The owner of the island (Guling)

The owner of the island (Guling)
did not believe in evil, and her punishment was that
she was taken on a boat and met the most handsome man she had ever seen.
The fortune teller said that she would harm all her relatives;
indeed, all her relatives were harmed by her,
and two men who pursued her and said they would marry her were also killed…
Never mind, perhaps staying away is the only way to stop hurting people,
although I don’t know what the purpose of this ‘elusive’
what the man’s objective is who scared her unconscious by the sea and then took her away.
Ahhh, he has super cosmic, indestructible magic powers!
Yes! Then she won’t be bored in the future.
But he’s so fierce and cool, often ignoring people…
However, sometimes he’s quite nice to her,
especially when she’s crying…
What? ! He’s the terrorist angel wanted by the presidents of the world’s six major powers…
What’s so scary about him? Alas!

Chapter 1
The island of terror is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is a mysterious and terrifying island about one and a half times the size of Taiwan. It is like a ghostly presence in the grey-green sea. Most of the year it is hidden in the fog. The mountains on the island are shrouded in clouds, and the castle in the centre of the island looks as wild and dark as those mountains.
The island is surrounded by black reefs jutting into the sea. Those reefs are just a few feet above the surface of the sea, like sharp teeth. If a person touches them, they will be torn apart before they can even scream! It is also like a death warrant from the King of Hell. If a sailor is not careful and enters its waters, they will surely die without a burial. Therefore, even if it does not have a ‘death to trespassers’ rule, no one dares to go looking for death.
The terrifying angel, the terrifying island master.
Legend has it that he has a face that drives women crazy and amazes angels, and that even the vulgar adjective ‘handsome’ is not enough to convey his beauty. But beneath his stunningly beautiful appearance is the coldest and most cruel heart in the world.
Legend has it that he possesses Satan-like magic. Under the control of his magical powers, his islanders are absolutely loyal, and no one dares to betray him.
Legend has it that the heads of state of all the countries in the world – be they kings, presidents or chiefs – have personally witnessed his terrifying supernatural powers.
Legend has it that if he so desires, all life on earth can be completely destroyed within one day.
Legend has it that no matter what he commands, no matter what his request, as long as he utters a single word, no one dares to say a word in addition to complying, because no one wants to be the culprit that causes the downfall of their country or even the end of the world.
Legend has it that the Angel of Terror has a nemesis. But no one knows if it is a man or a woman, old or young, an Easterner or a Westerner, not even the Angel of Terror himself.
These are just legends, and no one knows how much is fact and how much is fiction. In fact, there are only a handful of people who really know the Angel of Terror; even fewer know of the existence of this terrifying figure.
And no ruler would admit to being afraid of someone, even if they were trembling with fear and their knees were weak. More importantly, no one would ask the Terror Angel to demonstrate how he would destroy the Earth and return it to the Stone Age.
But in any case, there is no doubt that the Terror Angel of Terror Island is the most mysterious person in the world.
***
Even before she was born, she was doomed to be a fifth wheel!
Her father and best friend made a promise half in jest and half in earnest, pointing at their respective wives‘ bellies:
’If it’s the same sex, they’ll be brothers or sisters; if it’s the opposite sex, they’ll be husband and wife.”
Three months later, her “fiancé” was stillborn after the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and caused him to suffocate. Two months later, when she was born, her mother almost died in childbirth, and shortly after her birth, her father declared bankruptcy after a manufacturer went bankrupt and he had vouched for his friend.
When she was in kindergarten, she and a little ‘boyfriend’ fell in love and were inseparable. He told her, ‘I’ll marry you when I grow up,’ but his vow was never fulfilled because he died in a car accident the next day.
In the first grade, she was waiting by the basketball court for her brother to take her home.
But she saw her brother climb up the basketball goal to shake the ball hanging from the basket, and he fell accidentally. Since then, he became a cripple for no reason.
In the sixth grade, the most active boy in her class wanted to woo her, and eagerly sent her cute and funny love letters, the last one of which read:…
I really like you very much. Will you marry me when you grow up?
Two days later, he fell from the fourth floor of his home and began his life in a wheelchair.
Three years later, she was screaming and pulling her sister’s ex-boyfriend back when they were walking home from shopping. She tried to stop him from hurting her sister, but her sister still had two scars on her face.
She had no intention of dating before finishing school, but in junior high school, two male classmates fought over her, resulting in one death and one serious injury.
A series of unfortunate accidents and injuries started after she was born, and there was no sign of it ending. Therefore, no one dared to say that it was a coincidence. Good things don’t leave home, bad things spread thousands of miles. The confused and innocent her finally became a super-bad luck star in the eyes of relatives, friends, and even classmates and teachers, and they avoided her like the plague.
Then, when her parents found out that she had passed the high school entrance exam, they took her birth data and dragged her, who was very reluctant, to a high-level person introduced to them by a friend.
He was not tall at all, shorter than her, at most 150 cm, in his eighties, with wrinkled skin and white hair that hung down to his chest, but it was very elegant.
She looked at him curiously, and he smiled back.
‘What do you think, Master?’ her father asked.
‘Strange fate, peculiar face, even the palm reading is different,’ the master nodded. ‘With such a coincidence, it is rare to see it once in a hundred years, no, once in a thousand years.’
Her mother asked anxiously, ‘Master, is it good or bad?’
‘It depends on one’s point of view,’ the master looked sympathetically at her parents. ‘For you, she is a great obstacle, she has no relatives except her own children. In fact, she was originally supposed to be a life that would harm her six relatives, but…’ he smiled.
Her parents’ faces turned pale! ’What should we do! Master, is there any way to solve it?’
‘There is no way. It is predestined,’ he said, still smiling. “You don’t need to do anything. Just take good care of her. Don’t let her go because of this, or you will regret it even more. Just be patient until someone comes to take her away. That will be the time when she brings you endless wealth and glory for many lifetimes.”
He turned to face her, his face suddenly becoming extremely solemn.
‘Remember, always keep your innocent heart pure, and one day, the fate of this world will be in your hands. Look at the world with a kind heart, see the world with an optimistic eye, handle the world with an open hand, and speak the world with a humorous mouth, and the world will be blessed because of you.‘
’And, you can forget everything else, but you must remember these few words firmly. Remember: believe that he will never hurt you, even if he doesn’t know it himself, but he loves you more than his own life. He only listens to you in this world, and as long as he is with you, he is the saviour of this world. So you must never hurt him. Do you understand? Never hurt him!”
She really didn’t understand a word he said. She wanted to retort, but his solemn expression made her shoulders suddenly heavy.
Her parents recited every word the master had said without missing a beat, and of course they also abandoned the plan to send away their unlucky daughter.
‘Her name doesn’t suit her. Let me help her change it. It will help both of you,’ the master said.
So she changed her name.
Shen Lianlian!
What kind of rubbish name is that!
As if she were that miserable, as if one pity wasn’t enough, he had to add another!
Shen Lianlian, who was about to go on summer vacation, muttered as she walked towards the classroom for first-year English majors at xx University. Her shoulder-length, half-long hair naturally accentuated her pretty little face. She had the most peculiar face: neither beautiful nor attractive, it always carried an expression of a pitiful young wife, as if there were countless inexplicable grievances and uncountable sorrows.
Although in reality she has a cheerful and optimistic nature and a competitive and stubborn temper that is completely different from her appearance, plus a heart that is neither more nor less than that of an innocent child (another way of saying it is childish), those big, pitiful eyes and that melancholy appearance that arouses sympathy still attract countless overprotective suitors for no reason, men and women, old and young, a basketful and a truckload, and they just won’t go away, like flies.
She doesn’t want to, and in fact, she hates it. But she was born with this appearance, and unless she gets plastic surgery, she will have to carry this appearance around for the rest of her life to get pity.
Since she was a child, she has understood that she is a big obstacle. Her father’s business has collapsed, the family is bankrupt, her mother’s health is poor, her brother is crippled, her sister is disfigured, and several innocent boys have been killed or crippled. As the neighbours criticise, her life is really hard, hard enough to shatter the lives of others.
She is really grateful that her parents did not throw her out of the door, and her brother and sister have never blamed her. She accepted her fate and never expected a certain Prince Charming to bring her a happy future. In fact, she didn’t want one. What could a dead Prince Charming do? Her only wish was to do her best to compensate her parents and siblings for the suffering they had endured.
So what if she was an old maid? As long as she didn’t hurt anyone else, she could live her life alone. As long as she was mentally prepared and accepted her fate, she could endure any loneliness and pain.
‘You poor thing!‘
Shen Lianlian turned around abruptly and yelled at the source of the voice, “Dare you call me a poor thing again and see what happens!”
How sad! Even her angry voice sounded so pitiful, and it didn’t do anything to show her true anger.
So of course the other person wasn’t scared at all.
’Fine, then… young wife,’
‘I’ll kill you!‘ Shen Lianlian raised the heavy original English book in her hand and charged forward, completely disregarding her feminine image.
’Don’t run! How dare you stay and fight me!‘
The supremely adorable face was matched by a murderous expression that wanted to kill, which was not only a hundred percent out of place, but also extremely contradictory.
’I’ll tear you to pieces. I’ll crush your bones and scatter your ashes!’ A series of vicious threats came out of the inviting little mouth.
It’s contradictory, and—what a pity!
After the last lesson before the summer holidays, the three girls are eating popsicles in a quiet corner of the schoolyard while discussing where to spend the summer.
‘I’m going to work at my father’s company. He’s already arranged it,’ says Ni Aiyu.
Zhu Youru lets out a long sigh. ‘I still haven’t found a place to work and study.’
All three girls come from well-off but not wealthy families, and they all have to work during the holidays to earn money for school fees or to help with household expenses.
‘I haven’t heard back from any of my applications yet,‘ said Lian Lian, taking a small bite of ice with care.
Ni Aiyu snorted.
’It doesn’t matter if you hear back or not! Just put your face forward and people will be lining up to hire you!”
Lian Lian’s response was to take a big bite out of Ni Aiyu’s ice, and Ni Aiyu screamed and tried to rescue it, but it was already too late.
‘You——you——‘
’Reparations for the damage to my reputation,‘ said Lian Lian, chewing on the ice in her mouth with glee.
’You’re a robber,’ said Ni Aiyu, gulping down the ice in her hand in three mouthfuls to avoid saying the wrong thing later.
Zhu Yuru watched the drama unfold while eating ice, her lips curling into a smile. On the surface, the three of them were always arguing and fighting, but in fact they were close friends who treated each other with all their hearts.
Lian Lian swallows the last little piece of ice in her mouth and licks the ice lolly stick with relish.
‘My goodness! Lian Lian, how old are you? You’re so…disgusting!’ Ni Aiyu can’t stand it anymore and yells.
Lian Lian gives her a faint glance.
“Do you know when I last ate ice? Last year! The year before that. I only eat ice once a year, so why shouldn’t I savour it?’
‘Savour it?‘ Zhu Youru muttered, “You almost swallowed the ice-popsicle stick.”
Lian Lian shrugged. “What do you care!”
Ni Aiyu handed her the popsicle stick in her hand.
’Here, lick this too.‘
’You’re crazy! I don’t want it if it has AIDS!‘
’You have AIDS!‘
’Okay, okay! Let’s stop arguing and figure out what to do about my work-study first, okay?’ Zhu Youru cried.
‘I haven’t even settled my own yet,‘ Lian Lian said after a moment’s thought. “Why don’t you come with me if I hear back from the other side? We can keep each other company.”
’Where? What’s the job?‘
’Danshui…‘
’Stop it!’ Zhu Youru stopped her. ’Danshui is too far away, and I’ll be back really late. My parents definitely won’t allow it.’
Lian Lian shrugged. ‘Then there’s nothing I can do. The summer holiday starts tomorrow, and it’s impossible to find a part-time job that suits you at the last minute.’
Ni Aiyu asked with concern, ‘Have your parents agreed?’
‘Wouldn’t I tell them?’
Ni Aiyu frowned, ‘Is that a good idea?’
“I can ask the shop if I can sleep there. On the one hand, I can help look after the shop, and on the other hand, I can save the money for the bus fare and avoid the danger of coming home too late,’
Lianne explained to them in a meticulous manner.
‘What kind of work is that? Is the salary high?’ Zhu Youru asked curiously.
‘Waitressing at a seafood restaurant, the salary… Lianne thought about it for a while. “So-so, it’s not bad.”
Ni Aiyu nodded. “So,” she turned to Zhu Youru, “that just leaves you.”
Zhu Youru sighed.
’Okay, so now we…’
‘Hey! It’s our little daughter-in-law here talking in whispers!‘
Lian Lian turned her head and glared at the girl who had interrupted her, “You big show-off,” she muttered under her breath.
It was a bright and beautiful girl, with a sneer on the corner of her mouth.
’Discussing where to go for the summer holidays? …Ah, ah, I almost forgot, you’ll all be working during the summer, otherwise I might not see you next semester.’
She sighed insincerely.
‘How pitiful! I wanted to invite you all to Europe with me. This year, I’m going with my boyfriend and those two,’ she said, nodding towards her two companions. ‘And a few relatives. If there’s enough time, we might even stop off in Australia. Pity, but there’s nothing we can do about it,’ she said with a mocking smile. ‘You’ll just have to wait until the next life.’
Ni Aiyu sneered, Zhu Yuru rolled her eyes impatiently, and Lian Lian couldn’t hold back any longer.
‘Su Mei, you just wait and see! I will definitely travel all over the world too. I will definitely go to places you have been and I will go to places you have never been. Just you wait and see!’
Su Mei laughed mockingly, covering her mouth: ‘When? When you are too old to walk?’
Lian Lian bit her lower lip. ‘It won’t be too long. Just you wait and see, it won’t be too long!’
‘Forget it!’ Su Mei snorted in disdain. ’Your family doesn’t even have the ability to travel to the south for a trip, and you want to go abroad! Or do you want your future husband to take you abroad for your honeymoon or something?’
She shook her head. ‘Don’t make me laugh! Everyone knows you’re notorious for being a jinx. You’ve killed countless boys since childhood. Who would dare marry you? I heard that anyone who dares to express their intention to marry you or lay a hand on you will meet a bad end. I think you should just let go. There are quite a few people who chase after you, but I guarantee that there is not a single person who dares to touch you. Accept your fate, you’re destined to be an old maid!’
‘Sue Mei!‘ Zhu Youru and Ni Aiyu jumped up and roared in unison.
Lian Lian, on the other hand, had calmed down. She patted her two best friends on the shoulder to reassure them: “I never intended to marry anyone. I’ll go abroad on my own.”
’Really?’ Sue Mei sneered. “Well, I’ll be waiting. If you really manage to go abroad, no matter what the method, I’ll definitely treat the other two to go with you for free. OK?” She left with a contemptuous smile and turned to leave.
Lian Lian shrugged nonchalantly and then turned back to her two friends, who were fuming with anger and indignation, and flashed them a bright, cheery smile.
‘Well, she’s gone, so we can continue our discussion. Where were we? Oh yes, we were saying…’
Black St. Leon stood on a rugged hill overlooking the vast ocean and secluded bay.
A sudden gust of wind blew his black shirt against his chest. A wave that crashed violently against the rock face sent a spray of water surging up, and the incoming seawater splashed into his eyes, but he did not blink as he gazed intently at the grey sky. The sunset illuminated the clouds that were constantly pouring in from the south, and he knew that it meant a fierce storm was imminent.
Five paces to the right and behind Black St. Leon stood another tall man, with thick grey hair and amber eyes. His slender, powerful body complemented his stern features; he was one of Black St. Leon’s personal bodyguards, Hecchi.
Hecchi gazed at his master with reverence and awe.
Black St. Leon’s waist-length, thick, jet-black hair shimmers with a faint blue light as it sways in the wind. His cold and handsome face is as delicate as a jade carving, and his long, thick eyelashes, borrowed from a little girl, give his deep, emerald eyes a chilling, almost diabolical, green glow. His unusually high cheekbones set off his aristocratic nose perfectly and make his well-shaped lips even more sensual.
His body was long and slender, with broad, strong shoulders, and his legs, encased in fitted black trousers, were long, strong and powerful. He moved with agility and grace, exuding a soft toughness and strong elegance. His cold and emotionless temperament was both charming and frightening, with a kind of charmingly dangerous charm.
Hedge sighed inwardly: Master is truly extraordinarily beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful, beautiful enough to eclipse all creatures that call themselves beautiful.
‘A storm is coming,‘ the voice said, low and with a peculiar, velvety charm.
’Yes, Master,‘ Hedge replied.
’But it can’t hurt me.‘
’Nothing and no one can hurt you, Master.‘
’No?’ The expressionless, carved face of the cold man was expressionless.
Hedge’s heart sank.
‘This world belongs to me!’ Black St. Leon suddenly raised his hands high and let out a deep breath as he tilted his head back. “No one dares to defy me! No one!” His eyes flashed with violent arrogance, and a cruel smile curled the corners of his mouth. ’Anyone who dares to defy me will only meet a deathly end. No, I will also take his entire family with him! His friends, relatives, everyone he knows. His country, all of it will be destroyed along with him!’
Hedge involuntarily took a step back.
‘The Earth belongs to me, Hedge, completely!’ Black Shenglun shouted and laughed maniacally.
Hedge trembled and took another step back.
Black Shenglun suddenly turned to face Hedge, his face covered with a hideous ferocity. Even so, it was still a face of stunning beauty. And the coexistence of beauty and evil made that face seem even more strangely conflicted and unbearably contradictory.
Hedge was also conflicted. He didn’t know whether to catch his breath or hold his breath.
‘I am the master of the earth!’ Two sharp, sinister, greenish glares shot from his eyes.
Hedge held his breath and stammered, ‘Of course, master.’
Hei Shenglun took a step forward.
‘The master of the earth should not have someone who can restrain him!’
Hedge took two steps back. At the same time, he understood.
“That’s just a legend of the world’s people, master.’
Heicheng Lun took another step forward.
‘I am also a legend in the eyes of the world. Am I false and non-existent? Hmm?’
‘No…no, Lord…’
‘The master of the earth does not need a nemesis. Tell them to find him!’ Heicheng Lun turned his back to the sea. ‘Whether they are male or female, old or young, find him and destroy him! Do you hear me? Destroy him! If you can’t find him…hmm…’
His hands suddenly shot up high, his eyes suddenly opened wide, and two sinister green lights shot out of his eyes. Suddenly, a violent hurricane rose from nowhere. His long hair danced all over the sky, and a vicious, devious smile rose at the corner of his lips. As his laughter intensified, the wind howled and roared incessantly, the ground began to shake strongly, and higher and higher white waves slammed violently against the rocks.
Hitch knelt on the ground in terror, his hands clutching the large rocks embedded in the ground, his eyes staring fearfully at the sea.
The tens of feet high wall of waves surged towards the place where Black St. Leon stood, but a second before it hit Black St. Leon, it rolled back. This repeated several times, like a video that kept replaying, making Hitch tremble with fear and about to scream.
Then the tsunami ended just as suddenly as it had begun, but the ground shook even more violently, as if the entire island was about to sink into the sea.
Hedge’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He stared with his mouth open at the black rocks that kept rising out of the sea, one after the other, like the fangs of a demon, like the curse of Satan!
‘Destroy him! Or I will destroy them!‘ Black Sheng Lun laughed fiercely and roared. “Destroy the whole planet!”
The US President, the French President, the British Prime Minister, the German Chancellor, the Australian Prime Minister and the Soviet Premier were each in their own office discussing with the other five parties via satellite TV.
’Everyone has received the notice?‘ the US President asked.
Everyone on the screen nodded with a grave expression.
’Do you have any suggestions?’ the US President asked again!
This was a crucial moment for the survival of the planet, not the time to discuss pride or national dignity. As long as there was a good suggestion, no matter who it came from.
There was a moment of silence.
‘I think we all know that he definitely has the ability to destroy the world,’ the German Chancellor said in broken English.
‘Undoubtedly,’ the British Prime Minister agreed.
‘So what should we do,’ the Australian Prime Minister asked.
‘What else can we do?’ the Soviet Prime Minister said reluctantly, ‘What else can we do but do what Chi said?’
‘Do what he says?‘ the French president repeated doubtfully. “How? He told us to find someone who doesn’t even know if they exist. Even if there is someone like that, we don’t know if they’re a man or a woman, old or young, so how are we supposed to find them?”
Everyone fell silent. After a while,
’I don’t know if you’ve thought about this,‘ the American president pondered.
’Why would that person be the nemesis of the Angel of Terror?‘
’Is he more powerful than the Angel of Terror?’ the Australian prime minister blurted out.
After some thought, the Soviet Prime Minister agreed: ‘That’s probably true.’
The French President immediately questioned: ‘Then why doesn’t anyone know about such a powerful person?’
‘Not everyone likes to show off,’ the British Prime Minister said slowly, ‘Some people just like to hide themselves and don’t like the glory of being famous.’
‘Since he is more powerful than the Terror Angel, and we can’t even deal with the Terror Angel, how can we deal with that person?’ The German Chancellor sneered, ‘If you say something about him, will he just fall down dead?’
‘Maybe we don’t need to deal with that person at all…‘ the American president said slowly.
The French president was listening attentively. “What do you mean?”
’If that person really doesn’t like fame and is even better than the Angel of Terror, maybe we should ask him for help instead of dealing with him,‘ the American president mused.
’Solve the Angel of Terror problem?‘ the Australian prime minister whispered.
’Good point!‘ the German prime minister agreed.
’Great idea!’ the French president approved.
‘How do we find someone?‘ the Russian Prime Minister poured cold water on the idea. “Where do we look?”
’I don’t know where the Terror Angel gets his powers from, or what kind of special abilities they are,‘ said the American President. “But they must be some kind of extrasensory perception, so we should just look in that direction.”
’Extrasensory perception? That doesn’t sound right. Can extrasensory perception be that powerful?’ muttered the Australian Prime Minister. ’No, extrasensory perception can’t be that powerful. That’s a demonic ability that belongs to Satan.’
‘What are you talking about!?‘ the Soviet Prime Minister snapped.
’Nonsense!?‘ the Australian Prime Minister retorted, “Can extrasensory perception shatter a mountain to dust in five minutes?”
’And drain a lake in an instant and then drop it 500 miles away,‘ the German President added.
’That’s no magic, and it’s not as simple as extrasensory perception, we…’
‘Do you have a better suggestion?‘ The US President interrupted the Australian Prime Minister curtly.
After a short pause, during which the Australian Prime Minister still wanted to argue, the French Prime Minister spoke first: “This is already the only way. Find that person and ask him to help get rid of the Angel of Terror.”
’Telepathy?’ The German President sneered, then sighed, ’There’s nothing we can do about it. If God has mercy on the world, maybe he’ll let us find that mysterious person first.’
‘The nemesis of the Angel of Terror…,‘ the Australian Prime Minister muttered, “Where is he? Or should I ask… does such a person even exist?”
