The location the other party provided was quite far, even overseas. If it were anyone else, they would have assumed he intended to abduct and dispose of them, and immediately capitulated out of fear.
Zhuo Zhen, however, only wanted to see what he intended to do.
She mentioned her upcoming trip abroad in her chat with Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi was surprised and asked where she was going. After she stated the address, Zhang Yi blurted out, "What are you going to the gambling city for?"
"Gambling city?"
Zhang Yi then introduced the place she was headed. It wasn't just a gambling city, but a global one, where becoming rich overnight or destitute overnight was commonplace. There were even instances of people cutting off their own organs as collateral when they lost too much.
"Although there are legitimate industries there, most of it is various casinos and gambling houses. What are you going there for? Do you want to get rich overnight too? It's very chaotic there."
"Of course not," Zhuo Zhen had already confirmed her suspicions. "I have something to attend to, and I'll be back soon. I'll tell you the details when I return."
Zhang Yi looked skeptical. "It's good that you're not going to gamble. But be careful when you get there. Many people don't intend to gamble when they go, but they end up losing everything. The temptation of money is just too strong."
Zhuo Zhen smiled with deep meaning. "Money isn't the only thing in this world that holds great temptation."
Health, lifespan, appearance, talent… anything that doesn't belong to oneself holds temptation.
After requesting leave, she notified Fu Hongyu. She had promised to take care of Fu Ningyun, but the person who had crossed her bottom line definitely needed to be dealt with.
Fu Hongyu's reaction was the same as Zhang Yi's: "What are you going to the gambling city for? Are you short on money?"
"No," Zhuo Zhen briefly explained the cause and effect.
Fu Hongyu then said, "I'll have someone put in a word. He wouldn't dare. You don't have to..."
"There are a thousand days for a thief, but not a thousand days to guard against a thief. Besides, he threatened me like that. If I don't go, doesn't that prove I'm a coward?"
Fu Hongyu: "..."
"Don't worry, I've placed something inside the house. As long as no one inside comes out, no one outside can get in. I'll deal with the person and come back."
It was a very simple formation, but sufficient for the people of this world.
Coupled with Fu Ningyun's protagonist halo, she generally wouldn't die.
"...What about Lu, Lu Chongyan? Is he going with you too?"
"He needs to take care of his parents, so he probably won't."
"Alright, if you've decided, I have nothing more to say. But you must bring two people with you. In case you encounter something you can't handle, you can contact me."
Her attitude was confident to the point of arrogance. "That won't happen."
Fu Hongyu didn't persuade her further, only stating his stance. Zhuo Zhen didn't refuse.
However, when she told Lu Chongyan about it that evening, he insisted on going with her.
"What about Auntie and Uncle? If you go, who will take care of them?"
Lu Chongyan held her and replied, "I can't take good care of them here anyway. My mom can take care of my dad, and besides, didn't you say you'd be back soon?"
"Yes, quite soon."
"So I have to go."
After the last incident, he was clearly more clingy.
There were two reasons. Firstly, Zhuo Zhen was vastly different from the former Lu Zhen, making him feel insecure as if he couldn't hold onto her. Secondly, both last time and this time, she was venturing into danger, and Lu Chongyan was worried.
Even though he would be a burden.
As long as Zhuo Zhen didn't think he was a burden, he wouldn't say anything. If something truly happened, they would just die together.
Zhuo Zhen certainly didn't think he was a burden.
She flipped over and pinned him down.
Since their encounter at the hotel, although they had been together during this time and slept in the same bed at night, they hadn't done anything. They just slept under the covers and chatted.
It was so chaste, unlike two passionate young people who had already broken the ice.
"I find myself liking you even more."
He looked at the person leaning over him, his gaze softening as he replied, "Me too."
Like, what a beautiful word.
Zhuo Zhen reached out and touched his face. "I'll take you with me, but you have to exchange something for it."
"What?"
"Your body."
Lu Chongyan, relying on his strong physique, held her waist and regained the initiative.
"I'm more than willing."
Two souls in sync, even in this matter, they possessed supreme默契 (mòqì - unspoken understanding), despite it only being the second time.
They had a pleasant night. The next morning, they took a plane to the so-called largest gambling city in the world, following the information provided by the man surnamed Yang.
It was an independent island, nominally belonging to a certain country, but in reality, it was more like a so-called lawless territory.
The people here did not abide by the law; they had their own set of rules. Whoever was stronger, richer, or more influential set the rules.
Currently, in their adversarial relationship, the man surnamed Yang seemed to be the one who made the rules.
"Please come in. Our Mr. has been waiting for a long time."