Chapter 7. Rhine Lawrence
It is said that a long, long time ago, the three continents each had their own language. The third continent was the largest, and it was also divided into several different languages.
However, the largest family at that time—the Gongyang family—felt that the world did not need so many languages; they only needed to learn the language they spoke.
So he ordered everyone on the three continents to abandon their native languages and unify the world's language. However, it was impossible to unify all tones, and people in some places would still have accents.
Only the seven great families, including the Gongyang family, speak the most standard aristocratic accent.
A long time has passed, and most aristocratic families still use this tone, such as Rhine Lawrence in front of me.
Lawrence was a nobleman who lived in the villa next door.
They were a prominent family on the Second Continent, not as powerful as the Seven Great Families, but still quite good.
The couple traveled between the two continents for business, spending most of their time on the third continent. They were easygoing and lacked the vices of some nobles. Occasionally, they would bring gifts for Shanran, who lived alone, or share a portion of their cooked meal with her.
Overall, the two families are neighbors who get along quite well.
Shan Ran smiled faintly, placed her hand in Rhine's, bowed slightly, and gave a standard aristocratic return greeting.
Feeling the delicate skin in her hand, Rhine suppressed the urge to caress it, forcing herself not to do such a rude thing. However, when she let go, she still felt a little regretful.
"Hello, Rhine, what can I do for you?"
Rhine stood up and said apologetically, "Miss Shan, I'm so sorry for coming so late. I have some questions for you; may I come in and we can talk?"
Shanran nodded. She could tell that the other party meant no harm, so she let him in.
The two sat on the sofa diagonally opposite each other. Shanran poured Rhein a cup of tea and then waited for her to speak.
“Dear Miss Shan, I had a fever for six days and only woke up at four o’clock this morning. After waking up, I found a lot of messages from my father. He told me about his recent situation and reported that he was safe and sound to me every day.”
However, after my father sent his last message early the day before yesterday, we haven't received any further messages, and I haven't been able to contact him. So I came here to look for them. Have you seen my parents in the past two days?
The Lawrences?
Shan Ran shook her head, indicating that she hadn't seen it.
To confirm, Shan Ran went out and asked several workers, one of whom had a strong impression of them.
"Boss, on the day we started work, that blond old man came to see Lao Wang, and Lao Wang introduced some of his workers to renovate their house."
Rhein walked up to his master, his tone somewhat urgent, "Yes, when I came here I saw signs of construction over there, but no one was there."
The foreman scratched his head. "Old Wang also complained to me that the family left early the day before yesterday and never came back. They couldn't get in touch with them by phone, so the coworkers he introduced had to temporarily stop working."
Upon hearing this, both Shan Ran and Rhine's expressions turned sour.
Where is Old Wang, whom you mentioned?
"Old Wang, Old Wang works the day shift."
Shan Ran asked for his contact information and called him.
She first inquired about the Lawrences in detail and learned that they were going to their factory that day.
Before hanging up, Shanran demanded that Lao Wang's coworkers continue working the next day and do everything as originally agreed, otherwise she would deduct a portion of Lao Wang's wages as the intermediary.
.
These project introducers usually take a kickback. They take the kickback, but the people they introduce don't have to do any work, so they get the money for nothing.
Shan Ran kept the phone on speakerphone the whole time, and Rhein could hear everything clearly.
He bowed slightly and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, dear Miss Shan. These clues are very important to me. Once we find my parents, we will visit you in person."
After they finished speaking, the two exchanged a noble farewell bow before Rhine departed.
Shan Ran turned around and sighed silently.
These nobles are such a hassle; they have so many rituals to perform every day, don't they ever get tired?
——
The next morning, Shan Ran changed his previous high-profile heavy RV and drove out in an inconspicuous SUV he bought in District 4.
She changed into her most ordinary clothes, put on a hat and mask, and dressed herself up in a way that was completely different from her usual self before setting off.
Go find Rong Shuyao.
Shanran followed the address in her memory and went there.
Rong Shuyao's residential area consists of three interconnected communities, all of which are about thirty years old.
The residential area is in a good location in the city center, with many residents and well-developed amenities; it's a very lively place.
Shan Ran parked the car on the side of the road and observed the building where Rong Shuyao lived.
The buildings here are generally not tall. Rong Shuyao lives in a six-story building, and she and her mother live on the second floor.
Rong Shuyao comes from a single-parent family. Her father died in an accident at work when she was young. Her mother took the compensation money and brought Rong Shuyao here to buy a house and settle down.
Rong Shuyao and her mother have a bad relationship.
Her mother is very beautiful, with a soft and sweet appearance. Shan Ran has seen her before; she looks very young and looks like a sister to Rong Shuyao when they stand together.
Since her father passed away, Rong Shuyao's mother has never been without a boyfriend, and she loves to spend money on her boyfriends.
Extremely love-obsessed, yet also desperately needing love.
No wonder she eloped from her noble family on the First Continent to this place for a man.
The mother and daughter often quarreled. At first, Rong Shuyao was disgusted by her mother's behavior, but later she became numb to it. When she returned home and saw her mother with her boyfriend, she would just go back to her room and lock the door without any expression.