’I have another suggestion that you can consider,’ the British Prime Minister said. “Because this matter should not be made public to avoid causing panic around the world, I suggest that each of you choose a trusted and capable confidant, and entrust them with this matter. Let them handle it in private and discuss it with each other at any time.”
No one objected.
Thus, this matter of vital importance to the survival of the world began to be actively pursued in close collaboration by the six rulers of the world.
In previous years, I worked part-time to help support my family, and after going to university, I worked part-time to pay for my own tuition fees. This year, Lian Lian finally found a summer job as a waitress at a seafood restaurant on the old street in Danshui. Although it was a bit more difficult, the salary was higher than her younger sister’s working in the company. What’s more, she can save the money she would have spent on bus fare and meals. She thinks, maybe she can even buy an extra popsicle this year.
Although she looks delicate and small, Lianlian is actually a healthy baby. After working for less than a week, she is already as skilled and nimble as an experienced worker, and her boss finally puts his mind at ease, worrying no longer that she might collapse at any moment.
One night a week later, a sudden shower drove away most of the student customers who had come to the beach to swim during the summer holidays. Before midnight, the boss announced that the store was closing. Everyone cleaned up quickly and hurried home, leaving only Lian Lian alone in the small attic, sweating and unable to sleep.
God, it’s hot! The boss is really stingy, not even willing to provide a fan.
She got up and went to the small window to take a look. A cool breeze with a light dampness blew towards her face. She took a deep breath and then decided to go outside to cool off, so that the boss wouldn’t have to clean up a corpse that had died of the heat when he came in the morning.
Maybe she thought, I’ll sneak off to the beach.
She rode the shop’s bicycle leisurely along the deserted Danshui Road in the middle of the night. After a while, she found the security blind spot that her colleagues had told her about. After hiding the bicycle in the grass by the road, she walked straight towards the beach.
Despite her petite stature and delicate appearance, she had more courage than anyone else, and never believed in ghosts and gods. Even if she saw one with her own eyes, she might not believe it completely, let alone the fact that she had never seen one before.
Perhaps it was because she didn’t like people looking down on her, so she always looked for things that others were afraid of to do, and her competitiveness was also a little stronger than others.
She climbed over large rocks and across small gravel, and the salty sea smell became stronger and stronger, and her heart became more and more excited. She remembered that she had never had the opportunity to play at the beach, let alone touch the sea water. Now, she finally had the opportunity to…
She stopped suddenly, her eyes wide open as she stared at the shore ahead.
In the dark night, a figure stood motionless in the hazy darkness, its long shadow flickering as its long hair fluttered in the wind, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Oh no! Could it be a woman who has just been dumped by her lover and has come here to commit suicide?
She thought to herself, and her feet couldn’t help but quicken their pace. She kept shouting, ‘Hey! Hey! Don’t be rash! We can talk about it. I may not have much experience, but at least I can listen to you… tell me your troubles…,’ she said, slowing down. After a moment of trembling, goosebumps appeared all over her body. “Everyone, stand up straight!”
The person… is gone!
She was clearly right in front of her… How did she disappear in an instant? She suppressed the fear that she was not allowed to feel, and searched the dark surface of the sea with her eyes. Could it be that she jumped into the sea? But why wasn’t there any sound? This is really strange!
A cold breeze suddenly coming from behind made her turn around sharply. A slender figure had already silently come up behind her. Her waist-length hair was scattered on her shoulders. She was so tall that Lianlian couldn’t even reach the topmost strand of hair on her head.
She let out a huge sigh of relief and then reached out her hands to feel the other person’s whole body.
‘Oh my god! Are you okay? I thought you had jumped into the sea. I wanted to save you, but I can’t swim.‘
’She‘ was only slightly damp, and the warmth of her body passed through the black shirt into Lian Lian’s palm. She let out a sigh of relief.
’Oh, it’s okay, you’re fine, you scared me to death! I thought I was going to watch you… you… you… hmm?”
No breasts?
Lian Lian looked up in shock. She couldn’t see ‘her’ face, only two eerie green lights shooting out from where the face should be.
In an instant, more than half of her three souls and seven spirits left her body. She was completely frozen, unable to move. Her throat was stuck, her hands and feet wouldn’t obey her, and she couldn’t scream or escape. All she could do was stare at the two green lights, although she really wanted to close her eyes.
For a long, long time…
‘I’m very sorry for disturbing your nighttime stroll,’ Lian Lian finally found her voice. She took a half step back with difficulty and said, “Please continue.”
Suddenly, she turned around and ran backwards, shouting at the top of her lungs, ’Mom! There’s a ghost! Help! There’s a ghost! The ghost is looking for a substitute! I’m dead! I’m finished! Help!
The dark figure stood still until Lian Lian disappeared, and then it vanished without a trace.
The next day, determined to wash away the shame of her cowardly escape the previous night, Lian Lian went to the same place again after work. The thought of running screaming in all directions without even knowing which way was north or south made her feel extremely ashamed.
If people found out, the poor girl would be forever branded with the nickname.
‘That won’t do,’ Renren muttered. ‘I should be called Shen Dandan instead.’
So, for the sake of her bright future as Shen Dandan, she vowed to challenge the deceitful demons and ghosts.
‘She is warm and has a body temperature, definitely not a ghost! That green light… I was so nervous that I saw it wrong. Yes, that must be it!’ She told herself again and again, then resolutely set off on the same path as yesterday, reassuring herself along the way: ’She is definitely not a ghost. Maybe I scared her instead. I have to apologise to her properly. Who wants to be recognised as a ghost?’
That night, the wind and waves were very strong, with huge waves rolling in one after the other. In order to avoid the waves, Lianlian walked on the gravelly beach with tens of thousands of pieces of broken stone, trying hard to focus her eyesight in the darkness.
“No, it’s over! Could it be that she really jumped into the sea after I provoked her yesterday? No way! I haven’t heard of any floating corpses all day. Or, could it be that she’s not coming today? That’s right, why do I assume that she will definitely come again today? It’s inexplicable.’
She shook her head self-deprecatingly and was about to turn and leave when she caught sight of a shadow moving not far away. She squinted, but despite her best efforts she couldn’t make it out. Her feet moved forward of their own accord. A little further, and then another step…
It really was the woman who had the unfortunate ‘airport’ figure from yesterday. She really was back. Strange, why did she always pick this sensitive time?
Ah, yes, I still need to apologise to her.
Lian Lian opened her mouth to call out, but then she saw ‘her’ suddenly raise her hands.
What was she doing?
Just as surprise first came to Lian Lian’s mind, shock quickly covered the original surprise, and her eyes suddenly widened in horror.
Her long hair moved and floated upwards, as if it were floating above her with countless large and small gravel and stones. It was as if a huge stone cloud was covering her head, as if a stone rain was about to fall at any moment.
Then, her raised hands suddenly closed into a fist above her head. All the gravel and stones floating in the air moved with her hand gestures, and then—
it turned into a large rock and dissolved!
Oh my god! Lian Lian also fell to the gravel as the rock landed.
‘She’ slowly turned around, and two deep, sinister green lights shone upon her.
Lian Lian gasped, looking fearfully and confusedly as she slowly walked over. She rolled over and frantically crawled on the ground, screaming in panic, ‘No! Monster, don’t come any closer! I’m not tasty! I’m too skinny, you won’t get enough to eat! Why don’t you eat the whales in the sea? There’s enough for you to eat for many meals! No, you don’t have to eat human flesh!’
She really wanted to stand up and run, but her legs were too weak to support her.
Jeans are thicker than other fabrics, but they can’t withstand repeated friction on the gravel. Lianlian began to feel a tingling pain in her knees, but she didn’t dare to stop for even a moment. Instead, she crawled faster and faster, tears streaming down her face.
‘I… I… I have AIDS!’ Lian Lian yelled in desperation. “If you eat me, you’ll get AIDS too. You… you wouldn’t risk your life for a moment of gluttony, would you? You… should be… a smart…” Her crawling body was stopped by a pair of feet. “A demon… monster… I guess…”
The slender figure stood still in front of her.
She hesitated for a long while before slowly lifting her tear-stained face. ‘Are you really… that… hungry?’ She sniffled and looked up at him pitifully.
Two green lights fixed on her face.
Lian Lian saw that there was no hope of escape. The ‘monster’ seemed to have no mercy, and her famous strange appearance did not bring her any life. Sighing longingly in resignation was what she was best at – resigning herself to her fate.
Lian Lian rolled over onto her stomach and choked back tears.
‘Okay, if you… really have to eat me, then please… take your time, but… could you… wait until I’m unconscious… before you do? I… don’t really want to see… myself slowly disappear… that would be… really gross.’
The ‘monster’ remained silent and motionless.
She blinked.
‘You don’t expect me to strip naked for you, do you?’
No movement.
‘Maybe…‘ Lian Lian asked tentatively, “you…don’t want to eat me anymore?”
No sound.
’I…can go now?‘ Lian Lian asked hopefully.
’She‘ was like a stone statue.
Lian Lian sat up on her knees.
’If you don’t answer, does that mean yes?‘
The green light fixed on her face without blinking.
Lian Lian crept a little backwards.
’Monster’ didn’t react.
She slowly half-squatted up.
It’s fine.
She slowly stood up and assumed a starting position.
‘I’m leaving.’
No objection means consent.
Lian Lian turned around and fled for her life at a speed that would have won her an Olympic gold medal. She ran like hell, vowing silently that she would never go to the beach again! Poor thing, yes, but it’s better than being dead!
Seeing the grass where the bicycle was hidden just ahead, and before she could let out a sigh of relief, a dark shadow flashed in front of her, and out of nowhere a tall and thin figure suddenly appeared. Before she could even prepare to scream, Lian Lian crashed straight into it, and at the same time her nerves snapped. Her vision went dark, and finally, as she wished, she fainted.
The ‘monster’ lightly picked up Lian Lian in his arms, and stared intently at her face for a long time. He gently wiped away the tears on her face, then carried her and turned towards the beach, and then slowly stepped into the sea…
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Chapter 2
Lian Lian has disappeared!
Colleagues said that she had encountered a ghost at the beach the night before, and that Lian Lian, not believing in ghosts, wanted to go and find out for herself, but she disappeared without a trace.
The seafood shop owner said that Lian Lian had been taken by the water ghost as a substitute. Rescue workers searched the beach for three days, but found nothing, and had to stop the search and wait for the body to float to the surface.
The Shen family members were in tears, looking at each other in disbelief. No matter what kind of nemesis it was, it was always their own flesh and blood, whom they had raised for 19 years! The great man had only said that someone would come to fetch her, but he had not said that a ghost would take her away!
Shen’s mother prayed silently in her heart: ‘My daughter, if you have a spirit in heaven, remember to come back and visit us, and give us a hint as to where the endless glory and riches are.
※※※
Lian Lian woke up with a slight jolt. She opened her eyes and saw the soft ivory ceiling.
This isn’t my room, I must be dreaming, she thought. She then closed her eyes and ordered herself to wake up. Ten seconds later, she opened her eyes again. She still couldn’t see the dilapidated stains that should have been on the ceiling of her room. She blinked her eyes, but nothing changed. Slowly, she raised her upper body and looked around in confusion at the unfamiliar environment.
Apart from the ceiling and carpet, which were a soft ivory white, everything else was a combination of black and gold. This was a bedroom with a strong sense of luxury and prestige. Apart from the dressing table, everything else was there, including a large TV, a small refrigerator, a large desk, a stereo…
Behind that wall of mirrors should be a built-in wardrobe, she guessed. She walked over and opened the door to find, as expected, a dressing room. Three sides were full of men’s clothing, all black. She frowned and exited, then opened the next door, a black, shiny and clean bathroom – just what I needed, she thought.
After relieving herself, she looked out of the strange round window –
Yes? It was the endless sea!
The horrible memory finally came back to her in one go. She had encountered a monster, a monster who wanted to eat her, but didn’t, then changed his mind and wanted to eat her again, and then she fainted… Oh dear, what a shame!
But… where was the monster? How did she get here? Was she on a ship of some kind? Who had saved her? Why hadn’t they taken her home?
She opened the third door with a lot of questions and peeked out. It was a long corridor. She walked towards the stairs at the end of the corridor. Halfway up the stairs, the dazzling sunlight made her dizzy and she closed her eyes. Reflexively, she raised her hand to block the sunlight before continuing to climb upwards.
This was a huge luxury yacht, but the clean and spacious deck was empty, with no one in sight. She couldn’t help feeling a little scared! Could this be a ghost ship?
Bah! Ghosts avoid the light of day! After a moment’s thought, she set off in the direction she thought was forward. The cockpit was at the front, wasn’t it? Surely someone was there to steer the ship?
She found the cockpit without any problems, and sure enough, someone was there. It was a tall foreigner with brown hair and brown eyes, in his thirties, with a gentle, friendly smile on his face. As soon as he saw her appear, his smile widened even more, and he winked playfully at her.
‘The sleeping beauty has woken up,‘ he said in English.
Lian Lian nodded sheepishly and, after a moment’s hesitation, asked in halting English, “I don’t suppose you speak Chinese, do you?”
Surprisingly, he nodded.
’I do,‘ he replied in a standard, beautiful Beijing accent.
’Really?!’ Lian Lian froze in surprise, then beamed, ’Great! Then we’ll never have any communication problems!’
He smiled. ‘My name is Mosen. And you, miss?’
‘Lian Lian, Shen Lian Lian.’
‘Lian Lian…,’ he muttered, chewing on it a bit? Then he looked at her again and nodded. ‘Not bad, true to your name, true to your name.’
Lian Lian frowned unhappily.
‘I hate it when people say that about me. I’m the perfect example of someone who doesn’t live up to their reputation. Anyone who messes with me won’t get off lightly. I’ll make them cry and run away!‘ Moshen looked at her suspiciously.
’Don’t believe me? You’ll see.’ She nodded as if to promise. “Hey, Moshen, did you save me?”
He seemed surprised. ’Save?’
‘Yes, you must be very powerful to dare to save someone from a monster, right?‘ Lian Lian said admiringly, “Do you have superpowers or something? It’s okay to tell me, I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”
’Monster?‘ Mosen’s face was very strange.
’Superpowers?‘
’Didn’t you save me from the monster?‘
’Er,‘ he coughed awkwardly. “I didn’t bring you on the boat.”
’You didn’t?’ Lian Lian froze for a moment. ’Then who did?’
‘Master.‘
’Master?‘ Lian Lian tilted her head. “What’s that?”
’Master…‘ Moses was at a loss for words. “It’s my master.”
’Oh, it’s your master…,‘ Lian Lian nodded understandingly.
Moses let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, yes! My master.”
’I don’t understand!”
Moses sighed helplessly. ’I’d better take you to my master.’
After switching from manual to automatic drive, he led Lianlian towards the back of the ship.
It was a clear, mild day, with a constant breeze. The tall figure stood fearlessly on the stern rail, his long hair blowing gently in the wind. The waves splashed over him occasionally, but he seemed oblivious.
The middle-aged man with grey hair behind him turned his head and looked over to Mosen and Lianlian. Mosen nodded at him, while at the same time tugging on Lianlian’s hand, which was becoming more and more hesitant.
No way! Could that owner be that monster? But…
That long hair that is rarely seen in ordinary people… That familiar figure…
Finally, her doubts and fears made Lianlian’s footsteps come to a complete stop, and she also took hold of Mosen’s arm.
‘Wait, wait a minute! Mosen, that…he…‘ She pointed at the person standing on the railing, “…is not your master, is he?”
’That’s my master, he brought you on board.‘
’He brought me on board…! Renren’s face changed colour, and she lost her voice and cried out, ‘Then she is the demon!’
Mosen and Hagey both gasped in surprise!
The ‘demon’ turned around at the sound of their voices, and Renren couldn’t help but take a step back.
The ‘monster’ jumped off the ship’s railing, and Lian Lian took another step back. When the ‘monster’ took a few large steps towards her, she took even more steps back. However, as soon as she saw the ‘monster’’s face, she couldn’t help but stop backing up.
Her eyes widened, and she stared at the “monster” with her mouth slightly open in shock.
My goodness, what a beautiful person! No, that’s not a person, and it’s certainly not a demon, it’s definitely an angel! Yes, it must be an angel! Only an angel would have such a stunning and extraordinary beauty!
‘Angel…’ she said unconsciously, ‘so you are an angel.’
But…where are the angel’s wings?
She looked down, and then, even more shocked, she stared at his bare upper body. The thick, curly chest hair was densely covering his broad chest, and his broad shoulders, thin waist, narrow hips, and long, strong legs showed that he was not a ‘woman’.
She looked up at his beautiful face, and then glanced at the hair on his firm chest muscles, and couldn’t help but frown.
‘It doesn’t match at all,’ she muttered.
‘Could it be a transvestite?‘ she muttered, glancing at the other person.
The other person immediately narrowed his eyes in displeasure.
’Okay, okay! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!‘ Lian Lian hurriedly apologized.
’It’s not my fault, it’s just that you have the face of an angel but the body of a man… Well, this… Could it be fake?…’ She couldn’t help reaching out to touch the sexy, provocative chest hair.
‘Wow, it’s real!‘ She grabbed a handful of chest hair and rubbed it. “My goodness, it’s softer than a baby’s hair!” The other hand couldn’t resist joining in the fun, and the two small hands rubbed and caressed among the dense fur.
’Wow, that feels so good, it really feels so good to touch!’ She simply brought her cheeks up close.
Staring expressionlessly, St. Leon lowered his head and stared at the girl, who was almost completely lying on his chest, as she let out a low, contented groan. What was she doing?
Hedge and Morsen, who were standing nearby, were astonished. They looked at them in disbelief. Their master always hated it when people touched his body, whether it was a man or a woman. Even if it was an accidental touch, he would immediately slap them angrily, let alone let them fondle him so leisurely.
First, he inexplicably took home a strange girl and let her take his cabin bed, and then he tolerated her insolent behaviour so much that he didn’t even look the least bit displeased. What on earth was going on?
After a long while, Lian Lian reluctantly left Black St. Leon’s chest, apologetically smoothing the chest hair that she had messed up.
‘I’m so sorry, hehe, I got carried away, so carried away!’ She peeked up at his indifferent expression.
His eyes, which were as green as spring grass, were deep and bright as the sea at this moment, but there was nothing abnormal about them. She frowned suspiciously. What was the matter with those two eerie green lights? And what was the matter with that big rock? Was she dreaming? No? Did she see things wrong again? How come she didn’t know she had double vision? And…why did he drag her here?
‘What’s your name?‘ His voice was deep and low, sexy and charming.
Good grief! She was glad that he could speak Chinese too.
’Shen Lianlian.‘ She added a warning after she said it: “Don’t say anything like ”as beautiful as her name’, or I’ll punch you!‘ She waved her little fists to show that she meant it.
He glanced at those ridiculous little fists. “Are you hungry?”
’I’ve been hungry for ages, waiting for you to ask me,’ she said bluntly.
‘Let’s go then.‘ He took the lead and strode forward with long strides. The poor little short legs of the two of them were struggling to keep up, half-running behind. Damn it! Bullying me because I’m short? She buried her head and charged ahead until she stopped in front of him.
’I’m going to go ahead, you follow me!’ she panted, then turned around and walked off, not letting him go ahead again!
But… where was the restaurant?
Stubborn and refusing to admit defeat, she led the way around the deck. No! It was below in the cabin. She glanced back surreptitiously. The long-haired man was still expressionlessly following behind, while Hage and Morsen were giggling.
When she tried to go down the stairs she had used to come up, Morsen finally couldn’t hold back any longer and called out softly:
“Miss Shen, Miss Shen.’
‘What?‘ Shen Lian Lian turned around and asked impatiently.
’Er,‘ Mosen glanced at his master’s indifferent attitude. “The dining room is at the other end, and this staircase goes down to the sleeping cabins.”
’Really?‘ Shen Lian Lian took a deep breath and forced down the anger in her heart. She slowly turned around and walked back deliberately close to the three men behind her.
When she passed the man with long hair, she gave him a hard kick!
’Sorry, sorry! I didn’t see your big feet.’
It’s you! Why did you drag me onto this boat?
As she walked past Mosen, she gave him a hard elbow.
‘Sorry, I tripped.’
And you, why didn’t you tell me until after I made a fool of myself?
When Hichki was already behind her, she kicked backwards, and then a muffled grunt came from her. She didn’t know what she had kicked, but it was fine as long as she had kicked something.
Serves you right! Just watching people make fools of themselves!
After a lot of hints from Mosen and Hage, Lian Lian finally successfully ‘led’ everyone to the dining room. She and the man with long hair sat at the two ends of the table, waiting to eat, while Mosen prepared the wine glasses and wine on the side.
She rested her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands, staring straight at the incredibly handsome man.
“Hey, you still haven’t told me your name. I can’t keep calling you “hey” forever, can I?’
He lifted his glass and took a sip. ‘Hei Shenglun.’
‘Oh, Hei Shenglun.’ She stared at him as he took another sip. ‘Hey, Hei Shenglun, you… aren’t going to get drunk and act crazy, are you?’
He glanced at her. ‘No.’
‘Really? Drunk people never admit they’re drunk.’
“I’ve never been drunk before.’
Hedge served two plates of creamy mushroom soup, which Mosen placed in front of Black St. Leon and Lian Lian respectively.
After drinking the soup for a while, Lian Lian inadvertently looked up and saw that Black St. Leon wasn’t drinking the soup at all, just staring at her. She lowered her eyes and continued drinking the soup, not caring if he was weird or not, she just wanted to fill her stomach first.
After the main course of lobster was served, Hei Shenglun took only two bites and then stopped eating.
So, after quickly finishing her own portion, Lian Lian beckoned Mosen over.
‘Yes, young lady?’
‘Since he’s not eating, bring me his portion. My mother says that if you don’t finish your food, you’ll be struck by lightning,’ she added.
“I’m saving his life, he should be grateful.’
Mosen looked at his host with difficulty. His host did not eat with others, did not consume food that had been eaten by others, and was not happy to let others eat what he left. In short, he did not share anything with anyone.
But, once again, against the grain, Black Shenglun nodded.
So, both lobsters swam into Lian Lian’s stomach.
Then she stared at the crab salad that came next, swallowing, licked her lips at the purple rice pudding, gasped at the grilled sea bass, and a parfait sundae…
‘Mosen…’
‘Yes, miss?’
‘Do you celebrate New Year’s every day?’ she muttered.
‘Huh?’
‘I mean,’ her gaze never left the food in front of her for a second. ‘Do you eat that well every day?’
Mosun suppressed a laugh.
‘Yes, miss, my master always demands the best.’
‘Are you sure?’
She coughed lightly twice. ‘Of course I’m sure, miss.’
Lian Lian let out a huge sigh of relief.
“That’s good. If it were just one meal like this, I would stuff myself silly even if it made me burst. In my family, I’m afraid we couldn’t afford a meal like this even if we saved up for a whole year.’
