Xiao Rong looked on in disbelief, while Meng Yan looked up at him with a smug smile on his lips.
“The climate in the border region is hot and humid,” he said casually. “A little ice-cold beer will help you relax.”
Xiao Rong's eyes flickered slightly, and then he saw Huo Jiayuan pour beer into a glass and take a big gulp like he was drinking a beverage!
Meng Yan laughed, as if talking to herself or on purpose, "Yuan Yuan really likes to drink this, right?"
Huo Jiayuan responded loudly, "Okay!"
"Xiao Rong, you should try it too." She handed him a can. "I've never had this kind of wine before, but it's actually quite delicious!"
Xiao Rong smiled and shook his head.
As a bodyguard, he needs to stay alert at all times.
"Yuan Yuan, you... should drink less too."
"fine!"
"After all, it's someone else's home." Xiao Rong deliberately emphasized the word "someone else."
"Mr. Xiao, are you worried that she might get drunk and cause trouble?" Meng Yan pointed it out directly, with a faint smile on his face. "She has been staying with me for a while now. Yuan Yuan has not treated me as an outsider, and I have not treated her as a guest either."
"And..." he pushed a plate of stir-fried beef in front of Huo Jiayuan, "she quite likes my cooking!"
Xiao Rong's expression was not good, and Huo Jiayuan also vaguely sensed that something was wrong with the man beside her.
He smiled, but the shadow in his eyes grew even deeper.
He even deliberately dragged his chair closer to her, doing so discreetly. The square table, which was supposed to be occupied by three people on each side, now looked as if she and Meng Yan were squeezed onto the same side, facing Xiao Rong.
Huo Jiayuan almost laughed, but when she saw Xiao Rongju's chopsticks stuck in the air, neither moving forward nor backward, she felt a little helpless.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Zhao Ashuang arrived at this particularly awkward moment, making the already awkward atmosphere even more unusual.
When Xiao Rong first saw Zhao Ashuang, he was taken aback, then he saw Huo Jiayuan intimately linking arms with her...
But thinking back on what he had experienced during her time in the border region, he felt that none of this was so abnormal. He only blamed himself for not protecting her well and for not being by her side when she needed him most.
As usual, Zhao Ashuang brought several of his signature dishes and warmly invited Huo Jiayuan to eat. Then he sat down next to Xiao Rong, just like Meng Yan and Huo Jiayuan, intentionally or unintentionally placing his chair closer to Xiao Rong.
Xiao Rong kept his distance, his politeness tinged with a hint of coldness. He had never known before that a meal could take so long.
Finally, after Huo Jiayuan finished his last sip of beer, Zhao Ashuang got up to clear the dishes and went into the kitchen. Meng Yan went to the balcony for a smoke. Only then did Xiao Rong have a chance to pull Huo Jiayuan outside.
"Miss!"
Xiao Rong was getting anxious.
"What's wrong?"
"You..." There were many things Xiao Rong couldn't say.
He was the son of the Huo family's head butler, and he had grown up with Huo Jiayuan since childhood. To him, she was an untouchable moonlight, an unattainable dream. He was willing to risk everything to protect her, like a knight by a princess's side, and then watch as the real prince came to marry her and lead her into happiness.
But the prince could never be that beast smoking on the balcony!
Xiao Rong took a deep breath and asked with difficulty, "These past few days... he hasn't done anything to you, has he?"
Huo Jiayuan stared at him for a long time, then frowned. "Of course not!"
"Miss, please don't be angry. I was just worried about you."
"Enough!" Huo Jiayuan said, her face showing displeasure. "You're worried? What were you all doing before! You're all top-notch experts, how come you all disappeared as soon as you arrived in Biandu!"
Xiao Rong blushed and lowered his head after being scolded by her.
"If it weren't for Meng Yan, you'd probably be collecting my corpse in the red-light district!"
"Miss……"
Huo Jiayuan turned away angrily, "Also, I said, take back the word 'Miss' in front of Meng Yan!"
"yes."
After a long while, Huo Jiayuan calmed down and turned to ask him, "Did you call me out because you have something else to tell me?"
Xiao Rong snapped out of his reverie, coughed twice, and whispered to her, "After we arrived in Biandu, we were indeed ambushed by some forces here... That's why we lost contact with you before."
Huo Jiayuan's expression changed. "Who is it?"
“Gang influence,” Xiao Rong explained simply. “The gangs here are complex, and Biandu is far from the central city. Even if Old Master Huo came, he wouldn’t be able to control the local tyrants anytime soon. They have their own rules and their own criminal methods, and the local police have a real headache dealing with them…”
Are we being targeted?
“No, that’s not it.” Xiao Rong shook his head. “Any new face that appears on that street will alert the gang… In short, we’ve suffered this time.”
“And that Sister Mei,” Xiao Rong looked at her worriedly, “she doesn’t know your true identity, but most likely she’s investigated you behind your back. With her abilities, figuring out your identity wouldn’t be difficult for her, so you absolutely cannot fall into their hands, otherwise they will use you to blackmail the Huo and Lu families! Do you… understand?”
Huo Jiayuan frowned and bit her lip tightly.
Because she was overprotected from a young age, she had less malicious suspicion of the world and lived too much for herself.
She was only thinking about finding her childhood friend, forgetting her family and the harm her recklessness had caused them.
"Little..." Xiao Rong changed his words before he could finish, "Yuan Yuan."
“We must leave this place quickly!” Xiao Rong patted her shoulder. “Also, although our people were ambushed last time, they have also figured out some things… I’m afraid you won’t find the person you’re looking for here.”
"What?" Huo Jiayuan was taken aback.
"Xiaoman may have already been sold overseas." Xiao Rong hesitated for a moment before slowly uttering these words.
Huo Jiayuan's mind went blank, and she leaned her back gently against the wall.
Xiao Rong didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only take her hand and let her grab his ear, just like when they were little—when she was unhappy, he would do this, and then she would smile again.
But this time, the method seems to have failed.
Xiao Rong sighed softly and whispered in her ear, "I've made all the arrangements. In three days, I'll take you away by ship. This place isn't far from Southeast Asia. Our ship will first circle around to the waters of Southeast Asia, and then return to Yangcheng from Southeast Asia. We have people all along the way, so you don't need to worry."
“Yuan Yuan,” he paused, “hurry home. The old lady is worried sick and can’t sleep. Can you bear to see her like this?”
“Yes, I understand.” Huo Jiayuan nodded vigorously. “I’ll leave here with you in three days.”
"Okay." Xiao Rong chuckled.
Huo Jiayuan forced a smile and tugged at his ear.
But just then, the door opened gently, and a tall figure emerged from behind it and stood before them.
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