"Okay, buckle up," the burly driver said, giving an 'ok' gesture before starting the car.
They had only driven about three hundred meters when the taxi stopped. The driver said, "I'm picking up another passenger. Heh heh, two beautiful ladies won't refuse, right?"
Meng Jingwei, feeling down due to recent events in their country, didn't reply.
Shen Liannuo, however, expressed her dissatisfaction, "We've hired this car privately. Why are you picking up someone else?"
Were things like this in other countries too?
As she pondered this question, a man standing by the roadside opened the door and got in, shutting it with a bang.
The man entered from the right, sitting right beside Meng Jingwei.
He wore a black and grey checkered jacket and a baseball cap, the brim of which covered most of his face.
His mysterious attire instantly captured Meng Jingwei's attention.
Just as she was about to ask him something, the man beside her removed his cap, revealing a handsome and familiar face.
Meng Jingwei froze for a moment. Her dull eyes widened, gradually focusing, and then she suddenly hugged the man tightly. "Why is it you? Do you know how worried I was when I couldn't reach you these past few days?"
It was Qing Muye.
She never expected it to be Qing Muye!
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Qing Muye placed the baseball cap aside and hugged the heartbroken woman back. "I was being watched constantly, and I really couldn't contact you. Reaching out would have exposed my personal information."
If it hadn't been for the desperate circumstances, Qing Muye would never have gone three days without contacting Meng Jingwei.
"Shu Yao is dead, and Qing Sihai is also dead. Grandma Qing and Qiao Ziqian are missing, and I... we've searched for them for a long time but can't find them." She nestled in Qing Muye's embrace, feeling incredibly comforted by the sudden sense of security.
The situation in Lancheng had changed, and their plans couldn't be executed as intended. Worried about Qing Muye, she had rushed to Country C early.
She had intended to find Qi He and others to search for Qing Muye's whereabouts, but little did she know that Qing Muye already knew she was coming.
"Shi... Master?"
Seeing Qing Muye, Shen Liannuo's pupils widened as if struck by lightning. She looked at him in disbelief. "You... weren't you on Wuming Island..."
As she spoke, she immediately covered her mouth, instinctively glancing at the driver in the driver's seat, afraid of leaking any information.
Seeing her cautiousness, Qing Muye's lips curved into an arc. "He's one of us."
"Phew, one of us." Shen Liannuo breathed a sigh of relief. "Weren't you on Wuming Island? What are you doing here?" Her gaze then fell on Meng Jingwei, and she raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards Qing Muye. "Jingwei was extremely worried about you."
She had witnessed Meng Jingwei's concern for Qing Muye during this period.
Qing Muye's ink-black eyes softened with concern. He looked down at the woman in his arms and gently stroked her hair. "It's my fault."
He didn't dare to tell Meng Jingwei much about what had happened on Wuming Island.
Gunfire and near-death experiences – it was better not to speak of them and only add to her worries.
"Are you injured?"
Meng Jingwei pulled away from his embrace, placing her hands on his shoulders, and examined him up and down with unshakeable worry etched on her brow.
"I'm fine." Qing Muye held her hands, his fingertips caressing the back of her hand. Their eyes met, filled with affection. "If something were seriously wrong, would you still be able to see me?"
"You've gotten darker."
Meng Jingwei looked at him with teary eyes, slowly raising her hand to cup his face. "But this skin tone actually suits you better."
The wheat-colored skin made his chiseled face appear even more stern and handsome, adding more masculinity to him.