Chapter 167: Return to China

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Return to China

After two idle days, Renee Morgan went for a walk alone in the back garden after lunch to help digest.

They called it a garden, but in reality, there weren’t many flowerbeds; rather, it was a patch of green woodland.

Renee wandered through the woods, and as she was coming out, she bumped into someone at a corner.

He’d probably just returned from a mission—on a sweltering summer day, he was still in a dark green tactical jacket, his face smeared with camouflage paint, shoes spattered with mud, and the heavy scent of blood lingering in the air. It was impossible to tell if it was his, someone else’s, or both.

Though she couldn’t make out his actual features, those eyes—once you’d seen them, you wouldn’t forget.

The instructor’s superior—Ethan Sterling.

Renee greeted him politely, "Hello..."

Sterling, seeing it was her, replied calmly, "Pack your things, the plane’s leaving for home this afternoon."

Renee’s eyes lit up. She looked up in surprise, "Is the mission over?"

"Our part’s done. The key members of the criminal group are caught; we’ll escort them back to the country. The remaining bits, the relevant departments can handle." He seemed in a good mood—unusual for him, and actually explained.

Hearing they could return home, Renee was excited too. She watched him leave, then hurried upstairs to pack her luggage.

At one o’clock Noon, Sterling was already waiting in the consulate hall.

Renee looked around the empty hall, puzzled. "Aren’t your teammates going back too?"

On the way from the airport, Renee had overheard them say Sterling had led the team from home to Merrick for the mission. Now that it was over, why was only Sterling going back?

"They’re responsible for the escort; I’m responsible for escorting you." His star-bright eyes glanced at her, as if seriously answering.

Renee: "..."

She vaguely guessed how dangerous their mission must’ve been. Knowing they were safe, she let out a quiet breath.

Sterling stepped forward, picked up her luggage, and headed for the main entrance.

Renee didn’t manage to refuse. By the time they reached the door, he’d already opened the car door, signaled for her to get in, and then took the passenger seat himself.

The driver just had to drop them off at the airport and leave.

Amid the bustling airport crowd, Renee finally noticed how casually he was dressed today—he stood out walking through the crowds busy coming and going.

She kept a few paces behind him at all times, and even in the waiting area, left two seats empty between them.

Sterling had never really interacted with women before. To him, Renee’s behavior was entirely reasonable—after all, men and women were different.

It wasn’t until they boarded the plane and their seats were next to each other, Renee wearing a morose expression, that he finally realized—she seemed quite averse to being so close to him.

Usually one to avoid close contact with women himself, Sterling had a sudden moment of clarity.

She’s androphobic!

That sense of "mutual understanding" came quickly—Sterling, for once, took a closer look at her.

She might have been thirsty—she took off her mask, cradled a cup of water and drank slowly. Her red lips parted and pressed together, long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Unlike the heavily made-up, flamboyantly dressed celebrity he’d imagined, her skin was pale, cheeks rosy, hair and eyes dark, even her nails trimmed short, revealing the round tips.

Sterling thought of his subordinates—always going on about their "goddess" or "Renee"—just her looks were good enough for the guys’ tastes, but honestly, they were a bit different from her usual image...

His gaze was so intense it was oppressive. Baffled, Renee simply downed the water in her glass in one go, asked the flight attendant for a blanket, pulled it up over her head, and fell asleep with her head tilted to the side.

Sterling knew all these were typical androphobia symptoms. He didn’t take offense at her resistance, and withdrew his gaze to rest with his eyes closed.

After the plane landed, Renee followed Sterling out of the airport. The people sent to meet them were from District J.

Once the car reached District J, Sterling took her straight to the leader’s office.

It was half an hour later when they came out.

Renee appeared dazed and absentminded. Lots of people passed through the hallway, all casting astonished looks her way.

What’s a celebrity got to do with District J? How could she be here?

"Renee..." Sterling came in from outside, saw her looking spaced out, frowned slightly, and led her into an office around the corner.

"Sterling, you’re back?" The person inside called him by name, not by rank.

And when he saw who Sterling had brought in, his eyes widened in disbelief—he definitely recognized Renee Morgan, currently not just China’s but the world’s most famous Chinese star.

"Linley, I need to borrow your lounge for a moment." Sterling greeted him, then guided Renee into the glass-walled lounge.

Linley glimpsed the crowd at the door—all gossiping faces—quickly shut the door, brewed a pot of tea, and washed a couple of clean cups.

The District J leader’s words still echoed in Renee’s ears, making her feel dizzy. She knew, vaguely, how significant it was to get a senior base insider’s credentials—this marked a major step for the Zhonglian Authority’s presence here. The weight of such a mission left her more than a little overwhelmed.

Sterling had no idea what was discussed. Noticing her absentmindedness, worried she might have trouble making it home alone, he brought her here instead.

"Do you have anywhere to go after returning home?" Sterling took the teapot from Linley, poured a cup of tea, and set it on the low table by her hand.

Renee nodded vaguely, lost in thought.

As Linley left, he stumbled at the door and nearly tripped.

Sterling shot him a cold glance, his tone steady as he continued, "Should I help notify your family to pick you up?"

Renee suddenly remembered she didn’t have any means of communication. Her drifting gaze slowly came back, and she raised her head to meet his eyes. "Could I borrow your phone for a call? I want my agent to come get me."

He was dressed casually today, no military cap—his full head shape exposed, black close-cropped hair, and with those hard chiselled features, his presence was like cold steel.

But the moment he glanced sideways at her—those red lips, cool pale skin, tranquil star-black eyes—he gave a completely different impression. She thought of the Jade Gentleman, untouched by the mortal world, existing apart and aloof—perhaps this was the sort of beauty he had.

Sterling never liked handing chores to others—he took out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to her.

It was a pure black phone, no embellishments, not even a case—so in line with his style, fast, neat and direct.

Renee took it and quickly entered Warren’s number. No answer. Worried Warren wouldn’t recognize the unfamiliar number, she then dialed her company’s front desk and asked them to relay the message to Warren.

The receptionist was obviously excited to hear her voice, kept repeating, "Morgan! Morgan!"

Renee hung up. About five minutes later, her agent called back, explaining she was just in a meeting with her phone on silent.