As the fog descended and the monster appeared, Rong Shuyao was rescued by her neighbor and senior, but her mother and her boyfriend were left behind and were devoured by the monster.
Shan Ran first saw Rong Shuyao's mother and her boyfriend leaving together. The two were dressed very casually, holding hands and strolling leisurely as if they were going shopping when they left the community.
About two hours later, Rong Shuyao came downstairs with a man, and there was another man waiting outside. The three of them walked out together.
Shan Ran narrowed her eyes and recognized the two men.
The tall and strong one is named Du Cheng. He is Shan Ran and Rong Shuyao's classmate, and also one of Rong Shuyao's most loyal lackeys.
Before the apocalypse, they were just lackeys.
Du Cheng awakened his power-type and spatial storage abilities. Because he was worried about Rong Shuyao, he followed her around like a bodyguard every day.
The other slender person was named Lin Qiwen, Rong Shuyao's upstairs neighbor, and a wind-type ability user.
He was thin, wore glasses, and looked gentle and frail, but he was very intelligent and ruthless.
In the previous life, it was Lin Qiwen who noticed that something was wrong with Shan Ran and was the first to confirm Shan Ran's special ability. It was also he who encouraged Rong Shuyao to kill Shan Ran and eliminate any future troubles.
Shan Ran originally planned to take action against Rong Shuyao before the end of the world, but she did not expect that Rong Shuyao would be accompanied by two dogs, and they were two vicious dogs that were not easy to deal with.
However, Shan Ran had nothing to be disappointed about, as she had never expected to get rid of Rong Shuyao so easily.
After all, the other party is the protagonist of the book, and who knows what kind of protagonist halo they might have.
Shan Ran followed carefully from a distance.
The three of them went out mainly to purchase supplies.
They had just come out of a large supermarket and reached the intersection when a runaway car suddenly rushed towards Rong Shuyao.
The two people beside her immediately reacted. One used his wind-based ability to increase his speed, trying to get Rong Shuyao away quickly, while the other blocked Rong Shuyao's way, trying to use his physical strength to withstand the impact of the car.
A strange thing happened: almost at the same time, another car also suddenly had a tire blowout, veered off course, and the two cars collided.
Lin Qiwen was about to get Rong Shuyao away when he saw that both cars had overturned. The car that had initially headed towards Rong Shuyao rolled far away before coming to a stop.
Du Cheng's tense and swollen muscles suddenly relaxed, returning to normal.
The three of them looked at each other, relieved that nothing had happened. Rong Shuyao patted her chest, still shaken, and stuck out her tongue to calm herself down.
They exchanged a few jokes before leaving the spot and continuing on their way.
Shan Ran, who witnessed the entire process, had only one question mark in her mind.
What a coincidence!
As Rong Shuyao walked along the road, a kitchen knife was suddenly thrown down from a tall building next to them. If someone hadn't been looking down and accidentally bumped into them, Rong Shuyao would definitely have been hit by the knife.
......
The question mark above Shan Ran's head went from one to countless.
This coincidence happened three times.
All three incidents were unexpected, but Rong Shuyao escaped unscathed each time, and she could even avoid danger without needing the other two people.
Shan Ran was stunned.
Is this what they call the protagonist's halo?
If she fires at that moment, will she also be deflected out of bounds?
But then she realized something was wrong.
If there really is a protagonist's halo, then why is there a car with a flat tire, and why is there a kitchen knife that suddenly falls?
One dangerous incident is an accident, but three times is too frequent, and the frequency seems deliberate.
It's as if two forces are at odds.
She felt she had vaguely grasped some information in the mystery, but she couldn't find the thread of that clue.
Shan Ran wasn't planning to make a move for the time being. She had a feeling that even if she managed to avoid the two dogs, Rong Shuyao would easily evade them.
The three of them went home just as it got dark. Du Cheng watched Rong Shuyao go upstairs before turning and leaving.
——
Du Cheng's mood was complicated today. He was very happy to see that Rong Shuyao was safe and sound after several close calls.
But his goddess suffered so much misfortune, and he felt terrible, as if his heart was being scratched by claws.
It was completely dark by then, and there were very few pedestrians outside after nightfall. The streetlights were on, and the streets looked no different from before, but Du Cheng knew that the world had changed.
He was not good with words and was not very smart. Apart from being tall, he had no other advantages. But Rong Shuyao never looked down on him. She always looked at him with a sweet smile, and at that moment he felt that the air he was breathing became sweet.
He didn't know what the future held, but he hoped that Rong Shuyao would be alright.
Lost in thought, Du Cheng unknowingly walked to the sidewalk and onto the roadside.
He was just about to step onto the shoulder when he realized his shoelaces were untied, so he squatted down to tie them.
Just as he squatted down, a dull "bang" sound exploded beside him.
Du Cheng looked around in confusion.
"Was there a fireworks display?"
He tied his shoelaces and stood up when he suddenly heard the sound of an engine behind him, the roar getting closer and closer.
Du Cheng turned around and saw a car rushing towards him at high speed.
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