Stunned, Yue Wuxin took a while to come back to her senses.
âLuo Qiqi, are you referring to me?â
âMaybe. I might be referring to you, or I might be referring to myself!â
âIâm not lying to you, Yue Wuxin. I didnât like it when I found out that the both of you came here together. But after thinking about it yesterday, I realized that we should just let things take its natural course. Feelings canât be forced upon anyone. The other person would naturally care for you if they like you, and if they donât, thereâs nothing much you can do about it either.â
âLuo Qiqi, are you saying that Iâve made a mistake? That the both of you were already a couple to begin with?â
Luo Qiqi shook her head. âThereâs no right and wrong in this. It depends on how you look at it. If you think that liking someone means having to possess them, then all you would do is to try and obtain them and keep them for yourself. But if you are of the view that liking someone means giving them the best of everything, then all you would wish for is for them to be happy and well⦠Do you get what Iâm saying?â
Though still confused, Yue Wuxin nodded at this.
âI think I got it. But can I really give up on this so easily? I find it so difficult to give up!â
Luo Qiqi laughed. âYou donât have to give up. You just have to look at it differently and pursue it in the right way.â
The both of them lay on the bed and talked for a long time before falling asleep.
Su Jincheng visited in the middle of the night and saw the two of them sleeping soundly. He thus tucked them under the blanket and left.
Yue Wuxin and Luo Qiqi seemed to be much closer the next day.
They acted so close that Su Jincheng felt like the third wheel.
Even so, he was rather relieved that the two of them could be on good terms.
One could say that Yue Wuxin was totally different when he met her initially, and she had changed a lot within the past two years.
The three of them went out to sight-see for the entire day before returning to the hotel at about nine in the evening.
They were walking on an empty street towards their hotel when a group of unknown individuals closed in on them.
The men were armed with machetes.
Luo Qiqi thought that the men would give up as long as they were able to run away and take cover in the hotel, but she didnât expect for those men to chase after them like rabid dogs.
This surprised her, but Su Jincheng reacted quickly and grabbed her in an attempt to escape the attack. Yue Wuxin was following closely behind them.
With how unhinged the men looked, they didnât want to risk endangering those in the hotel. The three of them thus decided to run towards an open area near the beach.
They decided to face the men head-on.
Seeing that there were fifteen of them in total, Su Jincheng yelled, âIâll take seven of them and leave the rest to you guys!â
Luo Qiqi nodded and quickly sent one of the men flying after skilfully dodging his attack.
All of the men were defeated in the span of fifteen minutes.
Instead of killing the attackers, they immobilized them.
Yue Wuxin walked over to one of the men and gave him a kick.
âHave we met?â
The man shook his head, looking frightened.
Suddenly, another man got up and ran towards Yue Wuxin, wielding his knife.
Without thinking, Luo Qiqi dashed forward and sent him flying with another kick. Her arm got nicked by the knife in the process.
Yue Wuxin turned to her in concern.
âAre you okay?â
âIâm fine. Go ahead with your questions!â
She felt that what just happened was too much of a coincidence. They didnât have enemies here, and only a select few knew their exact location.
Yue Wuxin picked up the knife on the ground and used it to threaten the man.
âIâll kill you if you donât tell the truth!â
Fearing for his life, the man answered immediately. âOkay, Iâll talk! Itâs Madam who sent us here!â
Luo Qiqi and Su Jincheng were both confused at his answer. Seeing Luo Qiqiâs bleeding arm, Su Jincheng hastily bandaged it for her.
Yue Wuxin backed away, shocked at what she just heard.
She then pounced on the man and started hitting him.
âThatâs bullshit! Why would my own mother want to kill me! Lies!â
While Yue Wuxin continued raining punches on the poor man, Luo Qiqi and Su Jincheng realized that âMadamâ actually referred to Yue Wuxinâs mother.
Itâs no wonder I found him so familiar. I remember this guy now. Heâs one of Mumâs subordinates. They swore loyalty to her, so itâs almost impossible for any of them to lie about this.
Through Yue Wuxinâs punches, the man said, âIâm not lying. Itâs your mother who asked us to kill you!â
Hearing this stunned Yue Wuxin. She stopped hitting the man and went into a daze, staring into thin air.
Finally, Yue Wuxin, Luo Qiqi and Su Jincheng went back to the hotel.
Seeing how upset Yue Wuxin looked, Luo Qiqi said, âYue Wuxin, stop acting like that. We donât exactly know what is going on yet. We can go back and ask your mother about it!â
Su Jincheng then said, âQiqi is right. Iâm not familiar with your mother, and I think itâs best if you go back and talk to her about it. Itâs best not to jump to conclusions so quickly.â
Yue Wuxin brightened up slightly upon hearing their suggestions.
She then suddenly remembered that Luo Qiqi had gotten hurt because of her.
âAre you okay? Your arm...â
âItâs fine. Itâs just a minor injury!â
This made Yue Wuxin feel worse. She felt that Luo Qiqi and Su Jincheng wouldnât have been dragged into this if they werenât with her.
She looked down and said, âIâll go back to Russia tomorrow on my own!â
Su Jincheng disagreed instantly.
âIâm supposed to be your bodyguard for three years, so I wonât let you go back alone!â
âI...â Yue Wuxin looked at him, evidently upset. âWhat if itâs really her? Would I still be able to survive then? I just want an answer. So thereâs really no need for you to do this!â
âYouâre wrong, Yue Wuxin. Have you forgotten about your father? Contact him first when you get back. How long has it been since you last met him?â
This seemed to remind Yue Wuxin of something.
âYouâre right. I havenât seen him in ages. It was Mum who kept saying that Iâll have plenty of time in the future...â
âIt seems like sheâs trying to keep me out of Russia. Why is that? Why is my own mother doing something like that?â
Luo Qiqi frowned at this. âYue Wuxin, when did your motherâs attitude towards you change?â
Yue Wuxin thought about this for quite a while before answering. âThat should be about a year ago, or maybe earlier. I might not have realized it then.â
âWhat would she say or do when sheâs with you?â
Yue Wuxin was hesitant to answer Luo Qiqi, but she relented eventually.
âI was trying all ways and means to make Jincheng fall for me in the past and keep him by my side. My mother knows how I feel, so in the beginning, she taught me how to cook. She said knowing how to whip up delicious meals is the key to a manâs heart.â
âBut after realizing that I have absolutely no talent in the kitchen, she suggested that I go travel instead. So Iâve actually been traveling the world for the past two years or so, and the last time I returned⦠I...â
âI drugged Jincheng. This was also her recommendation. She said that with how powerful my father was, Jincheng would have no choice but to marry me if anything really happened!â
Su Jincheng and Luo Qiqi were both shocked to hear this. Why would anyone do this to their own daughter?
Luo Qiqi then asked in disbelief, âAnd you actually listened to all her lousy suggestions?â
Yue Wuxin answered with slight remorse, âI probably wasnât thinking straight at the time. It sounded like she was giving me genuine suggestions, and I wouldnât think that my own mother would harm me either! But I donât get it. Why? Why would she do this to me? My mother used to be so warm and gentle. Where did that side of her go? Why does she want to kill me now?â