Chi Lian's fingers, linked around Wu Liangchen's arm, suddenly tightened, nearly digging into his flesh.
Wu Liangchen tensed internally but showed no sign of it on his face. He slowly turned, the gaze behind his glasses carrying a perfectly calibrated look of confusion and dullness as he faced the direction of the voice.
A guard captain, distinguished by an extra star on his epaulets, was striding toward them with a steady gait. His gaze was far sharper than the previous regular guard's, sweeping over the pair like a hawk before finally settling on Chi Lian's slightly stiff face.
"You look very nervous, ma'am."
'Myriad thoughts raced through Wu Liangchen's mind,' but he forced a simple, honest smile. "Sir, it's my wife's first time in the core district. She grew up in the outer provinces and has never seen such spectacular buildings or so many armed personnel. She's bound to be a little overwhelmed."
