Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Shen Yanfeng!
On October 6th, after a long and tiring journey, Guan Mi finally arrived in Sanya.
She naturally carried the backpack full of cash, and when she stepped off the stuffy long-distance bus, a sticky and salty air instantly enveloped her.
Sanya was still scorching hot in October, with the afternoon sun scorching the earth, completely different from the dry and cool autumn in Beijing that she was accustomed to.
She raised her head, narrowed her eyes slightly, and put her hand on her forehead to block the direct sunlight. A tall figure suddenly blocked her view, and her vision became gloomy in an instant.
She was too familiar with this strong feeling of oppression!
All the blood in her body seemed to freeze in an instant. Extreme panic made her freeze in place, forgetting even to breathe. There was only one thought in her mind: It's over.
However, the next second, a completely unfamiliar, calm male voice sounded:
"Ms. Guan, Mr. Shao asked me to pick you up."
Guan Mi's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, suddenly fell back to its original place, bringing with it a dull pain of exhaustion.
She slowly lowered her hand and looked up at the man before her. He was wearing a fitted black polo shirt. He was tall and straight, with a neat, sleek crew cut. His tanned skin glowed with health in the sun.
It was so silent and so scary.
She cleared her throat: "What's your name?"
"Li Ke." The man pointed to the parking lot not far away. "The car is over there. I'll take you to your residence."
He stepped aside to lead the way, and Guan Mi followed silently, getting into the seemingly ordinary car with thick windows.
She looked out the car window along the way. The tall coconut trees swayed in the wind, the roadside vendors' carts were piled with golden mangoes and jackfruits, and the air was filled with sweet fruity aroma.
Although she had been here before, this time her mood was completely different. She held a briefcase containing her phone, ID card, and bank card. "Li Fei" was her new name, and her age had been changed to 28.
"From now on, you'll be my cousin in name only." Li Ke turned the steering wheel. "No one here will know the real you."
Guan Mi nodded.
She took out her phone and registered for WeChat and Weibo with her current phone number. After logging in and looking at the empty WeChat list, she knew she had to forget about "Guan Mi" for a while.
She opened Weibo and searched for an account called "A little sunshine will allow you to travel into space."
This was Guan Tang's roommate's unused Weibo account. For safety reasons, Guan Tang even asked someone to buy a used phone from a second-hand market to log in to this account.
From now on, this is their only channel of communication.
As soon as the private message was sent, the status immediately showed "read".
Guan Tang: [Sister (crying), you're finally here! How's it going now? Have you gotten there yet?]
Guan Tang knew that she was not going to Los Angeles, but he didn't know which city she was in. This girl had been a little afraid of Shen Yanfeng before, and Guan Mi was worried that if she was pressed to answer, she would not be able to bear the pressure and would let the cat out of the bag.
Guan Mi: [I'm here, don't worry.]
Guan Tang: [The day you disappeared, he came to look for me at school and even came to my house. Mom said he brought a lot of things with him and said he was here to propose marriage!]
[It seems he was in a car accident that day. There was a big hole on his forehead, and he didn't even bandage it... It was scary.]
After reading the first message, Guan Mi was not surprised. That crazy man was indeed capable of doing such a thing.
When she saw the second one, the terrifying image of Shen Yanfeng with blood all over his face suddenly flashed in her mind. Her fingers froze and she quickly shook her head to get rid of the image.
She typed a few words quickly: [He didn't do anything to you, did he?]
Guan Tang: [No, he asked me a few questions and then left.]
Guan Mi breathed a sigh of relief.
[Xiaotang, let's try to keep in touch as little as possible from now on, but if you have any problems, please contact me immediately.]
She was afraid that if she contacted him too frequently, Shen Yanfeng would notice.
Guan Tang: [Mom said he also brought me an agreement for free medication for the next fifty years...Sis, I don't know what happened between you, but from my perspective, I think he's a very kind person, and he cares deeply about you and our family. But I believe you must have a reason for leaving. From now on, please live your life well, freely, and do as you please, without any pressure!] "Li Fei, we're here." A voice suddenly came from the driver's seat. Guan Mi was stunned for a second before realizing they were calling her. She quickly stuffed her phone back into her bag and lowered the window.
