia Wushuang's arms, her IQ and EQ operated on entirely different levels.

In an orderly fashion, she arranged several crucial matters in the blink of an eye. Both Baitu and Mo Xiaoyu indicated they would come. Furthermore, Mo Xiaoyu called Zhong Ling'er. Having frequented various nightlife venues for years, Zhong Ling'er also summoned a bunch of club-going youths—all scions of wealthy families who didn't mind spending money.

As for Xia Wushuang's side, he called Pu Yu, specifically instructing him to bring his guitar.

After giving it some thought, he realized he didn't really have anyone else to call. After all, during his time in Shanghai, he had poured all his energy into work and didn't have much of a personal network. He could only call Brother Zhu from the gym, who promised to bring the mute guy along shortly.

With everything ready, Xia Wushuang sent Qingmang a WeChat message, and he and Shangguan Qinglin got into the car and set off.