Roy pulled out his phone, keyed in the number from the letter, and dialed.
It only rang twice before someone picked up.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Roy Seasonstar," the voice on the other end greeted him, knowing immediately who was calling without Roy even needing to speak.
Roy didn't waste any time. He asked directly, "I want to join the filming, but I can't leave here on my own. What do you suggest?"
"We will, of course, provide an exit service," the voice said smoothly. "We trust that you were wise enough not to reveal our letter to anyone. Tomorrow afternoon, someone will create a diversion for the guards. Please follow the route we provide to exit the premises. A car will then pick you up and bring you to us."
"Are you sure you can pull this off? There are a lot of people here, and security is tight," Roy asked, deliberately probing.
The voice remained steady and confident: "Please trust in our sincerity. Having you participate is already an immense honor for us. Naturally, we will ensure your safe passage."
"Alright," Roy said. "Once everything is ready, send me the route details. I'll cooperate fully."
As he spoke, he pressed down on his pounding heart.
Even after the call ended, it took him quite a while to calm his racing pulse.
Tomorrow...
Tomorrow he would be able to see Laila again!
Roy wasn't someone who acted purely on impulse. He had decided only after confirming that his actions wouldn't endanger the bigger picture.
If he could reach Laila, he could protect her directly.
Even though Xiao Ye kept saying she was safe, Roy couldn't feel at ease without seeing it for himself.
And more than anything, he missed her terribly.
Even just a week without her felt like an entire century.
Before, when work on set forced them apart for months, he would call her whenever he had a moment. Just hearing her voice was enough to heal the loneliness.
The next day, after Roy returned with lunch, he found another letter sitting on his table.
This time, the letter contained only a map, clearly marking the specific times and places he needed to reach.
Any delays and the opportunity would be lost.
He memorized everything, then casually tossed the letter aside.
He hadn't destroyed it as instructed.
He wasn't stupid—aside from Xiao Ye, no one else should have been able to enter this room.
If he disappeared without a trace, Xiao Ye would come looking for him. These two letters might provide some clues.
Of course, he could have handed over the letter immediately and rooted out the mole who slipped it into his room.
But that wouldn't help him reach Laila any faster.
He was done waiting.
He couldn't pass up this chance to see her.
So he left the letter where it was, trusting that Xiao Ye would know what to do once he found it.
Also, the existence of a mole was another reason he hadn't informed Xiao Ye ahead of time.
He couldn't risk tipping off the infiltrator.
If Martin got wind of it and moved Laila to an even "safer" location, rescuing her would become even harder.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Roy!"
It was Xiao Ye.
Roy quickly stuffed the opened letter and envelope into a book before opening the door.
"Any news about Laila?"
Xiao Ye winced.
"Buddy, you're gonna kill the conversation if you keep opening like that!"
Laila's disappearance was the deepest scar on Roy's heart.
Every mention of it just made the wound worse.
Until she was rescued, that pain would only keep growing.
Roy gave a perfunctory chuckle.
He had done it on purpose—he wanted the conversation to end quickly.
There wasn't much time left before his departure; he needed to get Xiao Ye out of the way.
"If there's nothing urgent, you can leave. I haven't eaten yet."
"Go ahead and eat," Xiao Ye said, not leaving but instead sitting down beside him.
"Hey, did you call your old man?"
"I did," Roy replied, glancing at the clock on the wall.
Without any expression, he picked up his sandwich and a bottle of water and began eating.
Seeing Roy's obvious disinterest in chatting, Xiao Ye couldn't help but spread his hands and ask, "And? What did he say?"
"Nothing special," Roy muttered, dropping the half-eaten sandwich and pushing Xiao Ye toward the door.
"I don't like being watched when I eat. If you have anything to say, we'll talk later."
Before Xiao Ye could respond, Roy shut the door in his face.
"Hey! This guy... seriously..." Xiao Ye muttered, scratching his nose in frustration before reluctantly walking away.
Meanwhile, the appointed time was fast approaching.
Roy looked out the window.
Seeing Xiao Ye leave and no suspicious activity from others passing by, he decided it was safe.
If he walked out naturally—just like on any normal afternoon stroll—no one would question him.
Even though he usually took his walks at night, it wasn't unheard of for him to go out at noon occasionally.
He didn't know if anyone was secretly monitoring him.
But he decided to trust the letter.
When the time came, he opened the door and walked out, heading along the indicated route.
He hadn't brought his backpack.
If he were spotted walking alone, he could easily explain himself.
But carrying a backpack would immediately raise suspicion.
Whether it was pure luck or careful planning, Roy encountered no obstacles on his way to the designated meeting point.
He arrived at what appeared to be a military camp kitchen—supplies stacked around, clearly intended for feeding the soldiers.
It was shortly after lunch.
The area was deserted except for the occasional distant clucking of chickens and ducks.
"Mr. Roy Seasonstar, please come with me," a man suddenly appeared and gestured for Roy to follow.
The man wore a military uniform.
Seeing that sent a chill through Roy's heart.
His suspicions were correct—someone within the military had been bribed.
Roy was grateful he hadn't passed along any information about Laila's situation to their side.
Judging by the man's appearance, he was likely involved with the logistics division.
If there were other informants in the military, any slip of information could quickly reach Martin.
Roy's lips pressed into a hard line.
A restrained, simmering fury burned in his grey eyes.
The thought that people like this might have been involved in Laila's disappearance made him want to tackle the man in front of him to the ground and stomp his face in.
But not yet.
Not now.
He would come back for them.
And when he did, he would make sure they tasted the pain Laila had suffered—tenfold, a hundredfold, until they begged for mercy.