A rich, urban atmosphere washed over me. The six-story residential building before me bore some resemblance to the Guan family's. Various clothes hung out to dry on the balcony. Elderly men gathered at the doorway of the small shop downstairs, playing chess, their palm-leaf fans gently swaying. Upstairs, the sound of cooking spatulas could be heard.
This kind of fireworks made her feel at ease.
Li Ke looked ahead, his voice steady, "I found the house. President Shao specifically told me not to tell her the exact location. This place is less than ten kilometers from Mr. Shen's residence. Now that the two elders know you're here, they'll help cover it up."
"Thank them for me." Guan Mi opened the car door and looked towards the driver's seat before getting out. "Thank you too."
Li Ke nodded slightly and handed over a plain white card with only a phone number printed on it: "You can contact me if you need anything."
She took the card and put it away carefully, but she knew in her heart that she would not call this number easily. Any unnecessary contact would be a loophole, and she could not take any more risks.
She carried her bag up to the third floor and opened the door with her key.
This is a two-bedroom apartment with simple but clean decoration. There are also several pots of green plants on the balcony.
After a short break, Guan Mi contacted the landlord to sign the contract and pay the rent. She had to go out to buy something soon, and her bag only had cash, not even a change of underwear.
The landlord, Sister Zhu, arrived soon. After signing the lease, the enthusiastic middle-aged woman explained in detail the location of the nearby market and said that if we wanted to visit the commercial street, we would have to go into the city.
Before leaving, Sister Zhu added, "We have a beautiful sea here, rarely visited by tourists. It's about a kilometer away. You can go for a walk when the weather is nice."
Guan Mi agreed with a smile.
After seeing Sister Zhu off, she took out three hundred-dollar bills from the stack of cash and carefully locked the rest in the bedroom.
The shopping list was long, including clothes, daily necessities, and most importantly, a laptop. Ideally, it would be best if someone else could buy something secondhand, saving as much as possible. She planned to take on some part-time translation work to make ends meet, then slowly plan for a long-term career.
After buying a mask at the convenience store downstairs and putting it on, Guan Mi walked slowly along the street lined with coconut trees.
She thought carefully, in previous years, Shen Yanfeng had come to Sanya no more than six times, and unless there were special circumstances, he would stay for a full half month. Apart from accompanying the old man to the sea, he mostly stayed in the villa to play with birds and rarely wandered around outside.
With the precedent of Wen Siyi, she believed that Shen Minyan would never let Shen Yanfeng easily find out her whereabouts.
/
After Shen Yanfeng returned to Beijing from Jiangcheng, he did not rush to Sanya, only because Guan Mi's phone was not only turned on in Los Angeles, but the last location it appeared in was Marseille, France.
He remembered clearly that she had mentioned to Chris that she wanted to travel to Marseille.
Even if it might have been a plan, he still went there in person.
He'd checked the airport surveillance repeatedly. The terminal was incredibly crowded that morning, and he'd only spotted a silhouette resembling Guan Mi's in the crowd. And the surveillance footage from the security checkpoint area of the 8:00 flight had been tampered with. The airport explained it as a "system malfunction." It seemed these people really took him for a fool.
During the few days since arriving in Marseille, he had been searching every corner of the city like a wandering soul. Every time he turned around, he hoped to see her, but every time he looked back, he only saw unfamiliar faces.
One afternoon, he bought a sunny Western-style house and asked the gardener to plant roses and green plants in the yard.
"Wait until I bring my wife over to live with us." When he said this, there was a determined light in his eyes.
Since you like Marseille, why not come here on your honeymoon? I'll replace all the windows with one-way windows so you can lean against them, watch the people on the street, and listen to the cars outside. You'll definitely be trembling with excitement.
After writing the last line, Shen Yanfeng carefully put the letter into the envelope.
There will always be a day to send it out.
He downed the rest of the whiskey in the glass, the liquid burning his stomach. He then swallowed two more white pills, the bitterness lingering on his tongue making him frown slightly.
Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting cold white spots on the Persian carpet.
The bedside clock showed 3:17 in the morning, but Shen Yanfeng was still eerily conscious.
He lay on the bed, reached out and picked up the silk scarf beside the pillow, and wrapped the light blue silk around his fingers.