But she still managed to finish the crab salad. After taking a big breath, she moved the large parfait sundae in front of her and spooned it in mouthfuls.
‘Hei Shenglun, can I ask you something?’
Hei Shenglun was still holding his wine, his third glass already.
‘What is it?’
She gave him a sideways glance. ‘Why did you capture me and bring me on your boat?’
“For fun.’
‘Happy? …Ha ha, of course, what better reason could there be,’ scoffs Lian Lian. “I never thought of such a simple and beautiful reason. Look how stupid I am!”
Heishenglun remains expressionless.
Lian Lian sighs. “Fine, I admit it. So when are you going to let me go back?”
Heishenglun doesn’t say a word.
Lian Lian looks at him suspiciously. “You’re not going to keep me tied up forever, are you?”
Heishenglun sips his wine lightly.
‘No way?‘ Lian Lian muttered. “I’m not pretty at all, I don’t have a good figure, I like to hit and scold people, I’m neither gentle nor cute, why do you want to keep me around as a burden?”
’For fun.‘
’Yes, yes! You’re happy, I know, but you have to be happy for a reason, don’t you?‘ Lian Lian said impatiently.
’I don’t need a reason for anything, as long as I’m happy,’
Heishenglun said arrogantly.
This person is a standard scoundrel!
Lian Lian stared at him, ‘So what do you want me to do to stay by your side? Cook and clean?’
‘I want you to be my woman,’ Heishenglun said flatly.
Lian Lian’s mouth suddenly opened wide, and her two eyes almost fell out. ‘Me? You want me to be your woman? Are you blind? With your looks, you can have any woman you want! I’m afraid that if you closed your eyes and grabbed one at random, she’d be better than me. Why do you want me? Let me tell you, don’t let my appearance fool you. Don’t waste your inexplicable sense of protectiveness on me. I won’t appreciate it in the slightest!’
Even more shocked than Lian Lian were Hachi and Mosun, who knew best about the Master’s relationships with women. As Lian Lian had said, there was no woman that the Master could not have, given his appearance. The Master’s stunning good looks made women infatuated and obsessed. Even though he had a cold and aloof temperament, it made people both fear and love him; it was like moths flying towards a flame, knowing the danger but being irresistibly drawn to it.
The master is not an ascetic, but he will never ‘use’ the same woman more than three times. Now he is going to take a woman on his side for long-term ‘use’! This is… really surprising!
‘Hey, say something! Don’t be a mute, always taking three questions before you answer one. Are you tired?’ Lian Lian yelled irritably.
‘God! Why am I so unlucky? I get picked up by some psycho for no reason, get thrown onto some inexplicable ship, and then told to be his fucking mistress… Why don’t you even ask if I want to?‘
’No need.‘
’No need?!‘ Lian Lian stared at him in disbelief, and then yelled again, “No need? What do you take me for?!”
’You’re not something.’
‘You’re not a thing!’ Lianne shouted. ’I’m telling you, don’t think just because you’re good-looking that I have to fall for you! And don’t you ever think you can manipulate me, I’ll never give in! I’ll never be your woman! I’d rather die than give in! Do you hear me? I, will never, be your woman! Never!’
Hei Shenglun suddenly stood up and walked towards her.
Panicking, she stared at Hei Shenglun’s gloomy face, and Lian Lian hurriedly jumped up and hid on the other side of the table.
‘What do you want?’
Hei Shenglun quickly walked around her chair and caught up with her. Lian Lian ran towards the stairs on the opposite side. Just as her hand touched the stair railing, her waist was suddenly tightly embraced by an iron arm.
‘Ah! What do you want? Let go of me! You shameless she-devil! Let go of me!”
Hei Shenglun swung her onto his shoulder and leisurely climbed onto the deck and walked towards the cabin. Lian Lian froze for three seconds, then began to kick and punch, twisting and turning, struggling fiercely.
‘You rogue demon! Shameless she-devil! Let go of me! I don’t want to be your woman! Do you hear me? Go find someone else, they’ll be happy to lick your toes! Go find them! Don’t find me! Do you hear me? You son of a bitch! Asshole! Shithead! Idiot! Let go of me! Do you hear me…!”
Hitch and Mosen looked at each other.
This was the first time a woman had refused her master!
And the first time a master had forced a woman!
Full of anger and unwillingness, Lianlian sat on the bed with her hands pressed against the sheet covering her naked breasts, her two big eyes staring fixedly at the sleeping man beside her.
Damn it! Should she shed a few tears to mourn the loss of her virginity?
Or should she kill the man who raped her with her own hands?
Or…take a shower first and then worry about it.
She moved, and an immediate sharp pain spread between her legs. She couldn’t help but moan, and then instinctively lifted the sheet to check. The bloodstains between her legs, on her thighs, and even on the sheet were shocking to her eyes. She stared at the bloodstains for a long time, and suddenly, like a bomb exploding, she jumped up and sat down beside the man, her hands clenched into fists and slammed them hard against his chest.
‘You bastard! You raped me! And you made me like this! Do you know how much pain that caused? You shameless thing, you just took my virginity for no reason! Do you know that a woman’s virginity is precious? It only happens once in a lifetime…just once…’ She couldn’t help choking up, and the strength in her hands grew weaker and weaker.
His emerald green eyes looked at her hazily.
‘All women will always remember their first time, and the memory you gave me was so unbearable! It really hurt, you know? You made me so hurt…really hurt…hurt…’ She sobbed sadly on his chest. ’I never dared hope that any man would truly be good to me. I have long known that I will be alone forever, and I am willing to accept my fate. Is that…is that not enough? How much more suffering do I have to endure? Tell me, how much more suffering do I have to endure…!’
Her slender, elegant hands stroked her head gently, slightly awkwardly and stiffly.
“I just want to spend the rest of my life doing my best to give my parents a better life. They have suffered so much for me! And my sister, I have always wanted to save up some money to let her get plastic surgery to remove the two scars on her face, so that she can find a good husband and marry. My brother’s leg may not be able to be cured, but as long as there is money, as long as there is money…’ She choked. ‘I just want to devote the rest of my life to my family, who have never disliked me. I dare not hope for anything, really dare not… This is my only wish, but… but… why are you doing this to me… why?…’
‘Let me go, let me go back and fulfil my wish, you’ve already got what you want… you… just let me go…’ she wept piteously.
Black Shenglun said nothing. He lifted the sheet and gently picked up the choking Lian Lian and walked towards the bathroom. As soon as they entered the bathroom, the lights turned on automatically. He sat her down on the edge of the bathtub and then did nothing, and the faucet turned on automatically. He gently rocked Lian Lian, and her sobs gradually stopped.
After the water had run, he sat her in the bathtub, gently washing her, even washing her hair. His movements were so gentle, so careful, and Lian Lian felt drowsy and enjoyed the comfort of being pampered.
She was put on the bed, and he dried her body and hair with care, then covered her with the blanket. He then slid into bed next to her, gently embraced her, and whispered,
‘This time, I’ll give you a beautiful memory that you’ll never forget.”
In a trance, she felt his sexy lips and nimble hands arouse an inexplicable longing in her, stronger and stronger with each passing moment. She heard her own moans, and she noticed that she was trembling. Only when she felt his hardness exploring between her legs did she instinctively tense her whole body, preparing for the pain that was sure to follow.
But she was surprised to find that there was no pain, only a burning and sweet fullness, a strange sensation that made her gasp, a sensation that was so wonderful.
He moved gently inside her, and an unexpected joy welled up, causing her to moan and lift her arms to hook her neck around his neck. His thrusts took her higher and higher into a spinning sky.
Lian woke up in the early morning, feeling sore all over, but also strangely comfortable and relaxed.
Even in her sleep, the man next to her still held her tightly, as if to prevent her from running away. She couldn’t help but laugh to herself: in the vast ocean, she couldn’t even swim, so where could she possibly run away to?
His long, slender limbs were warm against her, and the heat from his body filled the entire bedroom; his long hair was messy and draped over the top of the dark, shiny satin pillow. The scent mingled with her nostrils, a light fragrance of love, like a morning canyon.
He really is a sexy and charming man, she marveled.
She tilted her head and looked him over carefully. His eyelashes were like crescents; his skin was as delicate as a newborn baby’s, his nose was tall and soft, his lips were the perfect size and shape, and they were full of temptation.
He was so beautiful that it took one’s breath away, and he would really be better off as a woman.
But… she took a handful of the soft, curly chest hair, pinched the firm pecs, and then looked down. She blushed slightly as she admitted that this body was better suited to a man.
After a long while, she let out a deep sigh.
Was she really going to become his mistress? Was this her destiny? What about her family? Was she just going to abandon them?
She could care less about whether she was good or bad, but she had promised herself that she would do everything in her power to give her parents and siblings a better life, and she must never forget that!
She frowned and pondered: he would have to dock sometime, right? Once he did, she would find a way to escape. As for how she would get back to Taiwan, she would just have to see what happened.
She had to find a way to find out when he would dock. Perhaps she could cooperate a little to make him less on his guard, and then she could ask him when the opportunity arose.
Yes, that was the way to do it!
A week later, she was huddled on a deck chair by the ship’s rail, silently watching Black St. Leon stand with his legs apart and his hands on his hips, facing the wind. His upper body was still naked, and his long hair was flying wildly about, looking wild and sexy.
She didn’t understand him at all.
He doesn’t like to talk, and he’s always cold and uninterested. His beautiful face always has the same expression: expressionless. But his true nature, which is domineering, arrogant, cold and barbaric, is sometimes revealed.
What a boring man! He is completely incompatible with her personality, and after just one week, she is already bored out of her mind! Neither Hege nor Mårten dare spend more than a few minutes with her, and they dare not say more than a few words, for fear of upsetting their master. So she doesn’t even have someone to chat with.
Mårten has told her in private that their master is moody and unpredictable, and that he usually looks cold and indifferent, but when he loses his temper, it is absolutely terrifying.
She had never seen him angry, and she had no intention of ever seeing it. And in fact, at night, he could even be considered gentle and considerate. His demands were astonishing, but he also gave her the same satisfaction in return. Of course, during the day, he always let her get plenty of rest.
Hedge, on the other hand, said that he had never seen the master talk to anyone as much as he did to her. Really? She wondered if he had ever said anything to her. Why didn’t she remember? Had she missed something?
She suddenly jumped up and stood next to Black St. Leon, imitating his stance with his legs apart and his hands on his hips, before letting out a loud cry.
‘How boring!’
He glanced at her, wondering what was wrong again.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to her, her eyes widening, and she excitedly took his hand.
‘St. Leon, tell me, do you have superpowers?’
Black St. Leon raised his eyebrows slightly. Superpowers?
‘You know, like the time you made that big rock appear!‘
He shrugged his shoulders in boredom.
’Come on,’ she said, shaking his hand. “I’m so bored, show me something, please? Shenglun, come on, please, Shenglun…” She elongated the sound of his name and looked at him hopefully.
He gazed at her for a moment, then looked ahead at the sea. He slowly raised his hands.
Lianlian imagined that he was going to start without even giving a warning, so she quickly let go of his hand and took a step back to observe him more closely.
As his hand gestures grew higher and higher, the wind on the sea gradually intensified. His long hair flew wildly about, and suddenly, his green eyes shot out two strange and alluring glows.
So I wasn’t mistaken!
After her doubts were confirmed, Lian Lian turned her head to look at the sea, wanting to see what special abilities he had performed this time. As soon as her gaze turned to the sea, her small mouth immediately opened wide in an O shape.
This can’t be real!
A channel had appeared in the endless sea! Just like Moses in the Bible, Saint-Ron the Black had parted the waters and created a channel in the middle of the ocean! She could clearly see the white sand, coral reefs, and rocks at the bottom of the channel… There wasn’t a drop of seawater. If she dared, she could go for a walk, too, but unfortunately she didn’t have that kind of courage.
This is definitely not a supernatural power! It’s not some superhuman ability either!
My God, what kind of magic is this?
Until the sea returned to normal, Lian Lian still stared blankly at the sea surface, which sparkled like diamonds.
Website production: 100% Heartbeat Scanning: Minmin Proofreading: Minmin
Data entry: – Data input: Xinmei
Chapter 3
The heads of state of the six countries finally selected three people to handle this thorny matter under the agreement and after repeated rounds of elimination. They set up their headquarters near Times Square in midtown New York and named the mission ‘Demon Extermination’.
Martin from the United States, with red hair and blue eyes, is about forty years old, a senior intelligence officer with a special ability for tracking work. He has never lost his prey like a hunting dog. With nearly twenty years of intelligence experience, Martin will be responsible for the Americas and Asia.
Puttney, from Germany, is a dark-haired, dark-eyed man in his forties. He is also a veteran intelligence officer with an extremely calm and deep personality. His specialty is data collection and analysis. He is in charge of Australia and Africa.
Anderson, from the UK, is in charge of Europe and overall coordination. He is in his fifties or sixties, with grey hair and half-closed blue eyes as if he hadn’t slept. He is a retired agent who has been re-recruited for this urgent and special matter.
In the office at the back of the headquarters, the three leaders are consolidating the information for analysis and discussion.
‘What’s the result?’ Anderson leans back in his chair with narrowed eyes.
‘Zero,’ Martin replies. ‘Among the few special ability holders we found, none of them have such powerful abilities. In fact, I have specifically inquired about the institutions that specialize in this kind of special mental ability, and the researchers there all said that human power is limited, and even if it is used to the limit, it is impossible to reach the level described by “the higher-ups”.’
Putney raised an eyebrow slightly. ‘You’re not going to say that… “he” isn’t human, are you?’
Martin smiled. ‘If I did, would you believe me?’
‘No!’ Putney said firmly.
Martin shrugged. ‘I don’t believe it either.’
Anderson still narrowed his eyes. ‘Do you have any ideas?’
Putney thought for a moment.
‘The first possibility is that he is human and that he really does have that extraordinary, enormous psychic power. If that is the case, I’m sure he is not the only one with that ability, and we just have to find the others.‘
Martin nodded. “And the second?”
’The second is that he is human and that he doesn’t really have that frightening power. In other words, he uses some kind of method, something like magic tricks with some machinery and sleight of hand and so on. You would agree that it is possible with today’s technology.”
Anderson listened carefully.
‘But it’s also possible that…,‘ Putney looked at the two men cautiously, “he really does have special abilities, just not that powerful. I mean, maybe there’s something ”up there’…‘
’Exaggeration?‘ Martin said.
Putney shrugged.
Anderson nodded.
’I think so too. What ‘up there’ said is really too unbelievable, I can’t help but think in this direction.‘
’Haha,’ Martin laughed, ’since you’ve both admitted it, of course I’m not embarrassed. In fact, I’ve always thought so.‘
’But we can only talk about this idea here, we can’t let anyone know, especially not ‘up there’,‘ Anderson warned.
’Of course,‘ Putney agreed.
’We understand without you having to tell us,‘ Martin added.
’Okay, now…,’ Anderson pondered. ’Continue to intensify the ongoing work, we’ve only just started, I believe that with a little more time we should be able to find more people with special abilities. Also…
He looked at Putney.
‘The second possibility you mentioned we should also investigate at the same time. Go and ask magicians and film special effects experts if it is possible to create that kind of special effect. If so, how it is done, and then follow the trail. If there are not enough people, you can ask “above” for more. In short, we must work on multiple fronts at the same time to find a real solution.’
‘OK!’
‘No problem!’
‘Meeting adjourned!’
※※※
In the first few days after she had seen the magic of the Black Saint Leon, Lian Lian could never get rid of the fear in her heart. She avoided him whenever she could, and if she couldn’t, she would shiver uncontrollably whenever she saw him. Even at night, she could only lie stiffly under him, unable to share the pleasure with him as she had in the past.
She could not help but doubt – could someone with such terrifying powers still be considered human? If you just looked at his appearance, he should be an angel, but judging from his personality, I’m afraid it’s more likely that he’s a demon. And with his cold and barbaric personality, who knows if you’ll accidentally anger him one day and he’ll end you without blinking an eye!
Hei Shenglun of course sensed her change, but he didn’t say anything, show any emotion, or change at all.
So, Lian Lian’s heart was full of pity, and she continued to hide and seek. Until that day…
Lian Lian leaned against the ship’s railing and watched as large white clouds piled up on the sun-drenched azure sea surface. The waves lapped against the ship’s hull in waves, the crest of each wave sparkling like jewels. She let out a soft sigh and slowly turned around, only to see that Black Shenglun, who had been at the helm, had somehow run to the deck chair where she had been lying and was pretending to sleep.
After a moment of hesitation, she went as quietly as she could to his side, held her breath, picked up the half-eaten fruit on the small table next to the deck chair, and tried to take it back to the room to finish eating it.
Perhaps she was too nervous, or perhaps she was just unlucky, but the sharp fruit knife on the plate just inexplicably fell, and coincidentally plunged into Black St. Leon’s thigh.
With a cry of alarm, the plate in Lian Lian’s hands fell clattering onto the deck. Hikey, who had been dozing not far away, hurried over to see what had happened. When he saw the knife buried in his master’s thigh, he too let out a startled gasp.
‘Oh my God! How could this happen!?’
‘I… I… didn’t… mean to… it just… slipped… down there…!’ Lian Lian was so scared that she could hardly speak.
Looking at his motionless owner, Hachi said, ‘I’ll go get the first aid kit, you cover the wound with a towel.’ He threw the towel at Lianlian and hurriedly ran away.
Lianlian carefully wrapped the fruit knife in the towel and pressed it tightly. In a moment, the white towel was soaked in blood, and Lianlian felt a strange pain in her heart.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do it, does it hurt?’
Nonsense! Of course it hurts, I’m not dead!
Shenglun, who had been unresponsive from the beginning, as if the knife had been stuck in someone else’s thigh, slowly opened his eyes. His crystal-clear green eyes looked at her calmly, showing no signs of anger about to erupt, not even the slightest hint of displeasure.
In that moment, Lian Lian had a strong hunch: even if she really did kill him, he would not hurt her in the slightest.
Her guilt and heartache grew deeper and deeper, and she couldn’t help but have a tear well up in her eye, her mouth twitching as she looked pitifully at the bloody towel that had soaked up almost all the blood.
His long fingers lifted her chin. ‘It doesn’t hurt,’ he said, lying for the first time in his life.
The tear finally couldn’t bear the weight and fell. ‘Liar!’
‘I never lie,’ he said, based on the previous lie, of course this was the second lie.
‘This time I’m lying!‘ Lian Lian choked with emotion.
Hei Shenglun frowned. “Don’t cry.”
’I can’t help it!”
Hegis and Mosen’s timely arrival put an end to their debate.
Hedge looked hesitantly at the fruit knife. ‘Master…’
‘Pull it out,’ said Heisenberg indifferently.
Hedge signalled to Finsen, and Mosen, understanding, took a towel and said to Lian Lian, ‘Miss, please move aside a little. When the knife is pulled out, it may…well, it may not look very nice.’
Lian Lian gritted her teeth and moved to kneel beside Heisenberg’s head.
“I won’t get in the way here, so don’t tell me to go away.’
Hitch shrugged, glanced at Mosen again, then quickly pulled out the fruit knife. A jet of blood spurted out, which Mosen quickly covered with a towel.
During the disinfection and suturing process, Black Shenglun kept his eyes tightly shut and didn’t say a word. But the veins on his hands, which were tightly gripping the armrests of the recliner, his heavy breathing, his tightly pursed lips, his knitted brow, and the twitching muscles in his cheeks from time to time all made Lian Lian feel his pain.
She took a towel and gently wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, while whispering in his ear, ‘It’ll be over soon, it’ll be over soon, it won’t hurt anymore in a little while…’
Suturing, bandaging, undressing, cleaning, and finally when he lay down on the bed, Lian Lian handed him two pills.
‘These are painkillers, you’ll sleep better if you take them.’
He took them.
Lian Lian sat quietly by the bed and gazed at his sleeping face.
He was human too, he could get hurt, bleed and feel pain, and he had to take medicine too. He was neither an angel nor a demon, he was human.
The next night, when Black St. Leon tried to turn over and take her, Lian Lian gently but firmly pushed him back.
‘No, your wound will open up,’ her face suddenly turning red, ‘or…uh, let me do it, but…you have to…uh, teach me.’
He taught her.
※※※
Life returned to normal.
No, it was still a little different. The two of them got along more naturally, and there was an added subtle atmosphere that neither of them could put their finger on. Lianne, in particular, became obsessed with making St. Leon perform magic tricks. When he ignored her, she would sulk and pout; when he scolded her (and glared at her), she would pout even more; when he avoided her, she would look for him everywhere on the boat and on the deck.
When the landlubber Lian Lian planned to jump into the sea with a swimming ring to find him, the strong steel arm embraced her waist in time. She looked back and her cold green eyes stared at her.
After a while, there were again strange phenomena on the sea, and exclamations and shouts of joy followed. The dark-faced Black St. Ron and the joyful Lian Lian happened to be in strong contrast; each Qi and Mo Sen hid as far away as possible, lest they accidentally be swept up in the wake of the typhoon.
Goddammit! What am I doing! ? Black St. Leon’s face turned even more unpleasant.
The bright, clear moonlight reflected in Black St. Leon’s green eyes through the yacht porthole, creating a cold, crystal-like radiance.
‘How long are we going to be at sea for?’ Lian Lian asked, poking at Black St. Leon’s chest.
Black St. Leon closed his eyes and ignored her.
She used her fingers to force open his eyelids and said, ‘We’ve been Robinson Crusoe for almost a month!’
‘What do you want to do when we get ashore?’
‘What do I want to do?’ Lian Lian repeated in surprise, ‘Of course I want to call my parents and let them know I’m okay!’
‘That’s all?’
‘That’s the most important thing!’
Without asking any more questions, Hei Shenglun got out of bed, took a mobile phone out of the desk drawer and gave it to her, then went back to bed and lay down next to her.
Lian Lian looked at the mobile phone in her hands and then at the desk. How come she hadn’t thought that a rich guy like him would have a mobile phone! And it was sitting in such a conspicuous place in the desk drawer! What a silly person she was!
‘Aren’t you going to call home?’
‘Hehe…,’ Lian Lian giggled. ‘I don’t know how to use it.’
Hei Shenglun took the phone, dialled the number and handed it back to her.
“Hello, Mum, it’s Lian Lian…’
‘Lian Lian!‘ A horrible scream, and Lian Lian hurriedly moved the phone away from her ear.
’Honey, hurry! It’s Lian Lian! Lian Lian really didn’t die…‘
Lian Lian wrinkled her nose. “Mom, I’m so hardy, I won’t die so easily!”
’That’s great!‘ her mother choked, “I knew you weren’t dead, I knew you were just taken away, I knew it…!”
’Mom…’ Lian Lian called helplessly.
‘Lian Lian, is that you? It’s me, your father, Lian Lian!‘ her father’s voice rang out in surprise.
