Although she didn't show it on her face, Meng Yan felt a warm feeling in her heart.
"I'm not that fragile." He smiled. "Have you eaten?"
Huo Jiayuan burped, wiped her mouth, and smiled at him.
"The weather's nice today." Meng Yan glanced out the window. "How about we go for a walk?"
Huo Jiayuan readily agreed, quickly tidied herself up, and went out with him.
Meng Yan took her to stroll through several streets of the border town.
This was the first time she had carefully observed the city during the day. She discovered that Biandu was quite lovely in the daytime, a city full of sunshine and vitality. Beautiful flowers lined both sides of every street, vying for attention and creating a breathtaking scene, though she couldn't name them. Groups of boys and girls in traditional costumes skipped and jumped, laughing joyfully.
The shops on both sides of the street were thriving and bustling, attracting tourists from all over the world.
Everywhere was a scene of joy and harmony.
Huo Jiayuan weaved through the crowd, her excitement evident. However, Meng Yan, fearing she might get lost, stayed close behind. Just as she was about to dart out like a little rabbit, he grabbed her hand tightly.
She was stunned, feeling as if an electric current had shot straight to her heart, and turned to stare at him blankly.
"There are many people," he said in a low voice. "Don't get separated."
"oh……"
Huo Jiayuan obediently let him hold her hand, her heart pounding.
"Actually, Biandu is pretty good too, huh?" she said, trying to make conversation.
"Hmm." Meng Yan's face was serious, his eyes fixed straight ahead, not even glancing at her.
"It's not quite what I imagined; everyone's life is still pretty peaceful."
“The daytime is very peaceful,” he said in a low voice. “But at night, everything is different.”
Huo Jiayuan bit her lip.
She first met him at night, on that street filled with sin, in a deafening underground boxing ring.
Perhaps only the darkness of night can conceal all the filth.
“To be honest,” Meng Yan paused, “even the two of us were under surveillance when we came out here.”
"What?"
“Li Mei and Fatty’s men are behind us.”
Huo Jiayuan was startled and was about to turn around to look when Meng Yan quickly pressed her head back down.
"What's so interesting?!" he glared at her.
"Didn't you say... someone was following us?"
Meng Yan took a deep breath and said in a muffled voice, "Don't look behind you!"
"Oh..." She suddenly felt that his grip on her hand seemed to tighten even more.
“Meng Yan,” she couldn’t help but ask, “why did they have me followed?”
"You were kidnapped by Li Mei. Do you think she would just throw you to me so easily?"
The little princess didn't understand what this meant, her clear eyes filled with a hint of naivety.
"After a while, Li Mei will find a reason to make you go into the sex industry with her."
What does "going into business" mean?
Meng Yan looked at her helplessly, "Have you forgotten what Li Mei does?"
"ah……"
“To be honest,” he said in a low voice, “your face is worth a lot of money.”
Are you telling me I'm pretty?
Meng Yan didn't say anything, but just patted her head.
"But aren't I your wife? How could she let a married woman..."
"This kind of thing is very common here," Meng Yan said casually. "It's perfectly normal for a husband to owe gambling debts and his wife to sell herself to pay them off."
"Didn't you say you would protect me?"
“That was assuming I was alive.” His voice grew lower, and his expression became slightly serious. “But in those underground fistfights where there are no rules, anything can happen. And everyone has signed a waiver of liability; even if someone is killed, they deserve it!”
Huo Jiayuan stopped and stared at him blankly.
Meng Yan was taken aback, and could clearly feel that the small hand in her palm was cold and trembling.
Her pretty little face was also pale with fear.
The man frowned slightly, reached out and pulled her into his arms, glanced around warily, and then led her quickly into the crowd with her head down.
“Meng Yan, I…” Huo Jiayuan’s voice trembled slightly.
“I’m talking about the worst-case scenario.” He remained calm. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you out of here before that happens.”
Huo Jiayuan's heart skipped a beat.
She knew he was a man of his word, and she was happy that he took this matter to heart. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before she could return to Yangcheng safely.
But the moment he said he would send her away, she felt a pang of loss.
She returned to her world, while he remained in this decadent and extravagant place. They became like birds and fish again, two parallel lines that would never intersect.
If she had never met him, she wouldn't have these feelings of melancholy...
"Hey, hey!" Meng Yan suddenly raised her voice.
Huo Jiayuan snapped out of her daze and looked up to meet his impatient expression again.
Did you hear everything I said?
"Wh...what?"
"I'm telling you, I won't be taking you out to make phone calls for the time being!"
"Oh." Huo Jiayuan nodded, then suddenly realized, "Oh dear, so those previous times when we went out to make phone calls, weren't we being followed?"
"How did you leave the house the previous times?"
Huo Jiayuan was stunned, unsure how to answer the question.
“Before, it was either me or A-Shuang who took you out at the exact time!” Meng Yan poked her head hard. “How could we let those people follow us to the place where we made the call! Besides, Li Mei’s people aren’t watching us 24/7!”
"Huo Jiayuan, you'll kill me with your stupidity sooner or later!"
Huo Jiayuan glanced at him defiantly as he poked her head, then lowered her head and secretly smiled.
Meng Yan felt that he was out of their sight, so he let go of Huo Jiayuan and strode ahead. She chased after him like a little bird, chirping beside him.
The man remained aloof, yet a hint of a hidden smile was clearly visible on his sharply defined face.
The two walked along, eating a lot of local snacks. Huo Jiayuan touched her increasingly round belly. Although she wanted to have another serving of rice cake, her stomach had already begun to protest.
"Don't force yourself to eat if you can't," Meng Yan glanced at her. "I'll bring you next time."
"Okay, it's a deal!"
Huo Jiayuan tried to pinky swear with him like a child. Meng Yan shook his head vigorously; he wasn't about to do something so childish in the street…
However, though they say no, their actions speak louder than words.
He extended his little finger, made a pinky promise, and even stamped it. Huo Jiayuan smiled especially happily.
But just then, she suddenly noticed that the pendant on her bracelet was lit up, and... it was brighter than the faint light she had seen before!
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