This was left by Guan Mi in his car three years ago. When she came back to the car to look for it that day, he inexplicably chose to remain silent.
At that time, he didn't understand why he kept this ordinary silk scarf. After collecting it, he didn't do anything with it and just put it in the closet.
He gently placed the scarf over his face, and a familiar, light fragrance instantly enveloped him. It was the scent of the shower gel Guan Mi often used, as if still tinged with her body warmth. In this intoxicating scent, he was transported back to those nights of unbridled lovemaking.
She sat on him and swayed herself, her eyes half closed, her two snow-white breasts faintly visible under her swaying hair. When she lowered her head to respond to his demands, her face was always full of intoxication.
He still couldn't believe that there could be such a passionate intercourse without love. He remembered the second time on their first night, she even took the initiative to guide his movements.
She must love him.
It's not that there aren't more direct methods. As long as he takes action against anyone in the Guan family, she will definitely return to him obediently.
But how boring is that?
In the game of cat and mouse, the prey must always be given enough space to run, and the process of chasing is the most exciting.
Special Assistant Liu checked several countries that Guan Mi might have visited, but there was no record of her, regardless of the means of transportation she used.
"Domestic buses and ferries..." Special Assistant Liu paused.
Shen Yanfeng took a deep puff of cigarette and said, "Continue."
"As for domestic long-distance buses and ferries," Special Assistant Liu said, "because there are no strict real-name registration requirements, the monitoring system also has many blind spots, making verification like finding a needle in a haystack."
Chen Yanfeng put out the cigarette butt in the crystal ashtray, and a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
That means in China.
"Keep looking."
Shen Minyan was being too extreme. Why was Wen Siyi able to study abroad, while his Guan Mi could only hide in a small city under an assumed name? They were both the future daughters-in-law of the Shen family, so how could they be treated differently?
"Book a flight to Sanya for the 5th."
/
Guan Mi bought some vegetables and noodles at the market, then went to the grocery store to buy some basic seasonings. Finally, he went into a budget clothing store and picked out two changes of clothes. Winter here probably wasn't that cold, so he could save money on a thick coat.
After returning to the rental house, she immediately searched for a laptop on the second-hand trading platform.
Fortunately, a seller three kilometers away put up an unused laptop for sale, but no one bought it after nearly a month.
After some bargaining, the other party finally agreed to reduce the price by twenty yuan, but required her to pick it up in person in the evening.
To be on the safe side, Guan Mi specifically asked for the phone number. When she answered, a girl with a local accent spoke clearly and crisply. After confirming the address, she put down her phone and walked to the balcony.
The afternoon sun cast dappled shadows through the trees, and in the distance the sounds of children playing could be heard. She leaned on the railing and looked at the unfamiliar sky.
A bit boring, but relaxing.
This should be the first summer in her twenty-five years that she really doesn't have to think about anything.
In the evening, Guan Mi followed the address and found the old community.
She pressed the intercom downstairs and the iron gate opened with a click.
The door on the right side of the second floor was ajar, and a young girl was squatting in the entrance packing cardboard boxes.
"Hello, I'm here to get the computer." She said softly.
The girl raised her head and smiled brightly. "Li Fei, right? The computer is on the table. You can turn it on and check it out. If there's no problem, sign for it and take it away."
Guan Mi walked into the house and quickly scanned the almost empty one-bedroom apartment.
She walked to the desk and turned on the computer. The system ran smoothly and the keyboard felt good.
"Are you new here?" the girl asked.
"Yes, I just arrived today." Guan Mi said.
"Oh, the only good thing about this place is the sea. I used to go there often in the evening to enjoy the sea breeze."
Guan Mi: "I'll go take a look when I have time."
She turned off the computer, put it in the black bag beside her, and then opened her phone to sign for it.
"Then I'll be leaving first. I wish you good luck on your next journey!"
"Thank you! Wait..." The girl suddenly called her and stuffed a bag of mangoes into her hand. "This is for you. It's very sweet."
Guan Mi thanked him softly and walked down the stairs carrying the computer and mango.
The evening breeze carried the scent of tropical fruits. She looked up at the darkening sky and thought, it would be fine to go back now, so she might as well go to the beach and enjoy the breeze.