’Dad, I’m fine, and you…,‘ Lian Lian sniffed.
’How are you?’
‘Yes! We’re doing very well! Renren, that wise man was right! Everything he said was true! Almost a week after you left, for some reason, a government official suddenly came and said he wanted to give our family a high-end villa in Yangmingshan. He’s helping us decorate it now, and there’s also 500,000 NTD a month to spend! And he said we could ask for more if we need it. Oh my god, Renren, this is like a dream!’
Lian Lian turned her head in surprise and looked at the dark-skinned Sheng Lun beside her. His green eyes were fixed on her face.
It seemed that the phone had been snatched away from her again by her mother.
“Lian Lian, there’s more. The people from National Taiwan University Hospital sent someone to pick up your brother and sister, saying that they will be responsible for healing your brother’s foot and your sister’s face, and it’s free. This is…this is really incredible!’
Lian Lian could not say a word. She understood that this was the work of Black Shenglun. She was both shocked by his influence and moved by his thoughtfulness.
He had not said a word, but had silently sacrificed for her without asking for anything in return.
‘Lian Lian, we know that it may not be convenient for you to come back, but at least call us regularly to let us rest assured,’
‘I will, Mom,’
‘Lian Lian, is he… good to you?’ Shen’s mother asked hesitantly.
Lian Lian smiled tenderly.
‘Mom, he treats me very, very well, so well that it makes me want to cry,’ she said, reaching out to stroke Hei Shenglun’s cheek. ‘For the rest of my life, unless he doesn’t want me, I’ll be with him,’ she told her mother, and Hei Shenglun too.
‘That’s good, Lian Lian. If you can, ask him to bring you back to stay for a couple of days, so we can get to know him.’
Lian Lian gave Hei Shenglun a funny little nod.
‘I will, Mum, but don’t be scared of him when you meet him. He’s very…,‘ she couldn’t help but laugh. “Very scary!”
’Scary?‘ Shen’s mother said with concern, “Won’t that be hard on you?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Lian Lian laughed and said, “It’ll be hard on him, Mum. He’s very good-looking, but scary.”
’Good-looking is not scary!‘
’He is. You’ll see when you meet him.‘
’Okay, then. Remember to call when you have time.’
‘I know, Mom. Please tell my brother and sister for me.‘
’I will. Don’t worry about us. Lianlian,‘ Shen’s mother sniffed. “Take care of yourself.”
’I know, Mom.”
Lianlian held the phone for a long time before slowly placing it on the bedside table. Then she snuggled up against Hei Shenglun like a little kitten. Hei Shenglun put his arm around her and stroked her back.
‘I still want to go ashore,‘ Renren suddenly said. “Why?”
’I have an appointment with someone,‘ Renren said softly. “An appointment in Europe.”
Hearing the unkindness in her tone, Hei Shenglun considered for a moment. “Where?”
’Where?‘ Renren thought for a long time, and finally looked up at Hei Shenglun. “You seem to be quite capable. Can you help me look up this person named Su Mei? I’ll go wherever she goes.”
’Su Mei?’
Yes, Su Mei, I’m here. I hope you haven’t gone back to Taiwan yet.
Two days later, they disembarked in Venice, Italy.
Cipriani on Giudecca, opposite St. Mark’s Square, was a five-star hotel and one of the most luxurious hotels in all of Italy, with excellent facilities. The service was good, and the environment was so quiet that it felt like a large garden. To facilitate the travel of guests, there was a dedicated car that ran between the hotel and St. Mark’s Square day and night.
On their first day ashore, they rested at the hotel for the day, and a special person sent by some high-end clothing companies came to take Lian Lian’s measurements in order to hurry up and sew the clothes. Because, unfortunately, European clothing only had children’s clothes that fit Lian Lian’s short stature.
Early the next morning, Lian Lian quietly slipped out of bed, kissed the sleeping Black St. Leon on the lips, quickly put on jeans and Black St. Leon’s shirt, with the sleeves rolled up so that her arms were not visible.
When she thought she had closed the door without being noticed, Black St. Leon’s eyes opened at the same time; he got up and dressed expressionlessly, notifying Mosen and Hage that it was time to go out.
The Piazza San Marco district is located on the southern edge of Venice, close to the confluence of the Grand Canal and the San Marco Canal. It is world-famous and has long been regarded as the most iconic place in Venice. The north, west and south sides of the square are surrounded by buildings with high colonnades. There are many famous cafés and boutiques in between, which are popular with tourists.
Lian Lian first lingered for a while at the entrance to the Monument Square, where there are monuments carved with winged lions and SanThedore, and then wandered over to St Mark’s Basilica on the east side of the square. In front of the church stand three flagpoles, representing the islands of Cyprus, Crete and Mores, which Venice owned during its heyday of national glory. They are a testament to the city’s glorious history.
Finally, she arrived at the Casonova Hotel, located at the far end of the west side of St. Mark’s Square. She had a mischievous smile on her lips, and she was overjoyed! Aiyu and Youru, just wait, our generous Miss Su Mei will treat you to a sightseeing tour of Italy!
As she was about to walk towards the hotel, some familiar faces appeared at the hotel entrance. She couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear and strutted over to the group.
Su Mei was snuggled in her boyfriend Zheng Yingdian’s arms, too busy flirting to pay attention to the petite figure approaching, but her friends You Nini and Yue Xiaoxin were already wide-mouthed with shock. You Nini even rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Lian Lian smiled sweetly and nodded at the two dumbfounded girls whose mouths were wide enough to accommodate a bird’s nest. Then she said in a very friendly but disgusting voice, ‘Su Mei, hello!’
Su Mei froze for a moment, then looked towards the familiar voice. As soon as she saw Lian Lian’s figure enter her pupils, she immediately lost her voice and exclaimed, ‘Little poor thing, why are you here!?’
You called me a little miserable again! Lian Lian frowned. Never mind, I’m in a good mood, I won’t hold it against you.
So, Lian Lian still smiled. ‘I came to play, hehe, and to collect the debt.’
‘You…how did you come here? This…how is this possible! How could you come to play! This is impossible…!’ Su Mei still couldn’t believe it and kept shouting. ‘You don’t have the ability to come and play at all, what on earth are you…’
‘Hey, hey!‘ Ren Ren interrupted rudely. “Come on, you want to renege on the debt, don’t you? You said it yourself, no matter how I got here, I’m here anyway.”
’What… what are you talking about?‘
’Huh?‘ Ren Ren’s eyes widened, “You really want to renege on the debt?”
’Renege on the debt?’ Su Mei repeated in bewilderment. ’Renege on what debt? When did I owe you anything?’
‘Hey, are you really forgetting or are you pretending!?‘ Lian Lian said angrily.
’You said it yourself, as long as I can find a way to go abroad, you will entertain Aiyu and Yueru for free. They were there when you said it,’ she pointed at You Ni Ni and Yue Xiao Xin. “You can ask them!”
No need to ask, Su Mei had already remembered the joke from that time:
She pursed her lips in resentment and defiance. At the time, she had concluded that it was impossible for Lianlian to go abroad, based on her inability to do so. But then Lianlian had followed her and snapped at her, so…what was going on?
What was she supposed to do? Really invite those two penniless people to come and visit? She could afford to do so, but…she just didn’t want to!
Not pay? Su Mei looked around at her classmates, relatives and friends, and she couldn’t bear to lose face. She didn’t want to go back on her word, but she didn’t want to be notorious for not paying either. What should she do? Ah! A flash of inspiration came to her!
‘I didn’t say I was going to renege on the debt, I just forgot for a moment, but…’ Su Mei smiled cunningly, ‘I’m afraid there’s no way this year.’
“Why?’
‘They don’t have passports, do they? You should know that it takes time to get a passport. By the time it’s ready, the summer vacation will be almost over. What’s the point of coming out then?‘ Su Mei said triumphantly.
’Huh? Passport?’ Lian Lian was at a loss for words. “What passport?”
Su Mei frowned.
‘You don’t know about passports? No way? You don’t have a passport?‘
’No,‘ Lian Lian confessed stupidly.
’No!?‘ Su Mei exclaimed in surprise, and then a malicious look came into her eyes, “You’re not trying to tell me that you…stowed away, are you?”
’Stowed away?‘ Lian Lian was even more confused.
’Yes, usually by boat. Tell me, how did you get here?”
Lian Lian hesitated for a long time. ’By…boat. A yacht is considered a boat, right?’
‘Ha!‘ Su Mei laughed in glee. “You really are an illegal immigrant. You’re really bold, you poor thing. But you’re finished, you poor thing. Do you know what happens if you get caught sneaking in?”
Lian Lian shook her head pitifully.
’Hey hey, if you get caught sneaking in, you’ll go to jail.”
Lian Lian drew a breath. ’Go… to jail!’
‘Yes, you’ll go to jail,’ Su Mei said with even more malicious intent in her eyes. “The immigration authorities will take you away and you won’t be released for ten or twenty years. By then…” She suddenly stopped talking and stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on a spot not far behind Lian Lian, staring at the same object as everyone else in the square.
Lian Lian didn’t notice any of this, however. She was too self-pitying to notice anything else, too scared, worried and angry.
‘How could this happen? I don’t want to go to jail. It wasn’t my idea to run away. He forced me to come out. How can this be my fault? I’m innocent! He’s the worst!‘ She muttered angrily. “If you were going to take me out, you should have helped me get a passport or something. What if I get caught by the immigration authorities! I’ll be locked up for ten or twenty years! It’s over! I’ll be….”
’You won’t get caught.’
‘Huh?’ Lian Lian was talking excitedly when she suddenly heard this, and she froze for a moment before realising whose voice it was.
The culprit: the long-haired shemale!
Lian Lian turned around sharply. He still had his usual expression of indifference, his green eyes staring at her menacingly.
The thought that she might go to prison because of him made her anger boil over, and she suddenly kicked him.
‘It’s all your fault! You arrested someone without even helping them get a passport! Now it’s fine, but if I get arrested by the immigration authorities, you’ll be happy, won’t you!?‘
’You won’t get arrested.’
‘I won’t be arrested!?‘ Lian Lian gave him another kick. “Who do you think you are! Just because you say I won’t be arrested, do you think they won’t dare arrest me?”
’They won’t.‘
’You!‘ Lian Lian was furious and gave him another kick. “You still say that! You must be happy to see me go to jail, don’t you!?”
’You won’t go to jail.‘
’I won’t…,’ Lian Lian gritted her teeth and tried to lift her foot again, when Sen’s cold and harsh rebuke came into her ears in time.
‘No more kicking!”
Lian Lian trembled all over, and subconsciously looked up at him. Even if she was brave, she couldn’t help but shrink from the cruel and ruthless brutality in his eyes. However, fear, grievance, and defiance also welled up in her heart at the same time. Her mouth dropped straight down, and she took another peek at him. The cruel and ruthless colour in his green eyes had not diminished at all.
She bit her lower lip, pouted her lips, and then –
‘Owwww! …Mosen, he’s bullying me… Owwww…he’s bullying me…’
When Lian Lian tried to seek sympathy from Mosen, Mosen had already been frightened by the owner’s fierce and fierce gaze, and hurriedly pushed Lian Lian, who was leaning towards him, towards Hachi.
‘Wo… Hachi… he bullied me… he…!”
Hachi gasped. He didn’t even have the courage to look at his owner, and pushed Len Len over to him.
Len Len saw through tear-filled eyes as she was sent to Black St. Leon. She reluctantly stopped, turned around, and walked to the other end of the square, sobbing loudly—
‘I knew it… I never had a good life… I was never meant to have a good life… I was never wanted… I can go back to living a lonely life…
Heishenglun’s face grew more and more gloomy, his cheek muscles twitching, his lips almost pursed into a straight line, an evil glint in his green eyes, his fists trembling if they were clenched tightly.
This damned woman!
Hegyi and Moseng trembled with fear, guessing when their master would erupt in volcanic anger, and…would Venice disappear because of it?
Finally…
St. Leon Black strode forward, picked up the sobbing Lianlian, threw her over his shoulder and, without stopping, walked towards the exit of the square.
“Ah! What are you doing? Put me down! Why do you always do this? You… you bastard! Put me down! I want to go home, I don’t want to be with you anymore! You only bully me! I want to go home! Do you hear me? ! Put me down! Black, holy, lunatic, let go, I, am, coming down! Do you hear me! Put me…”
That’s it?
Hedge and Mosen looked at the figure that was gradually receding in a daze.
That’s it? No thunderous roar? No mountain collapsing? No shaking of the heavens and the earth? No casualties, no buildings collapsing? Nothing was destroyed?
That’s it?
※※※
Lian Lian wrapped herself up in the quilt, from head to toe, and sobbed continuously in self-pity.
She didn’t want to be so weak, but the thought that she would be sent to prison at any moment, that she would not be able to see her parents for 10 to 20 years, that her future would be bleak, that she was destined to live a lonely life, made her feel weak.
Suddenly, the mattress sank, as if someone had sat down next to her, and then a booklet was pushed through the gap in the quilt.
Pouting, she picked up the booklet. What was this? Why had someone inexplicably slipped her a booklet?
‘Your passport.’
‘My passport!’ she exclaimed, struggling to get out of the bedclothes and sit up. Ignoring the black St. Leon sitting on the side, she excitedly opened the booklet.
Huh? Where did this photo come from? Ah yes, on the yacht, Mosen took it for her. It’s so awkward! She looked happily at the photo on the page and touched the cover of the passport.
I have a passport! I won’t get caught! I won’t go to jail! What else can I say about Koh Samui this time… Huh? No! Koh Samui seemed to have said something.
She gave a suspicious glance at the black St. Leon, who was leaning against the head of the bed with her arms folded. ‘This… is not a fake passport, is it?’
Black St. Leon raised an eyebrow.
‘Su Mei said it would take a while to get a passport,‘ Lian Lian said with justification. “You just gave me a passport this afternoon, when you said this morning that I didn’t have one. How could it not be a fake?”
Hei Shenglun raised the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t have to wait. They had to give it to me immediately if I wanted it.”
’They?‘
’The Italian government.‘
’Huh?’ Lian Lian was even more confused. ’Can the Italian government issue a Taiwanese passport?’
‘I naturalised you in Italy, and this is an Italian passport.‘
’So?‘ Lian Lian looked at the passport in her hands. “You mean, within the past two or three hours, you naturalised me and got me an Italian passport?”
Hei Shenglun didn’t say anything.
’Official naturalisation?‘
Hei Shenglun looked at her.
’Not fake?”
Hei Shenglun snorted. “I don’t need to make anything up.”
Lian Lian sat down next to him on her knees. ’No lies?’
A cold flash in her eyes. ‘I never lie.’
Lian Lian looked at him and then at the passport in her hands, and couldn’t help but look at him with admiration. ‘Wow, you’re amazing!’
He reached over and put his arm around her. ‘No more crying?’
Lian Lian smiled sheepishly, ‘No more crying.’
‘Then go wash your face,’ he wiped away the remaining tears on her face. ‘I’ll take you out to lunch.’
‘Ah, you’re right, I’d forgotten that I hadn’t eaten yet,‘ Lian Lian jumped off the bed and rushed to the bathroom, shouting, “I’m starving!”
Midtown New York.
Putney hurried into Anderson’s office, and Anderson looked up from the documents in his hands. “Anything special?”
’The Angel of Terror has appeared in Venice, Italy.‘
’Oh.’ Anderson leaned back in his chair. ’And?’
‘In addition to his two attendants, the Angel of Terror was accompanied by a Chinese girl, and he ordered the Italian government to process her citizenship and issue her a passport.‘ Putnam handed Anderson the information he was holding. “Here are the girl’s information and photo.”
Anderson examined the information in his hands. “Shen Lian Lian…”
Martin also ran in. “Anderson, I just… Huh? Putnam, you’re here too.”
’What news do you have?’ Anderson asked.
‘Oh, I just got word from Taiwan. They said that the Terror Angel ordered them to help a family named Shen improve their living conditions a while ago.‘
’Shen…,‘ Anderson muttered, “…doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”
’What’s not a coincidence?‘ Martin looked at the other two in turn, “What’s the news from Putney?”
’Putney’s news is simple. The Terror Angel and a Chinese girl appeared in Venice. The girl’s name is Shen Lian Lian,’ Putney explained briefly.
Martin raised his eyebrows. ‘Also surnamed Shen?’
Putney glanced at Anderson. ‘I don’t think it’s a coincidence either.’
Anderson nodded. ‘This girl may be a key figure. Martin, you go to Venice yourself and keep a close eye on the Angel of Terror. Putney, you go to Taiwan and find out about the Shen family background,’ he paused, ‘is that okay?’
By problem, Anderson meant that Martin and Putney’s areas of responsibility had been switched.
Martin gave Putney a friendly pat on the shoulder. ‘Of course there’s no problem. Right, Putney?’
Putney smiled. ‘You do what you’re good at, I’ll do what I’m good at. What’s the problem?’
‘Good. Remember to contact each other at least once a day.’
After Martin and Putney had left, Anderson leaned back in his chair and pondered. He had a strong feeling that the girl would be the key to solving this matter.
※※※
Since seeing Lian Lian that day, Su Mei has been looking for her; the reason is none other than the extremely beautiful man.
She is indeed very dissatisfied that Lian Lian can actually travel abroad, but what makes her most unwilling is that Lian Lian can accompany the side of that incredibly beautiful man. Hmph! That poor thing has no right! She is both beautiful and rich, and of course she is more qualified to accompany that man than that poor thing.
The appearance of Black St. Leon in Venice caused a stir, and everyone praised each other for the beautiful man who had charmed everyone. Those who had never seen him wanted to witness for themselves the man who, according to rumours, could make people lose their minds and fall head over heels at first sight. Those who had seen him longed to see him again.
So, not only Su Mei, but almost all Venetians—including tourists—were desperately searching for him. Whenever they heard where he had appeared, a group of people would rush there, but they were always a step too late. If the men had been able to retain a shred of sanity, Venice would have been paralysed!
The more they couldn’t find Lian Lian, the deeper Su Mei’s jealousy of her grew, and the more infatuated she became with the man. She wanted to kick Lian Lian out of the way and get the man’s heart even more firmly.
When she heard that Lian Lian and the others had returned from sightseeing on the Grand Canal, she immediately went to Cipriani as fast as she could. She didn’t expect that there were already quite a few young ladies in the lobby downstairs who had arrived before her.
Su Mei sneered. At least she was slightly better off, because she knew Lian Lian.
She went to the reception desk to ask for Lian Lian’s room, but the man at the desk didn’t tell her right away; he had to get approval from the other end of the phone before he could tell her and let her go upstairs to find someone.
Su Mei only knocked twice, and the door immediately opened. Lian Lian, with sleepy eyes and wearing a dressing gown, rubbed her eyes and invited her in.
“You sit down for a moment, I’ll go wash my face and change my clothes.’
Su Mei looked in through the half-open bedroom door and saw a man asleep on the bed, his sheet only covering him up to his waist. His long, thick hair was scattered over his naked shoulders and back and the snow-white pillow, creating an extremely sexy and rugged image.
Su Mei swallowed, unable to help but breathe lightly.
“Su Mei… Su Mei… Su Mei!’
Su Mei jumped as if she had just woken from a dream. ‘Ah, oh, Lian Lian, you’re better, oh, so soon.’
Lian Lian handed her a can of drink and sat on the sofa on the other side to open another can.
‘I don’t know what this is either, but it’s quite tasty, you try it.’
Su Mei opened it absent-mindedly and took a sip, casually responding, ‘Mmm, not bad, not bad.’ She glanced at the man in bed again before shifting her gaze to Lian Lian.
The ponytail, which was tied high, revealed the whole of that small, pretty face that was so appealing. The pale yellow suit she was wearing was elegant and charming, but her feet were wearing a pair of fluffy Snoopy slippers.
Su Mei laughed to herself, then put on a concerned look.
“Did anything happen to you that day?’
Although Lian Lian and Su Mei have always been mortal enemies, in a foreign country where she doesn’t know anyone, she always welcomes a familiar Eastern face. Besides, Lian Lian doesn’t know when she will be able to return to Taiwan to visit her family and friends. Now, Su Mei has taken the initiative to visit and shown full concern, so Lian Lian is overjoyed.
It’s good to have someone from your own country!
‘Nothing, what could have happened,’ Lian Lian replied kindly.
Nothing?
‘He… the man you were with, he seemed… unhappy that day,’ she said. It was an understatement to say he was unhappy. It was obvious he was furious.
‘Him? Oh,’ Lian Lian shrugged nonchalantly. ‘He’s just like that. You’ll get used to it.’
Get used to it? Su Mei frowned, then put on a smile.
“Who is he? How did you meet? What is your relationship with him? How long have you been together?’
A barrage of questions that made Lian Lian look at Su Mei in surprise, before she thought with relief: she cares!
‘We met on the Tamsui beach, and…and then we got together.’
Su Mei raised an eyebrow.
‘You live together?’
Two blushes flew to Lian Lian’s cheeks.
“Er…er…sort of.’
One was focused on finding out the truth in order to find a chance to break up the couple, while the other was ashamed to be caught doing such a shameful thing, even though she hadn’t volunteered to do it.
Therefore, neither of them noticed the man in the bedroom who was lying on his back on the bed slowly getting up, getting naked and getting out of bed, going to the door to take a look, then going to the closet to get some trousers and put them on, before going back to the door, leaning against it with his arms folded, out of sight of both of them.
‘He didn’t say he wanted to marry you?‘
’Of course not!‘ Lian Lian couldn’t help laughing. “Do you think someone like him would get married? You should know that the last thing someone like him wants is to be shackled by marriage. Even if he does get married one day, it won’t be to me. I know my own limitations. I’m not good enough for him.”
The man by the door raised an eyebrow. Get married?
Su Mei stared at her with piercing eyes.
’Really?’
Lian Lian looked at Su Mei, her face gradually growing pale.
‘You also know that I am not suitable for marriage. A long, long time ago, I accepted my fate. To be alone for the rest of my life is my destiny, to grow old in loneliness is my lot.’
The man frowned tightly.
Lian Lian let out a soft sigh.
‘Meeting him may be compensation from the heavens. I don’t know how long I can be with him, but I will grasp whatever time I can get. In the lonely days ahead, these happy days will be my only comfort. When I am in unbearable pain, I can take it out and savor the memories.‘
A light that had never appeared before shone in the man’s hazy green eyes.
Lian Lian suddenly gave a self-deprecating wry smile.
’At least, I won’t be buried as an old maid.’
Su Mei narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a moment.
‘If you two are not going to get married, I think you’d better…leave him sooner rather than later.’
The man’s eyes were full of murderous intent!
Lian Lian was stunned! ‘Why?’
Su Mei lowered his eyes, which were full of malicious scheming, and stared at the drink in his hand.
‘It’s obvious. The longer you stay together, the more painful the separation will be. It might even be unbearable. So why bother? And…‘ She glanced at Lian Lian. “Are you using contraception?”
