Chapter 1
"Mom! What does his marriage have to do with me? Besides, Uncle Zheng hasn't objected to his son dating in the past few years. Now that the situation is ripe, why is he suddenly against it? Mom, please don't meddle in other people's business. I'm busy! Old man Sabur has a batch of goods that just arrived yesterday. He must be going to the port today. I finally got the chance to arrest him. I won't tell you anymore!"
A rugged white pickup truck sped along the desert highway leading to Khalifa Port. The scorching asphalt, baking in the blazing sun, emitted a pungent odor. Fine sand and gravel were flung into the air by the speeding tires of the vehicle ahead, hitting the windowpanes with a crackling sound, a rare sight in the Middle Eastern desert.
Jiawei, who was sitting in the back seat, had already leaned forward against the back of the front seat when she heard the word "marriage." Now she was tilting her head and teasing Guan Ying, who was sitting in the passenger seat: "Guan Guan, did I hear correctly just now? Your young husband actually talked about marriage before you did?"
If it wasn't her good friend Jiawei, Guan Ying would have lost her temper on the spot if it was someone else. Since she was a child, she hated people mentioning "little husband" the most. Isn't this embarrassing and a poke in her spine?
"Bah! You're so sharp, you have dog ears!" Guan Ying didn't get angry with her best friend, but she felt it was right to curse her casually. After all, she also had to consider her boyfriend, Xiao Weiyan, who was working hard to drive for her.
Jiawei wasn't angry at being scolded by her. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and giggled. Not wanting to provoke Guan Ying again, she turned around and patted the driver Xiao Weiyan on the shoulder: "Haha~ Brother Yan, congratulations!"
Xiao Weiyan was curious about the content of the call, but after hearing Guan Ying's tone towards Jiawei, which seemed unhappy, he held back from asking. But now that Jiawei had suddenly relayed the message, he quickly jumped in: "Why are you congratulating me all of a sudden?"
Jiawei pinched his shoulders from the back seat, laughing so hard she fell forward and backward. "Hey, didn't your senior Daniel ever tell you that there's a 'Juyong Pass' at our Guanguan home? Now that Juyong Pass has given way, you're safe! Haha~ It's really better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early!"
When breaking up with her seven previous boyfriends, Guan Ying's excuse was always that her family had arranged a marriage for her to Zheng Juyong, and she couldn't be engaged to anyone else unless the Zheng family broke off the engagement. Even the most passionate man wouldn't want to wait indefinitely without a legitimate relationship, not to mention that waiting might not be enough to overcome the "parental orders" of East Asian families and the "business marriages" that are almost certain for children of wealthy families. When it comes to choosing between emotion and profit, men are often more discerning than women. Therefore, regardless of whether the other person is Chinese or foreign, young or old, rich or poor, tall or short, as soon as the "Juyongguan" barrier appears, the breakup is imminent, and it works every time.
It was okay for Jiawei to mention Zheng Juyong in front of Xiao Weiyan, as it was inevitable, but she shouldn't have mentioned Daniel knowingly.
"Why bring up the past? Just laugh, laugh, laugh until you die! If you laugh again, I'll throw you out of the car!" Guan Ying pointed at Jiawei's forehead with his index finger and pushed her back in annoyance, preventing Jiawei from coming forward and talking nonsense.
Daniel is both Xiao Weiyan's senior in the legal profession and Guan Ying's ex-boyfriend. Jiawei casually teased about this awkward relationship, but Xiao Weiyan remained calm and maintained his gentlemanly style, watching the two of them playing around beside him through the rearview mirror with a smile.
"Haha~ Okay, okay, little bully, isn't it okay that I was wrong? Don't really throw me out. You will still need me when you catch old man Sabur later, haha~" Jiawei made a fuss and begged for mercy first.
Guan Ying pinched Jiawei's cheek and said, "If your mouth wasn't still useful, I would really have to block it."
Jiawei had learned a little Arabic in college, so when she went on a business trip to the UAE this time, Guan Ying specially invited Jiawei to help with translation. This allowed Jiawei to meet her eighth boyfriend Xiao Weiyan, who was dating her new boyfriend here. It just so happened that Xiao Weiyan and her ex-boyfriend Daniel were seniors and juniors in the legal profession, which aroused Jiawei's curiosity and gossip about Xiao Weiyan. Fortunately, Xiao Weiyan was a decent man and never cared.
Jiawei begged for mercy: "No, no, hehe~ You don't have to do it, I'll do it myself." As she said that, she stroked her lips with her hand, pretending to fasten the chain on her mouth, and then leaned back in the back seat, trying to hold back her laughter.
When Guan Ying turned around, she glanced at Xiao Weiyan, who, as if sensing her, turned back to look at her with a considerate smile. She liked this about him: he wasn't as clingy as Daniel, nor did he have the aggressive, often occupational hazard of lawyers.
