Chapitre 3: The First Confrontation

The space inside the car was already cramped and narrow. Now with one more person, it appeared even more confined. The temperature subtly rose. Being closer, the smell of blood was more pronounced, yet there was no wound on the man's body. Si Fuqing, while watching him with interest, moved her ears and clearly caught a series of messy footsteps mixed with several gunshots. The man finally spoke, "I need to take shelter here for a while." His voice was low and cold, like a mechanically altered tone, clearly meant to disguise his identity. But between the tones, his usual elegant demeanor persisted, with a suppressed ending tone that carried a hint of chilling cruelty, as if it was engraved into his bones. Si Fuqing had no interest in looking at his face any longer. Being cautious to even change his voice, it was improbable that his face was unmasked. "Sure, for money," her hand hooked in her hair resembling a lethargic fox grooming its fur, a small smile curling at the corner of her eyes, "Once the money is here, we can talk." The man paused, "That's reasonable." He untied a jade pendant from somewhere and gently placed it on the dashboard. The jade was fine and cool to the touch, clearly a piece of high-quality jade. Si Fuqing secured the jade pendant and spoke deliberately, "Need any accompaniment? I can download a track for you. Do you prefer something grand or something more intense?" Taking money for services had been her unchanging principle over the years. "No need," the man said indifferently, "This is enough." After speaking, he slightly lowered his gaze, his excellent vision allowing him to clearly see her face. Exquisite appearance, virtuous and cool. A rare beauty. Si Fuqing changed her position to support her head with her hand, "As long as you're not tired." The man leaned his arm on the dashboard, enclosing the girl within his embrace, and just slightly using a clever force, the car began to shake. Though close, there was no physical contact between the two. Yet from the outside, the foggy glass added an amorous sentiment, creating an even more enchanting scene. The chaotic footsteps also stopped at this moment. "Where are they? Could they have gone into the hospital?" An angry voice rose, then suddenly escalated, "What's that over there?!" "Swipe!" A dazzling light was thrown towards the car and then quickly moved away. Seeing the car shake violently, a person cursed, "Where did these unruly lovers come from, doing such things outside a hospital? Bad luck, aren't they afraid of awakening the dead?" "If it weren't for the urgent matters today, I would have snatched that woman!" "Stop talking, the mission is important," another quickly said, "Where did he go? He's not here!" "Let's go, into the hospital, keep chasing! We absolutely cannot let him escape!" The people gradually left, and the surroundings returned to calm. Si Fuqing moved her body, raised her chin, "Bother, let me have a sip of Coke." The man moved back slightly. Si Fuqing stretched out her right hand to unscrew the cap, but in the next second, she suddenly turned and struck directly at his shoulder. The man reacted quickly, his eyes which were already dark deepened instantly. In a matter of seconds, the two exchanged over a dozen moves. "Bang!" Si Fuqing was pressed down in the driver's seat. She still couldn't see his face clearly, but she could feel the cold aura emanating from his body and his strong, muscular arms and broad shoulders. There was only a layer of clothing between them, the heat continuously transferring. "You have a weak wrist injury, you're no match for me," he firmly held her unharmed right wrist, "If this continues, I'm not sure what I might do." His eyes showed neither joy nor anger, calm as if no sudden accidents could shake him. Yet there was a certain oppressive and invasive presence. Si Fuqing blinked, her emotions unflustered and nonchalant, "Okay, then don't bully me." "Thank you for today's incident," the man paused, released her hand, his voice steady and strong, "If I am fortunate to meet you again, I will come to express my gratitude." He came silently and left just as silently. The bloody smell also dissipated with him, and Si Fuqing then turned on the car's interior light. She looked down at her palm. A metal object thin as a cicada's wing, slightly glowing in the darkness. Although she hadn't beaten him, she managed to swipe something from him. The Great Xia Empire was divided into many forces, But among those Si Fuqing could recognize, the Mo family from the Central Plains was one. The Mo family, with its mechanisms and hidden weapons, had been a prominent family in the Central Plains. With a history spanning over a thousand years. Si Fuqing pondered. In her previous life, although she was of pure Great Xia descent, she hadn't visited the Great Xia Empire much; much of her information came from the intelligence network established by her Second Senior Brother and some friends she met online. But whether that man was from the Mo family or not was irrelevant to her. He was right; her current physical condition was too weak. "She speaks so archaically; you'd think she was from ancient times," Si Fuqing gathered her thoughts, put the hidden weapon in her pocket, "Communicating is such a hassle, with so many enemies; who would want to meet you later." She finished the last sip of her Coke, tossed the can into a trash bin in the distance, leaned back in the car seat for a while, and then started the car to leave. ** At eight in the morning, at the Zuo family's house. Old Master Zuo's funeral was still being processed. Zuo Tianbei and Mrs. Zuo were not present, leaving only a few younger members of the family. "Second Sister, this time we've finally managed to drive Si Fuqing out," Zuo Qingya stirred her coffee, "I get annoyed seeing Grandfather being so nice to her. What kind of identity does she have that Grandfather treats an outsider so well?" "Then she went off to mingle in the entertainment circle, it's just laughable. People criticize her all the way to foreign countries, she has no self-awareness." Si Fuqing's reputation in the entertainment circle was well known to Zuo Qingya. As bad as it could get, a star who was good for nothing, unwatchable face, how could she possibly have any popularity? Sometimes, she would even hire a bunch of paid trolls to attack Si Fuqing on the internet. As the third young mistress of the Zuo family, Zuo Qingya looked down on the entertainment circle and never followed any talent shows, it was only after hearing that Si Fuqing made a fool of herself on "Youth With You" that she specifically downloaded it to watch. Seeing netizens criticizing Si Fuqing, she was delighted. Zuo Xianyu did not comment, only saying, "Say less." Of course, she didn't say this to defend Si Fuqing, but because Si Fuqing wasn't worth her attention.