’Contrac… contraception?’
‘No? I knew it,‘ Su Mei sneered. “Have you thought about it? If you have a child, that child will be ridiculed as an illegitimate child, unable to hold his head up for the rest of his life. The child will resent you for it, and your unfortunate life will be doubly miserable. Are you willing to let that happen?”
The man lowered his eyes in deep thought.
’I…I can use contraception!’ Lian Lian replied in a flustered and helpless manner.
The man raised his eyes sharply, flashing anger that even he himself did not understand where it came from.
‘Don’t tell me you don’t want his child,‘ Su Mei said, glancing at her obliquely.
’I… I… I…‘
’You do, don’t you? You want it very much, don’t you?’ Su Mei narrowed her eyes. “That’s it. You want his child, but you have to force yourself to use contraception. That process is prone to small problems, and then a child that you can’t have will still be born. You’re miserable enough on your own, but you want to create misery for someone else as well?”
The man’s expression was complex and unfathomable.
Lian Lian gritted her teeth.
‘Stop talking!’
Su Mei squeezed Lian Lian’s knee with a concerned expression, forcing a smile on her face.
‘I’m only saying this for your own good. You may not be able to accept what I’m saying at the moment, but you’d better think about the possibilities I’ve told you about. Endure the pain for a while to avoid making an even bigger mistake.’ In other words, you’d better get lost quickly, and it’s my turn to serve that peerless beauty.
The man appeared at the bedroom door and frowned, staring at the helpless expression of Lian Lian’s sadness and pain.
He didn’t like it!
From the day he had carried her to the yacht, he had never liked seeing any unhappy expression on her face. He didn’t ask himself why. He did whatever he wanted, and never needed to know why.
The whole world was his, and he had always been reckless, just doing what he wanted, and no one could defy him. Even the earth had to revolve according to his will.
But now, he didn’t like the expression on her face, so he would not allow that helpless look to remain on her face.
He would not allow it!
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Chapter 4
Lianlian had been lying on the windowsill for an hour, watching the water buses, electric boats and some small private yachts busily shuttling back and forth outside.
“Where do you want to go today?’
Lian Lian looked back listlessly at Hei Shenglun and squeezed out a smile.
‘No, it’s a bit rainy outside, we’d better take a break for a couple of days.’
After saying that, she leaned back against the windowsill.
Hei Shenglun sat on the sofa staring at her for a while.
‘Where do you want to get married?’
It took a full minute before Lian Lian turned back, startled.
‘What did you say!?’
‘Where do you want to get married?’ Hei Shenglun asked indifferently.
‘Marry!?’ Lian Lian repeated in disbelief, “You want to marry me!?”
He nodded.
After staring at him for a long time, Lian Lian asked again, “You really want to marry me?”
He still nodded.
Lian Lian stared at him for a long time before leaving the window and coming to kneel in front of him between his legs, her hands around his waist and her cheek resting on his chest.
‘Thank you, it’s very kind of you to ask, but for your own good, I can never marry you.‘
’Why?‘
Lian Lian didn’t want to answer.
He lifted her chin and stared at her, “Why?”
Knowing that he would not rest until he got an answer, Lian Lian sighed, stood up, and went back to the window to gaze out.
’Because I’m a broom.”
He frowned slightly. “A broom?”
Lian Lian turned back to him.
‘This is a Chinese saying, meaning that I am an unlucky person.‘
’Unlucky?‘
’Perhaps I should say that I am…’ Lian Lian pondered how to explain. “…well…in Western terms, I might be described as a nemesis.” Lian Lian, busy thinking of a Western way to explain an Eastern concept, did not notice the sudden change in the colour of Black Shenglun’s face or the fierce green light that suddenly shot out.
Lian Lian told him in detail about the bad luck that had started before she was born, except for the part about the high priest. She didn’t think he would want to hear about fortune-telling, and he had always insisted that fate was in one’s own hands.
Heishenglun’s face grew increasingly gloomy and cold.
‘…So you should understand, right? I can’t marry you because I don’t want to cause you any misfortune.‘ Lian looked at her hands.
’Anyone is fine, but not you. I…’ She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but how could she make someone who didn’t even know what emotions were mean what it meant to love him? She didn’t know, so she couldn’t say it.
Hei Shenglun suddenly got up and strode out the door.
Lian Lian looked at the empty doorway for a long time in a daze.
That was good, she didn’t need to rack her brains anymore, he had run away in fear. Lian Lian smiled wryly. Although it had only been a little over a month, it was enough for her to reminisce for a lifetime. What was there not to be satisfied with?
※※※
Toceloma is the northernmost island in the lagoon. It is sparsely populated, but there are many historical sites on the island, making it a popular destination for history buffs. But on this drizzly day, no tourists were in the mood to study any historical sites. They came to enjoy themselves, not to suffer in the rain.
Black St. Leon stood on the reef protruding from the sea not far from the shore. The waves crashing against the rock drenched his clothes, and the continuous drizzle wet his long hair. He stood silently, lost in a dilemma.
It was her!
He was looking for her—his nemesis; he planned to destroy her as soon as he found her. But, God damn it, he couldn’t bring himself to do it! Why?
He sneered, he was actually asking why! There was no need to ask why, that was just the way it was – he didn’t want to kill her; he didn’t want to, and that was all that mattered, everything else was out of the question.
However, he had overlooked one thing – he never asked himself why, and he certainly didn’t ask others why, he only considered what he wanted, but he almost always asked Lian why and what she wanted.
A nemesis? He snorted contemptuously. He should have known that no one in the world could restrain him, not even her. She might be able to kill other men, but not him. He was the only one in the world, with no reason in the world, except himself. No one could hurt him, not even heaven!
So, he was going to marry her, and she would not be able to kill him.
That was it, no other conclusion, what he said was what it was, no other outcome was allowed.
Lianne silently packed her clothes. Hei Shenglun had bought her a whole lot of clothes and accessories that she could never wear them all. She had filled three large suitcases, and that was just for the summer. Anyway, the clothes were all made to her measurements and no one else could wear them, so she decided to take them all home with her.
“What are you doing?’
Lian Lian turned around and was shocked to see Hei Shenglun standing in the doorway of the bedroom, dripping wet. She let out a cry and hurried to the bathroom to get two bath towels. She threw one on the bed and then pulled him to the side of the bed and put a towel in his hands.
‘You’ll catch a cold like this, hurry up and dry your head!’
Hei Shenglun looked down at her as she fumbled to take off his shirt, belt, trousers and underwear, then picked up the towel on the bed and wiped him down.
‘You’re not a child anymore, why are you still so clumsy? Even if it’s summer and you’re wet, it’s still not okay,’ she kept muttering, ’Do you think you’re really strong enough to let you do whatever you want? I’m telling you, no matter how strong your body is, it can’t bear… Hey? Why aren’t you… Ah, ah, I can’t stand it!’
She threw the damp towel aside, threw the dressing gown over him, snatched the unused towel from his hands, sat him down on the bed, and then climbed onto the bed and started rubbing his long hair.
‘What on earth were you thinking? Is it fun getting all wet for no reason? I really don’t understand, you’re such a big boy and still…’
‘What were you doing just now?’
There was a pause in her hands, and then she continued. ‘Organising my luggage.’
“Why?’
‘Why?‘ Lianne repeated in surprise. “Aren’t you going to send me back?”
’Did I say I was going to send you back?‘ Heisheng Lun asked unhappily.
Completely stopping the wiping motion in his hands, Lianne said in surprise, “You want me to go back by myself? But I don’t know how to get back, or maybe you can ask Mosen to send me…”
’I didn’t say I was going to let you go back,‘
’But…‘
’Where do you want to get married?’
‘Get married! You…‘ The scream suddenly stopped. After a while, Lian Lian began to rub his hair again. “You know I can’t marry you,” she said calmly.
’Why?‘
Why did he always ask why? Lian Lian sighed helplessly. “You know why. I don’t want you to die. It’s as simple as that.”
Hei Shenglun shrugged.
’I won’t die.‘
’Yes.‘
’No.’
‘You will!‘ A fire of unknown origin began to burn in her heart, and her tone of voice rose in displeasure: “I’ve told you how many boys I’ve killed, haven’t I!”
Hei Shenglun snorted.
’You can’t kill me.‘
’You will! If you marry me, you will!’ She jumped off the bed and stood in front of Hei Shenglun with her arms folded. ’Don’t you believe it, and wait until the moment you stop breathing, then it will be too late!’
Hei Shenglun looked at her coldly.
‘Where are we getting married?’
‘Are you made of concrete? Why don’t you listen?’ Lian Lian shouted. ‘I’ll kill you! Don’t you understand? You’ll die! You’ll be buried in the ground and rot away. You’ll become fertilizer for the soil and a skeleton. Is that a pretty sight?’
Hei Shenglun pretended not to hear.
“Where are we getting married?’
‘Ah!‘ Lian screamed, threw a towel in Black Shenglun’s face, and angrily turned around to continue packing her luggage. “I’m going home by myself!”
Black Shenglun stood up abruptly, and his dressing gown slipped off his shoulders.
’You’re not allowed to go back!’
Lianne forcefully shoved an expensive vest dress into the suitcase. ‘I don’t care!’
A sudden burst of green light caused all the luggage that Lianne had painstakingly packed to be overturned and spill onto the floor. Lianne froze for two seconds, then jumped up and rushed to the front of the black St. Leon, pounding her two little fists against his chest.
‘You son of a bitch! I’ve been tidying up for ages, and you actually…”
He grabbed her wrists and threw her onto the bed, then threw himself on top of her. He grabbed her struggling hands and held them above her head with one hand, while with the other he savagely ripped open her clothes. His handsome face was full of murderous rage, and he stared at her fiercely and viciously.
‘You are mine, and I will never let you go! Never!”
※※※
Two hours later, a petite figure slipped out of the hotel, nervously boarding the electric boat to Marco Polo Airport.
Twenty minutes later, there was a loud roar of thunder from inside the hotel.
After arriving at the airport in a panic, and after some fumbling with the enquiries, Lianlian realised that she had to go to New York first and then transfer to Taiwan before she could go home. Without asking any more questions, she immediately booked a ticket on the next flight to New York!
In the departure lounge of the Marco Polo Airport, Lianlian anxiously checked her watch frequently, and every five minutes she ran to the counter to ask.
‘Excuse me, what time does the flight to New York depart?‘
’Fifteen minutes, miss.‘
’Fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes…’ she muttered to herself, then sat back down. ’God bless, bless him to still be sleeping… bless me to get on the plane safely… bless me to get to New York safely… bless me, bless me… hmm?’
The entire waiting room suddenly became silent. In fact, even the outside hall was silent. Everyone involuntarily held their breath and listened intently to the faint wind howling in the distance, uncertainly guessing what the sound was.
As the wind howled louder and louder, the ground began to shake and vibrate, and fear began to appear on every face.
In less than ten seconds, the raging wind sounded like the wrath of the gods, the sky shook as if the devil had descended, and the hurricane slammed against the glass curtain. The people standing fell to the ground due to the violent shaking, and the luggage and miscellaneous items on the ground slid back and forth.
‘What…what’s going on!?’ Lian Lian subconsciously gripped the armrest of the chair and looked up in panic.
Everyone in the waiting room looked at each other in panic. The helpless mother hugged her frightened and crying child, while the panicked wife hid in the arms of her stunned and uneasy husband. There were trembling men, screaming women, and sobbing toddlers. The loud sound of a sudden impact and the ensuing explosion was accompanied by the dazzling light of the fire, which was projected onto every terrified face through the transparent glass curtain.
Amidst the chaos and cries of panic, a man with brown hair rushed into the lobby, looked around anxiously, then stumbled back into the waiting room, where he finally found Lian Lian near the departure gate.
‘Miss, come with me quickly!’
Still clutching the armrest of the chair, Lian Lian exclaimed in a trembling voice, ‘Mosen, what are you doing here?’
‘Miss, don’t say anymore, just come with me!‘ Moses, his face full of fear, pulled Lian Lian up by force, “The master is angry, only you can stop him, hurry!”
’Oh my God, it’s him!’
In the midst of the violent shaking, Mosen supported Lian Lian as they stumbled to the roof of the airport building to meet Hage, who was also in a state of shock. The wind was so strong that they could only crawl on the ground. Hage and Mosen protected Lian Lian as they crawled towards the man isolated in front of them.
Black St. Leon stood with his legs crossed, as steady as a mountain. His long hair, flying wildly, looked like a demon’s soul-stirring rope. He raised his hands high towards the sky, with a cruel and cold smile on the corner of his lips. A creepy, evil green light seemed to be shooting directly at the runway like a laser.
Lian climbed next to him and hugged his thighs.
‘No! Stéphanie, no! I won’t go, I won’t go! Stéphanie, please! Don’t be angry, I swear I won’t go! Stéphanie, I swear!’ she cried.
But the wind continued to blow, the shaking continued, and the sound of the explosion continued to come.
‘Okay, okay! We’ll get married! If you die, I’ll die with you! We’ll die together! We’ll die together!’ Lianne cried. “Stéphane! Paris, I want to get married in Paris! Stéphane, let’s get married in Paris! Stéphane, Stéphane! Please, stop…”
The green light suddenly disappeared, just as quickly as it had started, and the shocking vision came to an abrupt end ten seconds later.
Lianne was still clinging to the thighs of Black Shenglun, and she tilted her tear-streaked little face up as Black Shenglun gazed down at her.
‘We…we’ll go…go to Paris…Shenglun…to Paris…’ Lianne sobbed.
After looking at her for a while, Black Shenglun reached out to help her up and gently wiped away the tears on her face.
“I don’t like seeing you cry, and you mustn’t do it anymore, understand?’
Lian Lian hastily stopped sobbing.
‘No more crying, I won’t cry anymore!’
He put his arm around her and walked towards the stairs.
‘Do you want a child?’
Lian Lian hiccupped. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘Then have a baby.”
Hedge and Mosen, who had clambered up from the floor in a dishevelled state, left behind the two of them. No one noticed the middle-aged man hiding behind the elevator machine room. His face was pale, his eyes were fearful, and he walked unsteadily to the front of the top floor and looked out over the fence.
My God! He looked at the devastation before him in disbelief.
All the airport runways had either cracked open or risen up, and the planes parked at the airport, large and small, had either exploded into flames or broken up and scattered everywhere. Fire engines, ambulances, and rescue workers filled the airport; the sounds of grief and wailing, the sight of blood and corpses tore at the heart. Marco Polo Airport had become a living hell.
A trembling hand slowly fumbles for the mobile phone in his jacket.
New York headquarters.
Anderson and Putney are studying the data they have retrieved from Taiwan. He puts down the photo in his left hand so that he can answer the ringing phone.
‘Anderson.’
Anderson frowns.
‘This is Anderson. Is this Martin?’ This phone number is reserved for the three leaders. Since Putney is standing next to him, only Martin, who is in Europe, would call this number.
‘…It’s horrible! Really horrible!…‘
Anderson signalled to Putney with his eyes to pick up the extension.
’Martin, is something wrong?‘
’…Oh my God! He’s not human! Anderson, he’s not human…!‘
’Martin, calm down, don’t panic, calm down and tell me what happened.’
Breathing heavily, Martin’s voice came clearly through the receiver: ‘I…can’t…it’s horrible…his eyes…the devil…he…looks like an angel…but is as evil as Satan…he’s turned this place into…hell…this place…hell…’
‘Wait! Martin, wait! We can’t understand a word you’re saying like that! How about this: Putney asks the questions and you answer, okay?’
Anderson nodded to Putney.
‘I’ll try.‘ “Martin, this is Putney.” Putney’s voice was calm and steady.
’Tell me where you are.‘
’Venice… Venice Marco Polo Airport.‘
’What are you doing there? No, better tell me what’s going on there.’
‘Here? … Oh my God! It’s turned into hell here…!‘
Martin’s voice trembled as he stuttered and described the situation at Marco Polo Airport in as much detail as possible.
Anderson and Putney, who were listening, looked at each other in amazement.
’Martin, how could this happen! Or rather, who caused this disaster?‘
’He, it was him…,”
Putney frowned. ’He? The Angel of Terror?’
‘It’s him! He’s the devil! My God! It’s been less than ten minutes from start to finish, and look what’s happened here!‘ Martin exclaimed.
’Martin, calm down. Tell me, did you see him with your own eyes…er, did he…?‘ How should I put it? Cast a spell? Manifest the divine?
’I saw it! I saw it with my own eyes! He just raised his hands in the air, and a hurricane came from him, and then his eyes shot out two strange and terrifying green lights, and then the sky and earth collapsed!’
Anderson blinked in disbelief, and Putnam looked at the phone in amazement, as if it were alive and had just pinched him.
‘Well, um…’ Putnam looked at Anderson, who shrugged. ‘Do you know why he did it?’
‘No, I just know that if that Oriental girl hadn’t stopped him, I’m afraid the whole of Venice would have been destroyed!’
‘That Oriental girl? Er, Shen Lianlian was able to stop him?’ Anderson asked, surprised.
‘Yes, the two attendants of the Angel of Terror found her and stopped him.‘
’She…,‘ Anderson pondered. “How did she stop him? Did she have more power?”
’No, she knelt on the ground and begged him…‘
’Huh? Begged him?‘
Martin hesitated.
’I don’t understand what they’re saying, but judging from their actions and the girl’s cries, I guess the girl was begging him to stop.’
‘And then he stopped?‘
’He stopped.‘
’I see.‘ Anderson thought for a moment. “Martin, do you know where he’ll go next? I think since he’s already turned the place upside down, he’ll probably find somewhere else to crash.”
’I don’t know,‘ Martin hesitated. “But I’ll find out.” Three seconds later, he said resolutely, “I’ll keep following him!”
’Okay, then I’ll leave it to you. Let us know as soon as you hear anything.’
After the phone call ended, Anderson and Putney looked at each other in silence for a long time.
‘I think,’ Anderson finally said, ‘maybe we should all go to Europe.’
‘And a Chinese interpreter,’ Putney reminded him.
‘Ah, yes, a Chinese interpreter,’ Anderson muttered. ‘It seems that the Oriental girl, Shen Lianlian, is indeed an important key figure.’
The sudden disaster at Venice Marco Polo Airport, with such a terrible scene of destruction and a considerable number of casualties, did not attract any media attention or reports. Apart from temporarily closing the airport for safety reasons, the Italian government took over all on-site handling and external communications.
The reason why the airport incident was dealt with so low-keyly was that after Anderson reported the matter upwards, ‘above’ immediately contacted the Italian government. After some coordination and discussion, it was decided that in order to avoid causing worldwide panic, the incident must be forcibly suppressed.
Therefore, although Lian Lian had personally experienced the horror at the airport, she had no idea how much damage Black St. Leon’s actions had caused. She always thought that it was like being at sea: the power was astonishingly great, but it would not cause any real damage.
Moreover, in order to give Black St. Leon more chances to change his mind, Lian Lian focused all her energy on how to delay the wedding as long as possible, and had no time to think about anything else.
‘I want a dress like the one Princess Diana wore when she got married,’ she said.
A week later, the dress company invited her to try on the dress. She had no interest in admiring the expensive and exquisite dress, and when she saw an opportunity to do so, she said deliberately,
‘It’s not too late to back out. I don’t…’
Hei Shenglun glanced at her coldly. ‘I never regret.’
Stubborn old fool!
‘I want the crown of Queen Elizabeth of England!‘ she shouted in a huff.
In the afternoon, the crown of Elizabeth was placed on her head, and she stared in disbelief at the dazzling crown on her head in the mirror.
Shortly afterwards, the crown was thrown on the bed like rubbish. Lian Lian pointed at it and yelled,
’I don’t want it anymore! Take it back! Take it back!’
Lianlian didn’t dare to make any more demands. She finally understood that even if it was just a casual remark of hers, Hei Shenglun would keep it in mind and fulfil it, no matter how unreasonable it was. But…but…she really didn’t want to kill him!
‘My period is coming.’
This was Lianlian’s last resort. No man likes to have a bride who he can’t touch on their wedding night, even if he has touched her countless times before.
‘You don’t have one,’ Hei Shenglun said indifferently.
His chin tilted up, ‘You’re not me, how would you know better?’
Hei Shenglun seemed so bored that he was about to fall asleep.
‘You’re pregnant, you can’t have your period.’ When having sex with other women, a condom was a must, yet he had never used any contraceptives on Lian Lian. He didn’t like anything to come between them, even if it was just a thin layer of plastic.
‘Nonsense! I… I… I…‘ Lian Lian suddenly stopped her retort, and her mind raced.
Think! Think quickly! When was the last time you had your period? …
Er, it was during the final exams, which means it was late June… Well, it’s early September now… Oh my god! It’s been more than two months!
’I don’t believe it. How is that possible? How?’ Lian Lian muttered to herself in a daze.
Without saying a word, Black St. Lun took her to the hospital.
Half an hour later –
‘Congratulations!’ said the old doctor with grey hair.
I’m having a baby?
Lian Lian woke up from her shock and, with great joy, caressed her belly. I’m pregnant! I’m carrying his child! It’s so…so beautiful! She looked at the cold, impassive side of Hei Shenglun’s face. He didn’t react in any special way, remaining indifferent as before, as if he was only tolerating her pregnancy because she wanted a child.
She looked back at her belly. But…the baby will become an orphan…
“Shenglun, I want to…’
‘We’re getting married,‘ said Hei Shenglun firmly.
’But the baby will…‘
’We’re getting married!‘ His tone was uncompromising.
Lian stared at him for a long time.
’Okay, I’ll marry you, but you have to promise me one condition.”
Three days later, they got married in Notre Dame Cathedral. Apart from the necessary priest and deacon’s assistant, all other people were kept out.
I don’t think Su Mei could have imagined that this would happen. She would never have believed that she was the key to their marriage! Of course, at this time, she was still wandering around Venice looking for the man she thought was hers, and had no idea about this wedding that would make her hate him with a passion.
After the ceremony, Black St. Leon was locked up by Lian Lian in the Sofitel Saint Jacques hotel in the centre of Paris.
in the Sofitel Saint-Jacques hotel on the banks of the Seine.
‘They both had accidents within three days, so you must promise me that after the ceremony, you will stay in the hotel for three days and not go anywhere. Only after three days have passed will I be able to relax if you are really fine.’
This was Lian Lian’s condition.
Hei Shenglun didn’t say anything, but on the third day, even Hei Shenglun, who had always been quite tolerant of Lian Lian’s unreasonable behaviour, called out to her to get lost with extreme impatience.
She was afraid that he would choke on his food, drown in the shower, fall over while walking, or even accidentally fall out of the window while he was admiring the view!
The most annoying thing was that she had to wake him up every one or two hours, even when he was sleeping, because she was worried that he might die in his sleep!
But when she looked at him pitifully with her panda eyes, which had become that way from keeping an eye on him all the time, his heart inexplicably tightened, and the sudden pain in his chest forced him to involuntarily put his arms around her.