As the landlord had said, this area of the sea was sparsely populated with tourists. Only a few locals were strolling along the soft sand. She found a dry spot on the beach and sat down, gazing out at the distant spot where the sea and sky met.
She waited until it was completely dark before she got up and prepared to leave.
Walking back along the secluded coastline, the street lights cast dim yellow lights in the deepening night.
The gentle sea breeze ruffled her hair. She thought about how comfortable it would be to wear headphones, listen to her favorite music, and let her mind go completely blank.
Thinking that she could do this every day in the future, she couldn't help but smile. But the next moment, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black car parked not far away, and a figure she would never forget was pushing the door open from the driver's seat.
Shen Yanfeng!
At that moment, fear engulfed her like the sea, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.
How come he is here?!
She didn't have time to think about anything, her mind was constantly shouting: Run away! Run away! ! !
She suddenly lowered her head, using the computer and the bag of mangoes to cover her face as much as possible, and turned around without hesitation. Instead of running, she moved at a seemingly normal but actually extremely fast pace, and turned into a side road behind her that led to a residential alley.
Once in the shadows of the alley, she immediately clung to the wall, using the corner of the wall to see if he had noticed her.
Hearing the sound of another motorcycle in the distance, she quickly blended into the direction of the crowd where the motorcycle was passing, and with the cover of the vehicles, she quickly disappeared into the depths of the intricate streets and alleys.
She didn't even dare to look back, but just walked forward with all her might, every pore calling for escape.
Shen Yanfeng held the phone and inexplicably turned his head to look at a certain place.
There were only the shadows of trees swaying gently in the evening breeze, and a few figures walking in the distance were blurry.
In the receiver, Mr. Shen roared loudly: "It's time to eat, where have you been?!"
He retracted his gaze, letting the sea breeze fill his shirt, his voice calm: “I said, if you don’t ask Shen Minyan about Guan Mi’s whereabouts, I will jump into the sea tonight.”
"That's all you can do!" Old Shen was furious. "Jump! Jump quickly! I'll be at peace if you die!"
"Yan Feng!" Old Lady Shen snatched the phone. "Don't be stupid. If you're looking for someone, look for them properly. You looked so distracted when you arrived today, and then you suddenly disappeared in the afternoon. Are you really trying to scare your grandfather and me to death? Come back soon, it might rain later."
Shen Yanfeng laughed casually and walked towards the stairs to the seaside.
Do you really think he can jump? If he wants to die, he must find Guan Mi first.
Guan Mi ran back to the rental house in one breath. The phone in her pocket vibrated several times but she had no time to pay attention to it.
She held the door behind her, calmed her breath, took out her cell phone, confirmed it was Li Ke calling, and quickly answered it.
"Are you at home?" Li Ke asked.
"No, I just came back, and I saw..." She swallowed quickly, "I saw Chen Yanfeng! How did he know I was here?"
"Did he see you?"
"Probably not."
"He just arrived in Sanya this afternoon." Li Ke said apologetically, "Something happened to me at the last minute, so I didn't receive any notification from Mr. Shen. It was my negligence."
Guan Mi wiped the sweat from his face and said, "So he didn't come here because he knew I was here?"
Li Ke said calmly: "Probably not. If he was, he would have come directly to the door."
“Knock knock—”
The sudden knock on the door startled Guan Mi so much that she took a step back. She stared at the door holding her breath, her heart pounding.
"Ms. Li? Are you at home? I brought someone to install gas for you." Sister Zhu's voice came from outside the door.
Guan Mi suddenly felt alive again. She let out a long sigh, opened the door and let them in.
When she was taking a shower late at night, she was still in shock, fearing that someone would knock on the door again in the next second, and it would be Shen Yanfeng outside the door.
She turned the water heater to the coldest setting and splashed water on her face for a while, forcing herself to calm down.
What should I do next? Keep running? Where should I go?
It was the best that someone here could grasp Shen Yanfeng's movements. If he went somewhere else, she might really run into him on the street one day. The scene was terrifying just to imagine.
Yes, she couldn't leave for the time being. The most dangerous place is the safest. She didn't believe that Shen Yanfeng could come to her door so quickly. At worst, she would just stay at home for the time being.
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