"For me, people who have broken up are like going to another world. I have no interest in rekindling things. You don't have to take it to heart." She used these words to calm the storm just now, which was not very gentle.
Xiao Weiyan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel gently, and remembered something: "Daniel resigned and returned to Canada last month. Actually, to be honest, I owe him an apology."
Guan Ying had intended to comfort him for his best friend's words, but he unexpectedly said something so confusing. "Oh, what do you mean? Are you saying that I'm fickle and that it's making life difficult for you, Xiao Weiyan, in the legal profession? If being with me makes you feel so sorry for him, you can get out of the car right now. Goodbye!"
Xiao Weiyan's face turned pale: "Guan Guan, you know it took me so much effort to get together with you, why bother..."
Guan Ying said what she meant: "Oh, stop the car! I told you to stop the car!"
Jiawei realized she had caused trouble and whispered to him from behind, "Don't chase him away. How are we two women going to catch Sabur later? What if they call the port police? With Brother Yan as our lawyer, it will be easier for us to reason with him. It was all my fault just now. I won't talk nonsense again. Don't be angry. Take it out on me. Don't delay the important task of collecting the debt."
Xiao Weiyan looked at Guan Ying's expression and rejected her for the first time: "Jiawei is right. We are just ahead at the port. It's not too late to discuss our affairs after we catch Sabur."
Guan Ying forcefully opened the car door on her side and was about to unbuckle her seat belt.
Jiawei frantically pressed the seatbelt hole: "She's about to jump, brake quickly!"
Seeing this, Xiao Weiyan suddenly slammed on the brakes. The three of them were thrown forward by inertia. Jiawei was in the most danger. She had unbuckled her backseat belt when she came forward to talk. The sudden braking caused her to lose control and fall toward the front row. It was Xiao Weiyan who quickly grabbed her waist and buttocks to prevent her from falling.
Although Guan Ying's arm was hit, the seat belt prevented her from getting hurt.
"Xiao Weiyan, even without you, what I, Guan Ying, want to do can still be accomplished. Please get out of the car now!" Guan Ying had already gotten out of the car and opened the driver's door from the outside.
"Guan Guan, ouch, my waist..." Jiawei sprained her waist. She finally regained her balance with the help of Xiao Weiyan. She wanted to continue to persuade Guan Ying, but she was in so much pain that she couldn't continue.
Xiao Weiyan reluctantly got out of the car, left on the side of the steaming highway. The sun was blazing, and with no awnings to protect him, he took a few steps forward in a daze, accidentally stepping on a pile of camel dung. His anger ignited, and he ripped his tie loose, tangled it in his hands, and threw it in the direction Guan Ying's car had left, yelling into the empty road.
"Guan Guan, you just threw him down like that? He is your boyfriend, he just said something wrong, you are too cruel." Jiawei rubbed her waist and leaned on the rear window to look back.
Guan Ying stepped on the accelerator: "Just a word? What, you can't bear to leave him? Then I'll let you go to accompany him?"
"Uh, cruel woman," Jiawei could no longer see anyone through the back window, so she turned around and looked forward. "You're kidding, of course I'm with you! But it's just the two of us, okay? It's okay if we don't catch him later, but if we do, you better not be impulsive. This is abroad, on someone else's territory. If something happens to you, I won't be able to explain to Uncle Guan and Aunt Guan."
Guan Ying swiftly put on his sunglasses. "What do you mean by 'if I can't catch him, I'll just let him go'? This information is absolutely accurate. I must catch him today! The one who ran away with the money was that old man Sabur. I have all the evidence and I'm collecting the debt legally and legitimately. Even if the police come, I have nothing to fear. I didn't call the police because I gave him a way out based on our years of cooperation. If anyone should be afraid, he should be the one! Don't let me down when you translate for me today. Stand up straight!"
Jiawei shook her head: "Hey, you are the little bully of Xicheng, but I am not. I promise not to hold you back today." Although they are best friends, their personalities are completely different. One is decisive and swift, while the other is gentle and charming. The reason why they have been good friends for so many years is that their temperaments complement each other and bring out the best in each other.
As the car approached the busy Khalifa Port, the roadside was no longer a desert. Rows of date palms laden with orange-red fruits gradually appeared, each one like a Persian bride in red makeup, full of enthusiasm and in full bloom.
Guan Ying glanced out the window while driving and suddenly muttered angrily, "I'm out there fighting, and he's at home enjoying the warmth of his wife."
The sun was glaring outside. Jiawei was lying in the back seat, resting with her eyes closed. When she heard her voice, she leaned over and asked, "What? Guan Guan, did you just talk to me?"
Guan Ying adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose: "Nothing, we're almost at the port. I told you to get up and stop squinting in the back."
Jiawei sat down: "Don't worry, I will definitely support you later! Ouch, my old waist."
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