He couldn’t apologize, because he didn’t know those two characters.
‘What do you want from me?’
Lian Lian pouted.
‘I just want you to be alive,’
he said, closing his eyes with patience.
‘I’m not going to die.‘ Although, he didn’t understand why he had to be patient at all.
Goddammit! He could do whatever he wanted, if he wanted to be patient, he would be patient, he didn’t need to understand why, that was just how it was!
When the three days were up, Lian Lian touched his face and his chest with peace of mind and contentment.
’You really didn’t die,’ she gave a heartbreakingly sweet smile, and fell sound asleep on his chest in less than five seconds.
He allowed her to sleep on his chest without moving. He gazed intently at her smile, not understanding what was filling his chest, but he knew he liked the feeling, and that was enough. He liked it, yes, he liked it, he damn well liked it!
Lian slept all day, woke up to eat, and then fell back asleep. He stayed with her the whole time, watching her as if it were the only joy in his life.
Two days later, Lian’s dark circles under her eyes disappeared. She looked radiant, and with a lot of energy, she shouted, ‘I want to go to Disneyland!’
Hei Shenglun frowned.
Mo Sen and Hai Qi suppressed their laughter.
Production website: 心动百分百 Scanning personnel: Minmin Proofreader: Minmin
Data entry: – Data entry: Xinmei
Chapter 5
After receiving Martin’s notification, Anderson handed over all matters to his deputy and then hurried to Paris with Putnam and a Chinese interpreter, Ren Fei. And five minutes before they left, they received a special message from ‘above’, a message that surprised them!
The Hotel Esmeralda, with one of the best views along the Seine, was not a very modern hotel, but it was the most convenient place to keep an eye on the Angel of Terror.
In a suite on the sixth floor, facing the Seine –
‘He’s married?’ repeated Putnam in disbelief. ‘Wait, let me make sure I’ve got this right. You mean, he… er, got married to some woman in a church and then…’
‘Not only did they get married in a church, they also registered the marriage,‘ Martin shook his head in disbelief. “I never thought he would do something as mundane as getting married. It feels really strange.”
’What’s his name?‘ Anderson asked. Since they had registered the marriage, they must have registered their names. Finally, they would learn the name of the Angel of Terror.
’He is called Black St. Leon.”
Putney immediately opened his laptop and connected it to the phone line, intending to find out who Black St. Leon really was.
‘Okay, Martin, now while we wait for Putney’s research to come back, I want to ask you something,‘ Anderson’s gaze fixed on Martin’s face. “You’ve seen him, you’ve seen him with your own eyes… So, what do you think?”
Martin looked back at him. “The real thing?”
’Of course.”
Martin turned his head and stared out the window for a long time.
‘He is truly beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful, to the point where it makes you wonder if he doesn’t belong on this earth at all, if he might not be an angel who has somehow gone astray. But…,’ Martin winced, ’the magic he possesses is also terrifying, like that of a demon who has somehow wandered into our world.’
‘If you ask me what I really think…‘ He turned back to Anderson. “My opinion is that no one can destroy him. I think that even if you were to ”gift’ him a missile, I’m afraid he would throw it back at you. My advice, if you want to ask my opinion, is to do whatever he orders, no matter what.”
Anderson and Martin looked at each other for a long time, making sure that Martin’s words were true, and couldn’t help but frown.
‘Although I can’t understand the degree of horror you’re talking about, I think it’s hard to understand without experiencing it for yourself. But I’m willing to accept that you’re not a coward, so there must be a basis for what you’re saying.‘
’The problem is…‘ Anderson glanced at the equally troubled Putney. “Before we left New York, we received a special assignment from ”above’. ‘Above’ said that the Angel of Terror had withdrawn his order…’
Martin blurted out, ‘That’s great, we can get rid of this hot potato.’
‘There’s more, Martin,’ Anderson had to pour a bucket of ice water on him. What ‘above’ meant was that they no longer wanted to be held hostage by the Terrorist Angel. They wanted us to find a way to get rid of the Terrorist Angel, no matter what the means, and eliminate the problem once and for all. The only restriction was that the world must not know that it was ‘above’ who wanted him killed.’
‘In other words, we can’t reveal our identity,‘ Anderson said with a mocking smile. “They say they don’t want to alarm the world, but in fact they’re afraid of letting people know that they were once afraid and subject to the will of others.”
’Ah!’ Martin was stunned for a moment and unable to speak. After a while, he muttered, ’Damn it, get rid of him? It’s a good thing we didn’t get crushed like ants by him, and you want to get rid of him?’
‘It’s a task from ‘above’ that must be completed somehow,‘ Anderson patted him on the shoulder. “We can only do what we’re told.”
’Shit!’ Martin couldn’t help swearing. ’Must? ! Somehow? ! And in secret? ! Shit! Doesn’t that mean we’ll have to do it all on our own from now on? While the other agents can all collect their white-collar salaries, we’ll have to work our asses off? ! And it’s just the four of us? Goddammit! I’d rather go kill dinosaurs, I’d have a better chance.’
Putney suddenly coughed.
Anderson turned to look at him.
‘Any results? Found anything?’
‘There are results…’ Putney said with a bitter smile. ‘It’s just that there’s nothing.’
Anderson frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
“No birth registration, no school records, no work history, no criminal record. There’s no records or registrations, fines, bills, etc. for him, nothing, as if… there’s no such person.’
‘Hmmmm…‘ Anderson ruminated, stroking his chin.
’Great!‘ Martin sneered, “They tell us to solve a case involving someone who doesn’t exist, but there’s no need to do anything, because there is no such person!”
Anderson glanced at him. “Martin, tell me about the Oriental girl, Shen Lian Lian.”
’And his new wife,‘ Martin said. “To be honest, she’s a rather contradictory girl.”
’Contradictory? What do you mean?’
‘On the surface, she seems like a delicate, pitiable little thing, but in reality,‘ Martin said with a smile, “she’s a lively, cheerful little innocent.”
’Is he especially nice to her? For example, is he especially gentle with her, does he smile at her affectionately, and so on? In other words, is it obvious that he loves her very much?’ Anderson asked with a meaningful look.
If so, there would be no problem. The woman he loved would be his greatest weakness, and as long as there were weaknesses, it would not be impossible to get rid of him!
‘Well…‘ Martin frowned and pondered. “It’s really hard to say. He never smiles, and he always has a cold and arrogant expression, even with his wife. You can’t tell from his attitude whether he loves her or not. But…”
’What?‘ Anderson didn’t want to let go of any clues.
’He married her, didn’t he? And…’ Martin winked. ’He even took her to Disneyland in the eastern suburbs of Paris.’
‘Disneyland?!‘ Anderson and Putney said at the same time.
’It’s weird, isn’t it?‘ Martin said. “Such a cold and brutal man actually took his wife to Disneyland, it’s really… really… weird!”
’So…,‘ Anderson frowned and thought. “I think we can try.”
’Try? How?’ Martin asked.
Anderson paced to the window and stared out for a long time.
‘Is Ren Fei from Taiwan?‘
’Yes,‘ replied Putney.
Anderson turned back to him, looking as if he had a plan. “First, we need to find a way to get close to them.”
’Close?‘ Martin was a little stunned. “That won’t be easy. He’s like a huge polar iceberg. Before you can get close, the cold from his body is enough to freeze people. Trying to get close to them…” He shook his head.
’My goal is Shen Lian Lian.’
‘That’s even more impossible!‘ Martin scoffs. “He keeps his wife close and won’t let her go even one step away. I’m afraid he hasn’t even spoken to her before he’ll whisk her off to the South Pole!”
’So I plan to let Ren Fei know the details and then let him take charge of contacting her,‘ Anderson smiles. “They’re both Taiwanese and in a strange country, so I believe Shen Lian Lian will be very happy to meet some compatriots from her hometown.”
’That makes sense,’ Putney nodded. ‘And then?’
‘We’ll see what happens,’ Anderson said succinctly.
Martin shrugged. ‘That’s about it.’
‘Okay, now…,’ Anderson looked at the two men. ‘Who’s going to tell Ren Fei?’
‘Not me!’ Martin blurted out. ‘It’s one thing to tell him what the mission is about, but to tell him to try to get close to the devil and even kidnap his wife is… .’ He shrugged. ‘Maybe we should tell him to write his will first.’
Anderson and Putney looked at each other.
Is it really that scary?
※※※
The beautiful tourist city of Paris is beyond description! It is the centre of European culture and art, where culture, art and tradition are completely integrated, and there is beauty and joy in spring, summer, autumn and winter. If you walk along the Champs-Élysées and visit the world-famous museums, art galleries and churches, you can experience the magnificent and beautiful inspiration of the artists hidden beneath the great spiritual civilization of France.
After fulfilling their wish to visit Disneyland, Lian Lian of course had to take a closer look at how romantic this world-famous romantic capital really is.
At first, they just wandered around the city centre. The attraction of the streets of Paris lies in the boulevards that can be found everywhere. It is worthy of being the birthplace of fashion, with a particularly large number of shops selling perfumes and cosmetics. The outdoor cafes in particular are a fascinating feature of Paris.
From the Champs-Élysées, which runs through the Arc de Triomphe from the centre of the old town, past the Place de la Concorde to the Place de la Bastille, the heart of Paris is lined with almost all the existing attractions. The commercial, economic and entertainment centres are located along the Avenue de l’Opéra, Rue de la Paix, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Rue de Rivoli, where there are rows of fashion and jewellery shops that set the world’s fashion trends, as well as travel agencies and airlines.
Lianlian doesn’t care about vanity, and she has no interest in fashion. She always thinks that it is enough to wear clothes that are comfortable and keep you warm, and that there is no need to pay attention to all the fads!
Moreover, she never wears perfume, and she has never worn makeup, even on her wedding day she only wore a little lipstick.
She would rather use her two eyes to purely appreciate the beauty of Paris. Her face was full of wonder and admiration, looking up, gazing, opening her mouth, glaring, and exclaiming, as if she were a country bumpkin in the city, while Black St. Lun let her drag him along like a puppy. Interestingly, along the way, ‘Old Liu’, who was only concerned with dragging Black St. Lun along, was oblivious to the fact that while she was intoxicated by the surrounding scenery, she also became the focus of envy of everyone.
The best angle from which to admire the Place de la Concorde is from the obelisk, where Lianlian is standing at the moment. To the east is the Louvre, looking at the Arc de Triomphe. To the west is the Champs-Élysées, with the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and to the north and south are the Madeleine Church and the Palais des Congrès. There are also two buildings on the square, the headquarters of the Navy and the Hotel de Crillon.
Looking at the indifferent expression on the host’s face, Mosen knew that the host would not hurry his wife, but there were certain places that were not suitable for sightseeing after dark, so Mosen had to go up to her and take responsibility for reminding her.
‘Madame, it’s going to be dark soon. France is a country with short days and long nights, and shops generally close at 7pm, so we need to manage our time well.’
“Mosen, if it’s dark, does that mean we can’t go sightseeing?’
‘Not really. Some places are actually more lively at night, like…‘
Mosen looked at his host, who was about to speak, but then stopped. He glanced at his host, who gave him a cold stare, and he winced.
Lianne, however, was full of enthusiasm. “Where? Where?”
’This… is… well… that… ahem… I mean… um…’ Mosen glanced at his host and stuttered, speaking in a language that only he understood.
‘Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word!‘
Mosun looked helplessly at Hicky for help, but Hicky just shrugged his shoulders and refused to help. Damn it! Mosun cursed inwardly, when suddenly a thought flashed through his mind!
’The Seine! We can go for a boat ride on the Seine!‘
’A boat ride?’ Len Len gave him a sideways glance. ’Wasn’t spending that much time on the yacht enough? A boat ride!’
‘But…‘ Moson stammered, “that’s different.”
’How is it different?‘ Lianne asked aggressively, “No water? Not a boat?”
’Let’s go to the Palais de Chaillot,‘ Hichki suddenly interrupted, “We can go to the square in front of the Palais de Chaillot and look across the Seine at the Eiffel Tower. At night it becomes a ”glass’ tower, exquisitely translucent under the lights, and is one of the wonders of nighttime Paris.’
‘Glass Tower?’ Lian Lian repeated with interest. “Okay, the Eiffel Tower. But…,” she wrapped her arms around Black St. Leon’s left arm and looked up at him with a cunning smile, “tomorrow night you still have to take me to a place that Mosen dares not say.”
Black St. Leon didn’t look at her, staring at Mosen, who was hiding behind Hachi.
The next night, after Lian Lian’s persistent pestering, Black St. Leon finally took her to the Moulin Rouge nightclub, which had a century-old history. In the nightclub with its magnificent set and lighting, Lian Lian opened her mouth wide and drooled as she admired the beautiful women, the forest of long legs, and the traditional European high-style aerial dance performance. Of course, she didn’t forget to blindfold Hei Shenglun.
After touring Paris, they immediately embarked on another stage of their trip to the ancient French castles.
From Orleans, they travelled along the cities along the Loire River to Chilly, a total distance of about 120 kilometres, and there are more than 100 castles of various sizes along the way. Most of these castles are related to the Hundred Years’ War between England and France in the Middle Ages and the European Renaissance. Strolling through the labyrinthine official halls, admiring the beautiful palace furnishings, or wandering through the military castles and hearing the stories that each castle has experienced, will make people feel as if they were in the midst of history.
In addition to admiring the beauty and history of the castles, the fresh and fatty salmon that abounds in the Loire River and the sweet wines produced along the way in the wine country are all reasons for Lianlian to stop and linger.
To Black St. Leon, these are really not interesting. Where in the world has he not been? Which strange sights, monuments, and unusual customs and people has he not seen?
But for Lian Lian, it was a very different story. The sights she could normally only see in books, newspapers and magazine pictures were now within her reach. She could hardly believe it and felt as if she were dreaming. She greedily soaked up every sight and enjoyed the meticulous care of Black St. Leon.
But for the four people following closely behind, it was tiring!
‘Damn it! That girl is like a grasshopper, she just keeps jumping around without getting tired. We’ve been chasing after her non-stop for more than a month, and we still haven’t found any opportunity to get close to her without arousing suspicion,’ Martin muttered. ’Damn it, why can’t she just act like other women, act a little bit more contrived, act a little bit more obedient, act a little bit more weak, so that we can have a chance to catch her,’
Putney gave him a funny look. ‘Or just go up to her and say, “Sorry, we want to abduct you, please come with us,”’ he said, smiling. ‘Maybe she’s waiting for you.’
‘Go!’ Martin snorted. ‘Do you take me for a fool?’
The four of them crowded in the car, eating sandwiches and coffee, and keeping a watchful eye on the restaurant across the road where Lian Lian and her group had entered. They could clearly see them eating through the large glass lattice windows.
Ren Fei, with his baby face and perpetual bright smile, never took his eyes off them. He observed and studied them intently, then spoke:
‘He really loves her.‘
The other three turned to look at him as they heard this; he was still facing the window, the restaurant and them.
’I don’t know if you’ve noticed his eyes,‘
Martin said, raising an eyebrow.
’Of course we have. You can’t help but notice them. I’ve never seen eyes so cold and emotionless. It’s as if he doesn’t see anyone or anything, and nothing can arouse any emotion in him. And in fact, that’s true,’ he added, ’he looks at his wife the same way.’
‘Yes, but there’s something else in the way he looks at his wife.‘
’What’s that?‘ asked the three of them in unison.
’Concentration,‘ Ren Fei answered. “When he looks at his wife, he almost pours all his energy into it…yes, he looks at his wife with his heart! It’s cold, but the concentration is astonishing.”
Putney looked out in the direction Ren Fei was looking, Anderson bowed his head in deep thought, and Martin scratched his head.
’Why is it so hard to understand what you Easterners are saying?’
Ren Fei turned back and laughed, ‘You’ve been in love, haven’t you? Think about the mood and feelings you had when you were looking at the person you loved.’
Martin asked blankly, ‘Which one?’
Ren Fei couldn’t help but laugh.
‘So many? I didn’t think you were such a romantic.’
Pouting, Martin said smugly, ‘Of course, you don’t know how popular I am with women!’
Putney turned back.
“Maybe he’s already the Nth AIDS carrier.’
‘Yuck!‘ Martin couldn’t help but retch a few times, glaring angrily at the malicious person who had ruined his reputation. “You’re the fucking O-positive gay!”
Putney and Renfei both couldn’t help but laugh.
Anderson then looked up at Renfei.
’Renfei, do you dare? Just go find her like that?”
Renfei was stunned. ’Just like that?’
‘Just go up to her.’ Anderson stared at him challengingly.
Renfei frowned and looked out of the window, just in time to see Lian Lian shoving something into Black St. Ron’s mouth. “Maybe… I could give it a try.”
Anderson gave Renfei a firm slap on the shoulder. ’Good boy! You’ve got guts!’
Lian Lian’s appetite was getting better and better. Like a locust, she could eat almost anything and her appetite was astonishing. Even Black Shenglun couldn’t help but say, ‘Stop eating, you’re about to burst.’
Lian Lian still buried her head in her meal.
‘It’s okay, you’re here, you’ll help me mend it,’ she said indistinctly, her mouth full of food.
‘I don’t have the ability to mend and restore,’
Lian Lian still didn’t care.
“It’s okay anyway, you’ll always find a way,’
Hei Shenglun closed his eyes, as if he was trying hard to bear it.
Lian Lian patted his hand reassuringly.
‘If there really is no way, just forget it. I’m already very satisfied. Even if I have to report to the King of Hell now, I’ll go with a smile on my face.’
His face fell, and his eyes glared at Lian Lian with a fierce and wild look. Hei Shenglun said coldly,
‘I won’t let you die!’
Lian Lian was momentarily stunned. ‘I was just joking, why are you taking it so seriously?’
‘I never joke!‘
Lian Lian gave him a look of exasperation.
’You never do so many things: you never lie, you never laugh, you never eat what other people have left, you never joke, you never listen to other people, you never have fun, you never…
’ ’Ah! Are you Chinese too? I never thought I’d meet a compatriot here, what a surprise! Where are you from? Mainland China or Taiwan?’
A barrage of surprised exclamations intruded uninvited into Lian Lian’s ears. She tilted her head to see which one of the 49ers had interrupted her ‘serious conversation’ with such chatter.
A doll-faced face full of joy grinned at her, such a happy smile that whatever annoyance there was melted away. As the saying goes, ‘you can’t hit someone who’s smiling’, not to mention…
‘Are you also from Taiwan?’ Lian Lian asked hopefully.
The doll-faced face nodded vigorously.
‘Yes, yes! Kaohsiung, Taiwan. And you?‘
’Wow! Really? I’m from Taipei. Taipei and Kaohsiung…well, not far, not far!’ Lian Lian beamed, answering and greeting at the same time: “Come, come! Sit together. It’s not easy to bump into a Taiwanese compatriot, so we must chat.”
Baby Face sat opposite them. “My name is Ren Fei. And you are…” He nodded towards Hei Shenglun.
Hei Shenglun stared at Ren Fei mockingly. His cold and mysterious gaze made Ren Fei’s scalp tingle, and he couldn’t help but shiver inwardly.
‘My name is Shen Lianlian, and this ice block is my husband, whose surname is Hei,’ Lianlian was busy introducing herself on the side.
Ren Fei gritted his teeth and extended his right hand. ‘Hello, Mr. Hei, my name is Ren Fei, please give me your advice.’
Hei Shenglun remained motionless, his green eyes flashing with a cold, chilling light.
‘Finally couldn’t hold back, huh?’
A great tremor ran through his body, and Ren Fei let out a big gasp!
He knew!
Hei Shenglun’s eyes seemed to have hypnotic powers, as they held Ren Fei’s gaze captive. Ren Fei wanted to look away, or at least close his eyes, but he couldn’t. Then, Ren Fei saw one thing from Hei Shenglun’s evil eyes—
He had always known, knew that they were following them. Knew their intentions, he… knew everything, and it was him who deliberately made them unable to find any opportunity to get close!
Damn it! I knew that we were following too closely and it was too obvious!
Rien, who was oblivious, was still busy apologising for Hei Shenglun.
‘I’m sorry, he’s just like that, cold and aloof.’
‘I… I understand.’ Ren Fei was becoming increasingly panicked as he couldn’t shake off Hei Shenglun’s strange gaze.
‘Great! Now, tell me, when did you leave Taiwan?‘
So it was, one person chattering away gleefully, the other sitting uncomfortably, sweating profusely, as Hei Shenglun’s gaze never wavered from Ren Fei’s increasingly fearful eyes.
Finally, Ren Fei could no longer bear the feeling of fear gnawing at his body, and he jumped up abruptly.
’Sorry, I have friends waiting for me,’ he said, turning to leave.
Lian Lian was taken aback, and just as she was about to speak –
‘Wait a minute.’
Ren Fei froze in his tracks!
Hei Shenglun slowly lifted his glass and took a sip.
‘I don’t like people following me, understand?’
Ren Fei nodded stiffly and then fled in a panic.
Lian Lian stared in disbelief at Ren Fei’s fleeing back.
“What’s wrong with him?’
Ren Fei staggered to the waiting car, opened the back door and got in. He put his trembling hands on his knees with difficulty, then stared at them blankly, as if doubting whether they were really his hands.
Anderson and the other two exchanged glances, sensing that something was clearly wrong. ‘What’s the matter, Ren Fei?’
Anderson tried to keep his voice soft so as not to frighten Ren Fei, who looked as if the slightest heavy breathing might send him scurrying back to the United States.
Ren Fei kept looking at his hands until they stopped shaking so badly, then raised his pale face, a wry smile barely hanging on his lips—
“Next time, remember to remind me to make my last words clear.’
※※※
Black St. Leon had not planned to leave Horror Island for long, but running into Lian Lian was beyond his expectations. Now he had to plan to live outside Horror Island for a while, because although there was a highly skilled doctor on the island, obstetrics and gynaecology were not his area of expertise, and the island’s medical equipment was not perfect. Of course, this would be improved in the future.
But for now, he was not confident about Lian Lian giving birth on the island, because
‘Triplets!‘
Lian Lian stared at the blurry, black-and-white mass on the ultrasound screen. It was hard to tell what it was!
Lian Lian shifted her suspicious gaze back to the doctor.
’Are you sure?”
The doctor was still smiling. He was used to pregnant women’s reactions when they hear they are carrying more than one baby, especially twins.
‘I hear three heartbeats, so of course there are three babies. And, look…‘ He pointed at the screen. “There’s one here, and another here. The third one is blocked by the first two, so it’s not very visible, but you can see both feet clearly.”
Clearly?
Lian Lian tilted her upper body and pressed her head against the screen to take a closer look with narrowed eyes. Then she turned her head to look at the doctor’s stupid smile.
’It’s going to rain tomorrow.‘
’Huh?’ The doctor looked even more stupid with his blank expression.
