After spending two hours in the Summer Palace, they left.

Yang Qingyin went home, and Luo Ziling headed to the Dragon Rise base; they parted ways at the Summer Palace gate.

Fortunately, Xiaoli and Yang Xiaodong were with them, so there was no problem with their security at all.

On the way, Yang Xiaodong asked Luo Ziling, "Why are you suddenly going to the Dragon Rise base?"

"They have something to discuss with me!"

"Is it about your father?"

"Don't ask about things you shouldn't," Luo Ziling replied a bit grumpily, "If you keep this up, I'll complain to my dad and request a replacement."

"It might really be time for a change," Yang Xiaodong glanced at Luo Ziling in the rearview mirror and sighed, "If your dad comes back, we'll definitely return to work with him. Your security needs to be handled by someone else."

"Did he mention it to you?" Luo Ziling seemed quite surprised.

Although both Yang Xiaodong and Wang Zhenjun talked quite a bit, not much like retired special forces soldiers, they were still pretty decent.

Not only were their skills good, but they were also nice to deal with — aside from their chattiness, they seemed quite good otherwise.

He had already gotten used to having them around, and with them by his side, he didn't need to worry much about safety.

The sudden break in routine felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Well," Luo Ziling thought for a moment before expressing no dissatisfaction, "having you by my side is a bit of a waste of talent. You should have a better place to showcase your abilities."

Yang Xiaodong seemed a bit dissatisfied, "After following you for so long, you're not even trying to keep us?"

"What's the use of keeping you? Just get the girl you like."

"Without help from you, we don't have any confidence," Yang Xiaodong said with a bitter smile, "Wang Qing has quite an opinion of you, and I'm just unlucky enough to get hit with it."

"Find a chance, win her over. Although she has quite an opinion about me, she's a pretty good girl. If you can marry her, that's a blessing from several lifetimes of fortune. If you ever marry her, I'll give you a valuable gift."

"What valuable gift?" Yang Xiaodong immediately beamed with joy.

"I'll give you a house, in Yanjing. Or somewhere else, wherever you want to live."

Though Yang Xiaodong was used to such offers and had handled a lot of money, he didn't own a lot of wealth himself.

He knew the value of a house in Yanjing, and hearing Luo Ziling's generosity, he was moved.

However, he didn't show his emotions and instead said with a playful smile, "One house isn't enough, you should give me an independent villa like the one your mom has."

"Get lost," Luo Ziling got upset, "do you think I'm a bank? Go rob one if you want."

Yang Xiaodong wasn't bothered and laughed, "I'll remember that. When I get married, I'll collect your big gift so I don't have to prepare a marital house."

Luo Ziling solemnly reminded him, "The premise is, you marry Wang Qing."

Yang Xiaodong immediately pulled a pained expression, "Alright, I'll try my best, maybe even resort to drastic measures and make it happen."

"Just don't get taken to court."

"That won't happen, you know what kind of person I am." Yang Xiaodong said pridefully.

"Alright, alright, stop bragging. If you have a tenth of my luck with women, I'd admire you."

Thus, Yang Xiaodong was dealt a serious blow.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the Dragon Rise base.

Lin Lan did not greet him at the gate as she did in previous visits.

However, the security didn't make things difficult for Luo Ziling; after checking his credentials, they let him in, as they must have been instructed to do so.

Although Luo Ziling had credentials for Dragon Rise, he was only an auxiliary member and couldn't come and go freely from the base.

In fact, even the formal members of Dragon Rise couldn't freely enter and exit the base.

After passing several security gates and checks, Luo Ziling was able to enter the base.

Still, he didn't see anyone come to meet him, so he had to find his own way.

Having been here several times, he had a good grasp of the layout of Dragon Rise base.

As he approached the small building where Li Haiyang lived, he finally saw Lin Lan.

Lin Lan came out from inside and, seeing Luo Ziling enter, showed no expression of surprise, merely said indifferently, "Come with me!"

"Why the heavy mood?" Luo Ziling asked with a grin, "You look like a resentful woman."

Lin Lan turned her head, glared at Luo Ziling, and said nothing.

When Luo Ziling followed Lin Lan into the small building where Li Haiyang lived, he didn't see Phoenix.

Li Haiyang was in the room drinking tea, and upon seeing Luo Ziling enter, he immediately invited him, "Ziling, come have tea with me."

"It's been a while since I visited you, my apologies," Luo Ziling first expressed apology, "Recently, I've been quite busy and even made a trip to the South."

"It's normal for young people to be busy," Li Haiyang laughed, "Are you free today? If so, have dinner here and share a drink with me."

"I wouldn't dare disobey your command, senior."

Li Haiyang immediately instructed Lin Lan, who was waiting on the side, "Go to the cafeteria and order a couple of dishes to be sent over later."

Lin Lan agreed and then retreated.

"You've been in the limelight recently, becoming a national hero," Li Haiyang said with a laugh, "I always knew you weren't an ordinary person, though I didn't expect an ordinary visit would cause such a stir. Plus, you've caused quite a commotion after returning, giving many elite families a slap in the face."

Luo Ziling knew what Li Haiyang referred to and could only smile wryly, "Many times, it's out of one's control."

"You've already made many look at you differently," Li Haiyang chuckled, "At your age, doing what you've done and having such experiences is rare, even in chaos. The saying 'dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes' seems apt for you."

"Adversity breeds resilience," Luo Ziling spoke sincerely in front of Li Haiyang, "If I had a good childhood without worries and someone to support me, I'd likely be like other descendants of the Ling Family, just another playboy mingling among women."

"That makes sense," Li Haiyang nodded, then changed the topic, "If all goes well, after this meeting, your dad should be able to take office in Yanjing. However, I heard a rumor that the Chen Family wants to push a person to replace me, and the Fang Family might support their suggestion. So, there's still uncertainty."

Li Haiyang's words left Luo Ziling momentarily stunned.

Li Haiyang continued, "Don't ask me for evidence, as there's none—just a heads-up."

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