‘According to my research, this is a satellite cloud map,’ Lian Lian said seriously, pointing at the screen. “And analysis of the thickness and distribution of the clouds on it shows that it will rain tomorrow, so please remember to bring an umbrella when you go out tomorrow.”
Lian Lian also nodded seriously to show the seriousness of the matter. Then she ignored the doctor, who was crying with laughter, and turned to study Hei Shenglun’s stern face.
‘Please ask Mr. Judge Bao, which royal relative has angered you, or why are you looking so scary?‘
Hei Shenglun glared at her very, very unhappily.
’I let you have one, I didn’t give you permission to have three,’ he said darkly.
If Lian Lian hadn’t wanted the child, he would have told her to get rid of it a long time ago. He didn’t want any brats around, and one was already the limit, but now there were three of them! This is intolerable!
‘Aha! Buddy, we really do think alike, I was thinking the same thing,’ Lian Lian said with an exaggerated expression on her face. ‘In that case… buddy, since you’re the one who put them in, could you please take out two of them? It doesn’t matter which two, you can keep whichever you want, I don’t care,’ she said generously.
Heisheng Lun’s jaw tightened and his cheek muscles twitched.
‘Don’t want to do it yourself? What a slob!’ Lian Lian sighed exaggeratedly again. “Fine, I’ll have to trouble the doctor. After all, an abortion at five months doesn’t necessarily kill you. With modern medicine, it’s only a little dangerous at most. And I’ve been very lucky lately, so I shouldn’t be that unlucky to encounter that little danger, right?”
She gave a sweet smile at the frowning Hei Shenglun, then turned to the stunned doctor and waved her hand lightly.
‘Come on, doctor, my husband didn’t want three, so he had to trouble you to get rid of them. I think next time my husband will be more careful and not let too many in at a time.‘
’Ah? … This… this…‘
’No!‘ Hei Shenglun suddenly snapped coldly.
’Why?‘ Lian Lian gave him a disgusted look. “Do you want to do it yourself?”
’Nonsense!”
Lian Lian gave him an impatient glance. ’So what do you want?’
Hei Shenglun glared at her stomach with disgust. ‘Just let them stay there.’
Lian Lian tilted her head at him innocently.
‘But…you said you didn’t want them.’
‘I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t give you permission to have three,’ Hei Shenglun said arrogantly. ‘Now I’m giving you permission.’
‘But…
’ ‘No buts!’ Hei Shenglun picked her up from the examination table. ‘Let’s go back.’
“Three!’
‘Three it is, and that’s final!‘ He put his arm around her and walked her out.
’Don’t you regret it!‘
’I never regret anything!”
Here we go again!
But… Lian Lian smiled to herself, quite satisfied. She knew this tactic would work. No matter how brutal and fierce he appeared to be, in reality, he was taking the utmost care of her. He would spare her even the slightest danger.
But then again, giving birth to triplets is a little dangerous, isn’t it? But he mustn’t know that, or else…hehe, Lian Lian couldn’t help smiling again.
※※※
Known as the ‘Queen of Riviera’, Nice is the fifth largest city in France, located in the centre of the famous French Riviera on the Mediterranean Sea. With a Mediterranean climate that is warm in winter and cool in summer, Nice is a great place to escape the heat and cold. Add to that the seafood, wine, fresh fruit and vegetables, more than 200 hotels and innumerable bars and nightclubs, and it’s no wonder that there is a constant stream of holidaymakers from all over the world, never wanting to leave.
Nice is a non-commercial port, and most of the yachts at the marina are private ones, which is one of the reasons why Black St. Leon chose to stay here temporarily; his yacht can be moored nearby and he can set sail for other places at any time.
The main street in the northern part of Nice, Bd de Cimiez, is an extremely special road. From the southern end of the road to the north, you can see the most innovative and luxurious buildings in Nice along the way. This is a high-end residential area in Nice, and it is also where Henri Saint-Loup temporarily resides. Their residence is at the end of the road, and on the left is Nice’s oldest Roman settlement, which is scattered among a large village garden. The ruins include an amphitheatre, a temple, Roman baths and houses from that time.
In the second trimester, Len Len still hopped around like a frog, and it was annoying when she was asked to sit quietly for a while (which of course annoyed Black St. Leon). Black St. Leon couldn’t stand her clinging and indecent behaviour, so he had to take her to Cannes to broaden her horizons, or to Marseille for a couple of days. The capital of the small country of Monaco in the southeast of France, Monte Carlo, was also a place they often visited.
Until the later stages of her pregnancy, her huge belly not only made her feel like a terrifying white whale, but also made her unable to move like a blood-saturated mosquito that can no longer fly. The only thing she could do was take a walk or lie down and pant like a fish out of water.
So, in the early morning, early risers could see a breathtakingly beautiful man with long hair walking with a… a, er—let’s call it a meatball with long legs on the Promenade des Anglais.
The Promenade des Anglais is a coastal boulevard that starts shortly after the airport on the way into the city. On one side is the fine sandy beach and beautiful Baie des Anges, and on the other side are the high-class hotels, luxury homes, boutiques, fine restaurants and other places where the crowds gather. At the end of the boulevard is Albert I Park, which is full of flowers and has an 18th-century Triton fountain.
At the break of dawn, apart from some people who are used to morning swims and some people who stay out all night, the sidewalks are deserted, there are no cars, and the sound of silence can be heard. The gentle sea breeze blows slowly, and the sound of the waves gently washing against the sand soothes the heart.
Lian Lian always loved to walk slowly, holding Shenglun’s arm with both hands, snuggling up to him. A happy smile played on her face, and occasionally she would look up at him and say a few words. Shenglun, however, remained the same indifferent and proud person, hardly ever saying a word, no, not even a single word. But Lian Lian was already very satisfied. Everything seemed perfect. After she gave birth, Shenglun would take her home.
Home… I wonder what his home is like?
But soon, more and more early birds arrived. They didn’t understand that the worm they liked had already been eaten by the big fat bird, and the fact that the worm was poisonous didn’t scare them away. They just kept following the worm, trying hard to attract its attention by flirting with it, while at the same time they kept talking about how they were either noble or rich, trying to lure it with their backgrounds.
Black Shenglun’s face was full of disgust and impatience, and her clear green eyes gradually turned dark and gloomy. Lian Lian secretly worried about the birds, who were oblivious to their impending doom. She really couldn’t understand where they had their eyes. Couldn’t they see that the man was unhappy?
Finally, with a casual wave of his left hand, Black Shenglun sent a very strange wave crashing up the beach, carrying away the birds. Then, with a secret smile, she watched them clambering miserably back onto the shore. I hope they’ve learned their lesson, she thought.
No, they haven’t learned their lesson at all!
The next morning, when Lian Lian saw that the number of women following them had not decreased but increased, she could not help but think with frustration. She looked up, and St. Leonard the Black also looked down. She sighed helplessly –
‘Let’s go back.’
Thus, a walk ended before it even began.
Le Parc du Château is located on a small hill to the left of the harbour. You can walk up the hill or take the escalator to get there. The castle is surrounded by a pine forest, although only the remains remain. However, the view of the Bay of Angels, the English Trail and the old town below from here is magnificent, which is one of the reasons that Black St. Ron changed the location of his walk to here. The pine forest is sparsely populated, quiet and peaceful, which is extremely suitable for Black St. Ron’s solitary personality.
When tourists occasionally intruded, they tried to avoid them as much as possible, so as not to lose this secluded and perfect place for a walk. Whenever they dodged, it was also when Lianlian was happiest.
I never thought that walking with a big watermelon could also involve playing hide-and-seek. Lianlian thought happily.
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Chapter 6
Has Anderson given up?
He wanted to, but he was afraid that ‘above’ would not allow him to run away.
However, after the incident at the airport and the oaths of Martin and Renfei, he decided to take the approach with a better chance of success—well, and of course a safer method.
After obtaining an understanding from ‘above’ and obtaining a one-year deadline, Anderson, Putney, Martin, and Ren Fei, after repeated research and discussions, decided to focus on Lian Lian. They believed that since Black St. Ron was so terrifying, the only chance to get rid of him was Lian Lian. Although they had not yet been able to confirm that Lian Lian was Black St. Ron’s weakness, it was their only chance.
They were not thinking of kidnapping Lian Lian to threaten Black Shenglun, which would not be a very appropriate approach. Just imagine, if Black Shenglun lost his temper and did something shocking and destructive, who would bear the responsibility?
The most appropriate, safest and best approach was to let Lian Lian kill him.
Of course, it would take time and an opportunity to persuade Lian Lian. Black Shenglun was almost inseparable from his wife, and the only time they were apart was when she gave birth. The only chance to persuade Lian Lian was when they were apart, to tell her that the world would be safe only if she got rid of her husband.
This would not be an easy task. She was a little naive, but not a complete idiot. If she really believed someone had suddenly appeared and told her to kill her lover, they would not let her do it even if she was willing. It would be one thing if she messed up, but if she alerted Black Shenglun, that would be a problem.
They went to find Lian Lian’s parents. This was a matter of saving the world, and they should be happy to help. And it would be most powerful for Lian Lian’s closest relatives to convince her. However, to Da Da’s and Ping’s surprise, the Shen parents immediately and categorically refused.
‘We won’t ask Lian Lian to do such a thing,’ said Shen’s father firmly. ‘And you shouldn’t hurt him either.’
Ren Fei looked at the two old people in amazement.
‘Why? Aren’t you afraid that he might hurt your daughter? He is a very…‘
’No matter what kind of person he is, we just know that we shouldn’t hurt him,‘ Shen’s mother interrupted Ren Fei firmly. “And he would never hurt Lian Lian.”
Ren Fei stared at them in disbelief.
’I don’t understand, how can you be so sure that he won’t hurt your daughter? Is it because he helped you…’
Shen’s father’s face fell and he shouted angrily, ‘Please leave! We don’t need to put up with your insults!’
‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I apologise!’ Ren Fei hurriedly lowered his posture. ‘At least please tell me why, why are you so sure that he won’t hurt your daughter?’
The two Shen parents glanced at each other before Shen’s mother looked at Ren Fei hesitantly.
“You’re a young man, and you were brought up drinking foreign ink, so there are some things you may not understand. Even if I…’
With a quick mental calculation, Ren Fei could guess that they were going to talk about superstition. In any case, it was better to know what was going on first, so that the right medicine could be prescribed.
So he quickly said, ‘But I’m still Chinese, even if I don’t necessarily believe in it, I can still understand it.’
Shen’s mother hesitated for a long time before she began to describe the time when she took Lianlian to visit the wise man. At the end, she added emphatically, ‘Everything has come true just as the sage said. You may be laughing to yourself, but the feelings of those of us who have experienced it are deeper than you can possibly understand.’
‘My wife and I have always remembered the last thing the sage said,’ Shen’s father recalled. ‘He said, ’Trust me, I will never hurt you. This was what he said to Lian Lian, and he even warned her repeatedly that she must never hurt him.’
‘You see,’ Shen’s mother said, “the great man predicted long ago that someone would ask Lianne to hurt him.”
Ren Fei looked at them in disbelief, not knowing what else to say. Not only were the two elderly people’s attitudes so unwavering, but even he was beginning to waver a little.
So Anderson could only give up on the Shen couple. For now, they could only gather as much information as possible and wait, waiting for the right moment to come.
But why didn’t anyone consider whether his child would be as terrible as him?
Perhaps they think that there is only one such freak in the world, that there was only one Hitler, and that his children are not that impressive. So the most important thing is to destroy the devil.
His wife will do it!
***
All women who have given birth know that the first birth is the hardest, and that multiple births are even more miserable.
But Lian Lian’s birth was ridiculous and exaggerated! Apart from the strong contractions and tight feeling in her stomach, she didn’t feel any particular pain.
So when the first baby dropped into Helen’s hands, she knew it was time. They were watching TV at the time.
Helen looked blankly at the ‘thing’ that had slipped out between her legs.
Mosun rushed to the phone to call an ambulance.
Helen stretched out her hand as far as she could to keep the ‘thing’ as far away from her as possible, mumbling, ‘God damn it, what’s going on?’
The second baby was caught by Hage, and the third was finally delivered by the paramedics in the ambulance.
They were three very strange babies, two boys and a girl, all with the same emerald green eyes as their father. The boys were as stunningly beautiful as their father, while the girl was as adorable as their mother.
They were called weird because they never cried after birth. They would look at people with wide eyes, but they just wouldn’t cry. They didn’t cry when they were hungry, when their diapers were wet, or even when they were beaten.
The girl also didn’t cry, but her tears were always rolling around in her eyes, and her look of being so wronged and pitiful almost made the nurses who took care of her want to dig their hearts out.
And they don’t drink milk either. Breast milk, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, skimmed milk… we’ve tried it all, but they just won’t drink.
Heishenlun looked at the three kids in turn with a stern face.
‘Go prepare the yacht.’
Haiqi left in response.
‘What are we going to do? They’ll starve to death!’ Lian Lian lay on the hospital bed, looking at the three cribs on one side of the room and Heishenlun, who was facing away from her. Her face was full of worry and anxiety.
Black Shenglun snorted. ‘They won’t starve.’
‘But they don’t…’
‘They don’t drink milk,’ Black Shenglun said, turning to face Lian Lian. ‘They only drink the juice of a certain fruit that grows on the island where I live.’
‘Really? How do you know?’
‘Because I grew up drinking that fruit juice.’
‘Ah!’
‘And,’ Black Shenglun said flatly, ‘they will also have the same abilities as me.’
“Huh?’
He looked sideways at the girl. ‘Maybe the girl’s abilities will be a little different.’
‘Huh?’
He looked back.
‘I’ll ask Haki to send the kids back to the island first. Someone there will take care of them. We’ll go back to the island after the doctor lets you go.’
‘But…,’ Lian Lian sniffed, unwillingly. ‘Okay.’ You can’t let the kids starve to death, can you?
Hei Shenglun pushed the crib next to her bed.
‘Just look at them for a while. Hecate will be here soon to take them away. You’ll see them again in a month anyway, and I won’t allow you to feel sad.‘
Cliché! He won’t allow it? Lian Lian gave him a blank look and then focused her attention on the children, not wanting to waste her energy on the big ice cube.
’Give me the eldest.‘
’Which one?‘
’There are fathers like you out there who can’t even tell their own sons apart!’ Lian Lian teased.
Heishenglun narrowed his eyes and looked at the two identical babies, as if they were laughing at him.
‘That one,’ Lianlian pointed to the crib on the far right, ‘Hurry up, give it to me!’
Heishenglun used stiff and awkward movements to pick up the baby and hand it to Lianlian.
Lianlian joyfully hugged the baby and kept kissing it. ‘So beautiful!’
Heishenglun glared at his wife unhappily as she kissed ‘another man.’
‘We should give them names, right?‘
Damn it! Why did I get myself into this mess! Hei Shenglun thought wearily.
’Hurry up! I want to tell the babies their names myself before Hage takes them away.”
Hei Shenglun closed his eyes and endured.
※※※
They had been waiting at the hospital for more than a week. They found that even in the hospital, Heishenglun stayed by his wife’s side. Even at night, they didn’t know when Heishenglun would leave. They often saw Heishenglun come to the hospital in the morning and then realised that Heishenglun had left the hospital at some point last night, and they hadn’t even noticed!
‘Damn it, can that devil turn into smoke?’ Martin muttered.
Ren Fei trembled slightly.
‘There’s no way. We can’t get too close, or we’ll get caught like last time.‘ Anderson glanced at them. “Guys, there’s not much time left. I asked the doctor, and he said that Shen Lianlian will be discharged in a few days.”
’Didn’t the doctor say that she should rest for another half month after she’s discharged?‘ Martin asked.
’Yeah, there’s still half a month after she’s discharged. You go to his house and try to find a way,’ Anderson mocked.
‘Ah,‘ Martin smiled apologetically, “there isn’t much time.”
Putney suppressed a laugh, “So what should we do now?”
’Well…,’ Anderson pondered. ’I think we’ll need a little outside help, just be careful not to let them know the details. Putney, find a way to transfer two more astute…well, and good-looking detectives over here, two that look alike, and…’
Lyle was the new nursing assistant at the hospital, having only been there for two days, but he had made it clear on his first day that he wanted to woo Lucille, the night nurse on the maternity ward, so it was no surprise to see him keeping Lucille company on the night shift both nights. Of course, when he was still seen on the third night, people just thought he seemed quite serious.
Lucille chatted with Lyle while she sorted out the ward round.
“You have to work during the day and keep me company at night. Can you handle it?’
Leel smirks mysteriously and pulls a chair around to face her.
‘If you’ll agree to be my girlfriend, I won’t have to work so hard.’
Lucille gives him a look.
‘You wish! You think you can be my boyfriend? I have a whole bunch of boyfriends already, and there’s no way you’ll get one of them!’
Leel shrugs. ‘Then I’ll just have to keep fighting!’
Lucille got up and went to the back drawer to look for any unfiled medical records of discharged patients, ready to find it and file it. She said, ‘It’s not that easy to be my boyfriend, so think of more ideas!’
The door of the ward at the end of the corridor suddenly opened, and a tall figure slowly walked towards the fire escape. Lyle’s eyes lit up, and he immediately got up and went to the corridor to see the figure disappear behind the fire escape door.
When Lucille turned around, she saw that Lyle had suddenly run to the middle of the corridor and was looking in the direction of the fire escape door.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Uh,’ Lyle casually answered, ‘uh, I need to go to the bathroom.’
Lyle hurriedly went to the men’s dressing room and took out his mobile phone.
“This is Lyle. The target has left,’ After listening carefully for a while, he added, ‘I understand. I’ll try to lure her away so you can come in, but you only have an hour at most. They have a fixed schedule for rounds, so you have to hurry… Okay, you can come in five minutes.’ After putting the phone away, he thought for a moment and then went out. Soon, he saw Lucille walking towards the lounge. Meanwhile, four figures suddenly appeared at the emergency exit, then silently disappeared into the ward at the end of the corridor.
As soon as Black St. Leon left the room, the pretending-to-be-sleeping Lian Lian immediately sat up, switched on the bedside lamp, and took out Julie from under the pillow. She then read the romantic novel by Garwood with great interest.
When the door opened, she thought it was the nurse on rounds.
However, she was shocked to see four men flash in one after the other, one of whom was Ren Fei, whom she had met before.
‘Ren Fei! What do you… want?‘ Lian Lian cried out in surprise.
Seeing that Lian Lian was still awake, the four men were even more surprised than she was. But they were seasoned veterans after all, and Anderson immediately nudged Ren Fei, who then woke up and came forward to greet them.
’Miss Shen, please don’t be afraid, we mean you no harm, we just want to talk to you.‘
Lian Lian looked at them confusedly.
’I’m not afraid, I’m just surprised, I don’t know them.’
She pointed her finger at the other three men. ‘You don’t know them well either. What is so important that you have to come and talk to me in the middle of the night? Isn’t it more convenient during the day?’
‘This…’ Ren Fei hesitated for a moment. ‘Your husband… doesn’t seem to like it very much…’
‘Oh,’ Lian Lian nodded with a sudden realization. ‘My husband, he is just like that. A lot of people are afraid of him. As long as you don’t provoke him, nothing will happen. But…’ She smiled, ‘I understand, I understand.’
‘It’s good that you understand.‘ Ren Fei glanced at Anderson.
’Miss Shen,‘ he said, turning back to her, “we have something very important we want to discuss with you. Would you be willing?”
’Sure, I’m also curious about what it is you want to discuss with me.’
‘Okay, then, I think I’d better introduce everyone’s identities first,‘ the other three slowly gathered around, “and then, perhaps what I’m about to tell you is unbelievable, but I hope you can listen carefully before asking questions, is that okay?” Ren Fei said cautiously.
The solemn and grave expressions of the four men made Lian Lian can’t help but frown.
’Okay, I promise to listen to you first before asking questions.’
For the next half hour, Ren Fei explained the situation to Lian Lian as clearly as possible. Lian Lian’s expression changed constantly, and doubt flashed in her eyes from time to time.
After Ren Fei finished speaking, it was almost five minutes before Lian Lian hesitantly spoke up:
‘You… are… intelligence agents?’
Ren Fei nodded.
‘My husband is…’ Lian Lian swallowed. ‘…the Angel of Terror?’
Ren Fei nodded again.
Lian Lian was stunned for another five minutes before she found her voice again –
‘I think… he was just threatening, and didn’t really… cause any harm, did he?’
Anderson placed the file bag in her lap.
Lian Lian looked at the file bag and said, ‘What is this?’
‘You open it and take a look,’ Ren Fei said.
Lian Lian hesitated for a moment before slowly opening the file bag and taking out the photos and file reports inside. As soon as she saw the first photo, Lian Lian immediately exclaimed,
‘Oh my god! How could this happen?!‘
Ren Fei didn’t speak until Lian Lian had almost finished looking at all the photos.
’Do you remember the Marco Polo airport in Venice? Do you remember what he did there? This is what he caused,’ he said, pointing at the photo. “Can you still say that he didn’t cause any harm?”
Lian Lian’s whole body shook! She held the photo in her hands for a long time before slowly looking up, her eyes brimming with tears.
‘I’m sorry, really sorry…‘ She sobbed.
’I didn’t think it would turn out like this, I really didn’t mean it…‘
Ren Fei frowned. What was she talking about?
’You don’t need to apologise, it’s not your fault, it’s his…’
‘No, you don’t understand,’ she said, choking back tears. “It’s my fault. I made him angry… Although he is really domineering, as long as you don’t provoke him, he won’t do anything. At the airport, I made him angry, and he was really angry, so he did that. You can’t blame him, it’s my fault! I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Ren Fei stared at her in disbelief—how had it come to this?
The other three people, who had not spoken a word since they had entered, also looked at the two of them suspiciously. They couldn’t understand what the two of them were talking about. Of course it was normal for Lian Lian to cry, but why did Ren Fei look so surprised?
Anderson nudged Ren Fei.
‘What’s going on? What did she say?’
Ren Fei still stared at Lian Lian.
“She said that the incident at the airport was her fault and that her husband could not be blamed.’
‘Huh?‘ Anderson thought she had heard it wrong. Did she have that kind of terrible magic too? No way?
’She said it was her fault because she made him angry and he got so mad that he did that.‘
Anderson’s face fell unhappily.
’She’s talking nonsense!‘
’I’m not talking nonsense!’ Lian Lian protested, in English.
‘You speak English?‘ the four of them exclaimed in unison.
Lian Lian nodded with a sob.
’I don’t speak very well, so I don’t speak. But as long as you don’t speak too fast, I can probably understand everything.‘
Anderson set a record for the first time ever for being stunned. “How could this happen?”
’Haha!’ Martin laughed twice in self-deprecation before letting out a long sigh.
Ren Fei and Putney exchanged wry smiles.
Lian Lian wiped away a tear.
‘I’m telling the truth. That incident was entirely my fault, not my husband’s. So,’ she took a deep breath, ‘tell me, do I have to go to jail? Or do I have to pay compensation? It doesn’t matter, just tell me. I’ll do whatever you say, because it was my fault and I should take responsibility. I won’t complain.’
The four of them looked at each other.
This was not at all what they had expected. She was right. In the past, the Angel of Terror had not really caused any disasters, apart from the threat itself. Because the people being threatened were afraid of him in the first place, no one dared to go against his wishes. And the only time there was any harm, it was the greatest reason for sin they had in their hands. She was taking the blame for it? What kind of nonsense is that!
She’s responsible? What’s she responsible for? It’s not her they want ‘up there’. Even if they catch her, she’ll just cause more trouble, she’s utterly useless.
In any case, they don’t want her, they want her husband, and the only one who can destroy him is his wife, so they have to convince her!
‘Miss Shen…’ Anderson started to speak, but was interrupted.
‘My husband’s surname is Hei,’ Lian Lian said unhappily.
Anderson paused. ‘Oh, of course, of course, Mrs Black.
’What is it?‘ Lian Lian looked up at him helplessly with her big, wide eyes.
’Are you going to tell me how many years in prison I have to serve?‘
’What? No, no!‘ Anderson hastened to say. Good heavens, she really did look innocent.
Lian Lian nodded. “So it’s compensation?”
’Ah! No, no!’
‘Then what is it?’ Lian Lian asked. “You can just say it, I will definitely take the responsibility I should.” There was solemnity and seriousness on the little girl’s face. “Er…” Anderson suddenly felt a little uneasy. To ask such a delicate girl to take on such a heavy responsibility, not to mention the fact that she was asked to do it to her husband, the father of her children, was this… a bit too cruel?
He looked at the other three and saw the same obvious unease and reluctance. He knew that when he saw them, he was also seeing himself. He sighed inwardly! It seemed that he would have to take on this dirty task himself.
Anderson looked at Lian Lian’s pitiful little face, as if she would accept all the wrongs done to her with resignation, and almost wanted to give up on the task and escape out the door.
But…could he?
He gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, ‘We want you to kill him!’
Lian Lian frowned.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you please repeat it more slowly? I think I heard… uh, could you please repeat it?’
Anderson closed his eyes. ‘We want you to… kill… him!’
Lian Lian’s mouth opened in shock, then closed again as she lowered her head and pondered.
No scream? No tears? The four of them looked at each other for answers. What was wrong with her? Was she frozen?
After a long time, Lian Lian looked up, her face showing the resolve of a martyr.
‘I understand. This is the compensation I should pay,’ she said, chin up. ‘Go ahead, I will never resist. You’d better hurry, the nurse will be doing her rounds soon. If…’
‘Wait, wait!’ Anderson stopped her in a daze. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’
Lian Lian blinked.
‘You told me to kill the culprit, didn’t you? Isn’t that the same as telling me to kill myself? But I can’t do it myself, so I can’t trouble you to help…‘
’STOP!‘ Anderson yelled.
Lian Lian shut up and looked at him doubtfully.
Anderson looked at the other three and smiled bitterly. “God, this is really the most difficult task I’ve had since I became an agent!”
’Isn’t that right?’ Lian Lian muttered.
Anderson looked back at her for a long time. ‘Mrs Black, we… we want you… we want you to…’
‘Mm-hm. Go on.’
Anderson let out a long sigh. ‘We want you to kill your husband.’
‘What?’ Leni stared at him incredulously. ‘Kill my husband?’
Anderson nodded.
‘Why?’ Leni asked unhappily.
Why? Oh dear! She’s actually asking me why! Anderson rubbed his temples as his headache got worse. ‘Lady Black, your husband is a dangerous man…’
‘But he didn’t actually do anything terrible!’ Leni retorted.
‘Venice…’
Leni waved impatiently.
‘I told you that I was the culprit in that incident!’
“But it was him who caused that result.’
‘I’m the cause!‘
Anderson said with patience, “Lady Black, please be reasonable.”
’Reasonable?‘ Lian Lian raised an eyebrow, “I am being reasonable with you!”
’Lady Black…
‘It’s so simple, just think about it! You see, if your ‘boss’ tells you to assassinate someone, who will the family of that person blame? Of course they’ll blame the culprit who came up with the idea. You were just following orders!’ Lian Lian said with conviction. ’So, although my husband caused the result, I was the one who started it. If you’re not looking for him, what are you looking for?’
Anderson was at a loss for words, helplessly turning to the other three for help, but the other three were even more at a loss for words and couldn’t help at all.
Just then, there was a slight sound of the door handle being twisted.
Room inspection!
The four of them quickly ducked into the bathroom and peeked through the crack in the door. After a few casual conversations, the nurse left, and they followed her out. Lian Lian looked at them thoughtfully.
Anderson clears his throat. ‘Mrs Black, I think…’
‘Don’t think anything!’ Lian Lian says firmly. ‘I would rather die than do anything to harm my husband!’
Anderson stares at her, and she stares back resolutely.
Rather die than do anything? Then there is only…
‘Very well,’ Anderson says suddenly. ‘In that case, we have no choice but to give up. But in order to give our superiors an explanation, I hope to speak with your husband face to face. Is that possible?’
Lian Lian looked at him in surprise, as if she was wondering why he had suddenly given up. But as long as he was willing to stop hurting Black St. Leon, everything else was negotiable.
‘Talk? Talk about what? He doesn’t really like to talk to people.’
‘At least let me believe that he really won’t hurt people at will, right? You said it yourself, as long as you don’t provoke him, he won’t do anything. Can’t I ask for his personal guarantee?’
Lian Lian thought about it for a while. ‘Okay, I’ll talk to him and ask him to…’
‘No!‘ Anderson blurted out. “He must never know.”
Lian Lian looked at him suspiciously.
’Why?‘
Anderson immediately became aware of his mistake. “Well, of course, if he knows that we want to talk to him, will he agree? I think you know him better than we do, madam. If he knows that we want to talk to him, he might just run away, and we might never get the chance to talk to him again.”
’You’re right,’ she murmured.
Anderson continued while observing Lian Lian’s face:
‘Therefore, it is best to bring him to meet us without his knowledge. At that time, you just have to insist on not leaving, and I believe he will stay with you. In that case, won’t we have the opportunity to talk to him?’
Lian Lian nodded.
‘You’ve thought of everything,‘ she said.
’He may still not want to talk to us, but if you can persuade him to give us an assurance, then not only can we go back and report to the boss, but you won’t have to worry about the boss sending someone else to harm your husband.‘
’Well, okay, that’s fine,’ she said, and then, glaring at Anderson, she asked, ’An assurance that he won’t be harmed?’
‘Er…,‘ Anderson coughed. “Of course, of course!”
Lian Lian nodded with satisfaction. “Then… how do I contact you if I’ve made the arrangements?”
’Madam just….‘
※※※
’Why today? Why here?”
Anderson inspected the two pistols. He didn’t want anything to happen to the weapons at this critical juncture.
‘I don’t like it either, but she arranged it. She said she was being discharged from the hospital today, and everything was in a mess. His guard would be down, and this was the last place he would expect anything to happen. We can only see him when he’s not expecting it.‘
Ren Fei stared as Anderson fitted silencers to the pistols.
’Who’s doing the shooting? I’ll warn you, I’ve never been any good with a gun!’
Putney also stared at the two pistols, which looked as if they had been used for a long time.
‘Why only two?’
Jensen picked up the gun and compared it.
‘We can’t let him be on his guard as soon as he meets us, can we? So we need two to cover the front and the other two to do the job from behind.’
‘And her?’ Ren Fei asked again.
‘Who?’ Anderson looked up at him. ‘You mean his wife?’
Ren Fei stared hard into Anderson’s eyes. ‘I object to hurting her! She’s innocent.’
Anderson had not yet spoken when Putney also spoke up, saying, ‘I agree. We lied to her and killed her husband in front of her. That was bad enough, but to try to hurt her as well would make us even more evil than her husband!’
Martin did not say anything, but his eyes fixed on Anderson’s face warningly.
Anderson looked at the three of them in turn before slowly saying, ‘Did I say I wanted to hurt her?’
‘Not even “accidentally”!’ Renfei emphasised.
Anderson shook his head with a bitter smile.
‘What kind of person do you think I am? A ruthless killer? If you can’t do it, does that mean I can? The way she looks… I don’t think there’s a man on earth who could do it. In fact, if I didn’t tell myself that I was helping her escape from that monster’s clutches, I wouldn’t have the heart to deceive her.’
Martin reached over and took a silencer.
“I’ll do it. I’m a good shot, and I’ll be careful not to accidentally hurt her.’
Anderson nodded and put down the other silencer.
‘Then Renfei and Putney will be in charge of covering the front.’
‘Anything else to note?’
‘Yes, one very important point.’ Anderson said seriously, ‘Don’t ever reveal your identity. The higher-ups don’t want anyone to know about this. Everything about the terrorist angel and the assassination has to be kept under the table. They want to eliminate the terrorist angel without the world knowing.’
‘Understood. Now, I just want to ask one more thing.’
“What is it?’
‘How long are we going to have to stay in this bathroom?‘ Martin muttered, sitting on the toilet. “I’ve got deodorant all over me.”
※※※
After completing the discharge procedures, Lian Lian once again dragged Hei Shenglun towards the ward.
’That book is my favourite, I have to get it back,‘ Hage and Mosen followed behind.
Hei Shenglun glanced at her.
’I’ll buy you another one.’
‘No way! I want that one!‘ Lianne said stubbornly. “That book is very memorable. I read it during my first pregnancy. I have to keep it no matter what!”
First pregnancy? She still wants to have children? Hei Shenglun’s eyebrows drew together, and the two behind him snickered.
They arrived at the door of the ward. She opened the door and pulled him in. Hei Shenglun frowned as he watched her close the door behind them.
’What are you closing the door for?’
Lian Lian gave a wink to the eyes in the bathroom door crack.
‘Honey, someone wants to talk to you.’
‘What are you doing…?’
Hei Shenglun narrowed his eyes and watched as four men emerged from the bathroom one after the other.
Lian Lian clasped his right arm with both hands.
‘Honey, don’t be angry, they’re government officials, they just want to talk to you!’
The two men in front of them lifted their suit jackets and turned around to show that they were unarmed.
Lianlian carefully watched the expression on Hei Shenglun’s face, fearing that he might do something rash out of anger again.
‘Honey, listen to me. They just want your assurance that you won’t do anything harmful,’
Suddenly, two small holes appeared in the two men’s open jackets.
At the same time, Sheng Lun’s body shook twice, his eyes flashed green, and his left hand suddenly grasped forward into thin air. A few muffled grunts and impact sounds came. Lian Lian turned her head in surprise and saw that the four men seemed to have been caught in midair by an invisible giant hand and were grasped against the ceiling, and they seemed to be suffocating as they gasped and panted.
‘No! Husband, no!‘ Lian Lian screamed. “They mean no harm! They just want to talk, husband…!”
The look of fury and violence remained.
’Please! Husband, let them go, they mean no harm!”
Black Shenglun’s cheeks twitched slightly, and he couldn’t help but cough twice. Then Lian Lian saw with horror bright red blood overflowing from the corners of his tightly pursed lips.
‘Husband! What’s wrong with you? Husband, how could you…!’ Lian Lian stared at the blood in her hands, which she had felt on Hei Shenglun’s chest, almost suffocating. “Oh my god, you’re bleeding! Hecic! Hecic, come quickly! Help! Someone, help! Murderer, help…!”
After a few more retches, more blood spilled out, the green light gradually dimmed, and his body swayed unsteadily. However, Hei Shenglun’s left hand never let go, and the four people on the ceiling were still struggling.
Hedge and Mosen rushed in. Black St. Leon’s left hand hung limply as the four people on the ceiling fell at the same time.
Hedge and Mosen protected their fallen master. Lian Lian pointed at the four people gasping in pain on the ground with trembling hands and cried out to the nurses, doctors and guards who had heard the cries for help and ran in:
“It’s them! They killed my husband! They killed my husband!’
Unable to truthfully identify themselves, the four Andersons were arrested and detained at the police station for three days. Lyle and his companions were also unable to provide assistance in time as he had sent them back to the United States before the operation. They could only contact the person in charge indirectly through the American ambassador.
When they were finally released in a miserable state, they went directly to the hospital to inquire about the situation. The inquiry was not very smooth, no, it was downright humiliating! Every nurse stared at them with resentful eyes, and their faces clearly showed their hatred for the perpetrators who had dared to hurt the angels in their hearts.
Finally, they heard the news they wanted to know from the doctor who removed the bullet from Black St. Leon’s surgery. However, learning the actual situation made them even more depressed and scared!
Black St. Leon disappeared not long after he was moved to the intensive care unit after surgery.
Oh my god! They really messed up this time!
Website production: 100% Heartbeat Scanning personnel: Minmin Proofreading personnel: Minmin
Data entry: – Data entry: Xinmei
Chapter 7
The Greek island of Kimolos is located in the Ionian Sea. The locals call it ‘the island of gold and stone’ because of the many dazzling stone statues on display on the island. Although the island is a bit backward and sparsely populated, the natural landscape is very charming and still retains a very simple and primitive flavor.
According to an ancient legend, there was a beautiful young girl who refused to be the lover of the god Apollo. In a fit of rage, Apollo turned her into countless golden stones and scattered them across the island, thus creating the beautiful Golden Stone Island.
This is a simple island full of romantic legends and wild beauty.
At night, the starry sky is as clear as a piece of freshly washed blue cloth, and the moonlight fills the sea, covering the calm, wave-free sea in a crystal-like coat. The evening breeze gently brushes the water, giving a feeling of tranquility and peace.
A huge luxury yacht, like a pirate ship about to attack at night, quietly sailed into the dock of Jin Shi Island.
Lian Lian appeared on the deck behind Mo Sen. She stood in front of the yacht and looked towards Jin Shi Island. She was greeted by the scent of pine trees. After passing the beach, there were some houses made of trees and stones on the bank, and further away there was a white church.
A heavy panting noise sounded behind her, and she turned around to see the tall Hage holding the unconscious Black St. Leon in his arms at the cabin hatch. Black St. Leon coughed a few times and then returned to his rapid and difficult breathing. His eyes were tightly shut, his face was red from the high fever, and his long fan-like eyelashes occasionally twitched weakly.
Lian Lian bit her lower lip to hold back her tears. ‘Is the house far away?’
Hage looked worriedly at his master in his arms. ‘No, it’s just a short walk away.‘
’Then let’s hurry,’ said Lian Lian, looking at the dark Saint Lun’s furrowed brow. “He needs a quiet place to rest as soon as possible.”
The white house was located on a street in the hills of Jinshi Island, where there were many lemon trees and olive trees with lush foliage, which rustled in the breeze. Further along, there was a large clear pond with sculptures of people and water bottles by the side.
The exterior of the white building combines beauty in shape and style, and the interior furnishings give a classical and mysterious feel. The oil paintings hanging on the walls, the large chandelier extending from the ceiling, the marble floor tiles, the low arches, the mandalas swaying slightly in the pots…all are so elegant. The beauty, and the furniture, which is also dominated by warm colours, makes it very easy to accept everything here.
At first glance, Lian Lian fell in love with the place, but she wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it. At the moment, all her thoughts were focused on Black Shenglun, her poor husband, whom she had almost killed.
In the master bedroom on the second floor, Black Shenglun lay in agony on the ancient four-poster bed. The bandages on his chest were soaked in blood, cold sweat was constantly dripping from his forehead, and his violent coughing often brought out bright red blood.
‘He…he is really suffering!‘ Lian Lian sat by his side and sobbed, “Hedge, I can’t just stand by and watch him suffer. He needs medical treatment, he needs injections and medicine, he needs…”
’Madam,’ Hedge continued, taking Lian Lian’s shoulders. ’Don’t worry, Dickie will be here any minute. He is a very skilled doctor, and as long as he is here, there is absolutely no problem with your master’s injuries.’
As soon as Black St. Leon entered the operating room, Hedge urgently contacted the island’s doctor, Dickey, to meet him on Goldstone Island. That was almost twenty hours ago; according to Hedge’s estimate, Dickey will arrive within one or two hours, which is about the same time as they arrived.
That was why he had dared to carry his master, who had just undergone surgery, out of the hospital and directly to the yacht, bypassing Italy and sailing across the Ligurian Sea to this small, unremarkable Greek island in the Ionian Sea. He knew that he had to move his master to a safe place quickly while the four murderers were still in custody, so he did just that.
Black St. Leon coughed painfully again, and with compassion and remorse, he gently stroked his chest, tears springing from his eyes and falling on Black St. Leon’s face and bandages.
“I’m sorry, my dear, I’m really sorry… I shouldn’t have trusted them so easily! I’m such a big idiot! I…I’ve caused you harm! It’s me…!’
She wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips with a heartbroken heart. ‘You have to hang on! If you die, I don’t want to live either. I really can’t lose you! You must hang on, you must…’ The door slammed open.
Mosen stood excitedly in the doorway. ‘He’s here! He’s here!’
Lian just stood up from the bed when a middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes and a gentle appearance appeared next to Mosen. He was carrying a medical bag and quickly entered the bedroom to the bedside.
‘Tell me what you know.‘
’One shot in the left lung and one in the stomach. The bullets have been removed,’ Hedge replied immediately.
The gentle man looked up sharply at Hedge and then lowered his head again to continue unwrapping the bloodstained bandages, muttering to himself, “Damn, two of the most troublesome places!”
Another man, with blond hair and blue eyes, handsome and tall, dragged in two large wooden boxes and placed them by the door before standing aside to wait.
Soon, Mosen went to fetch hot water as ordered, while Hage and the blond man busied themselves unpacking the crates. First, they took out the oxygen mask equipment and handed it to the gentle man for immediate use, and then took out the other equipment inside and prepared it for immediate use. Then the two of them went out again to bring in more crates and unpack them.
Lian Lian watched helplessly as the gentle man tended to Black St. Ron’s wounds, unable to help in any way. She could only try to avoid the gentle man’s range of motion and not get in the way.
She hid in the corner by Black St. Ron’s head, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a cloth. Whenever Black St. Ron’s whole face was distorted with pain, she would whisper softly in his ear.
The surprised man watched as the dark-skinned man gradually calmed down under the soothing words of the little Oriental girl. He hesitated for a moment – ‘You are… Madame?’ He found it a little hard to accept that this little girl could capture her master’s heart, and she was also the mother of triplets!
Apparently, Hege or Mosen had briefed him, so he asked in Chinese.
Lian Lian nodded at him with two tears in her eyes.
‘Will he be alright?‘
Looking at her fragile and pitiful appearance, the gentle man suddenly understood a little why the owner had married her. She was definitely able to trigger a strong desire to protect even the most ruthless person.
’Don’t worry, madam,‘ he said involuntarily in a soft tone. “Perhaps the owner needs a long period of recuperation, but he will be fine.” He spoke to her and even gazed at her, but his hands never stopped.
’Really?”
He smiled. ’I promise, madam.’
‘Thank you, Doctor!‘ she said sincerely, and a sweet, relieved smile followed.
The gentle man averted his gaze to avoid the heart-stopping smile.
’My name is Dickey, ma’am, you can call me by my first name.‘
’Mm,’ she nodded, then turned her head to look at the sleeping St. Leon, ’he doesn’t seem to be in so much pain anymore.’
‘It was the fever caused by the blood loss, and the fever and the open wound were causing him a lot of pain. I gave him an antipyretic and re-stitched the wound. I’ll give him a blood transfusion and an intravenous drip, and he’ll sleep better.”
After treating his master’s wound, giving him four more injections and checking that the oxygen mask was working, Di Kai looked around for somewhere to hang the drip.
A small heartbeat monitor was also connected, and the slightly faster-than-normal sound of it echoed in the bedroom. Lian Lian gently parted the hair on Shenglun’s cheek, bent down and kissed his forehead, then took his hand and whispered in his ear, ‘I love you, honey. I love you so much. If you die, I won’t be able to go on living either…’
His long eyelashes trembled.
‘Just looking at you like this makes my heart ache and I want to cry. You don’t like it when I cry, do you? So you must wake up quickly, otherwise I’ll cry every day until you do…‘
Another tremor.
’Hurry up and get better, honey, and let’s go home and see the baby. We’ll never go out again. The world is really scary, and we’ll just stay at home and take care of the baby. Maybe we can have more kids.”
A twitching of the cheek.
Lian Lian laughed softly with tears in her eyes.
‘Ah, you don’t want it, do you? If you really don’t want it, then wake up quickly, or I swear I will have a dozen of them.’
More violent twitching.
‘Or two dozen…’
His hand suddenly tightened around her.
She laughed even more deeply.
“Do you really not want it that much? Then you’d better think about it. If you don’t want it, wake up early, otherwise you’ll just wait for a bunch of radish heads to annoy you to death.’
She kissed him again before looking up, only to find that all four men were looking at her with amused smiles on their faces. Her face suddenly turned red.
She smiled foolishly, embarrassed and shy.
‘Er, he, er… is, er, cute.’
Cute? Oh dear! If the host heard that, I’m afraid his face would turn even blacker than ink!
The four men smiled at each other in agreement.
This truly lovely hostess would definitely bring a wonderful and interesting change to Horror Island.
※※※
The sun was like a blazing ball of fire burning in the cloudless blue sky.
Lian leaned over the railing of the balcony and looked down at the market at the front of the street below. Although it was not large, nor was it neat and luxurious, it had a complete range of goods, a strong human touch, and an atmosphere of fresh simplicity. She decided that when Black Shenglun felt better, she would explore the entire Jinse Island.
She turned back inside, went to her usual seat by the bed, and carefully examined the situation of Black St. Leon.
His face was much better, and he no longer coughed up blood or gasped in pain. There was no inflammation or fever. His condition was stable and satisfactory, as Dickey had said.
But why hadn’t he woken up yet? It was already the third day!
‘Maybe,’ she couldn’t help but murmur to herself, ‘he doesn’t object to me having a dozen or two children…’
“No.’
A weak, but commanding voice suddenly pierced Lianne’s ears.
Lianne looked at the eyes of the black St. Leon, which opened with difficulty.
‘Husband! You’re awake!’ She turned her head and shouted towards the open door: ‘Dike! Dike! Come quickly! He’s awake! He’s awake!’
After a flurry of hurried footsteps, Dike, Hage, Mosen and the blonde man, Bain, appeared one after the other.
Dike went up to St. Leon and took his wrist to check his pulse. He asked, ‘Master, how do you feel? Is breathing difficult? Does your chest still hurt when you breathe in?’
‘Take it off,’ the voice was weak but authoritative.
An oxygen mask? Dike frowned.
‘Master, your breathing is still not very stable, if we just take the oxygen mask off rashly, I’m afraid it’s not very…’
‘Take it off,’ there was no room for argument.
“Master, but your…’
‘Take it off!‘ implied anger.
Dike turned to Lian Lian and sent out a pleading look.
Lian Lian wasted no time in convincing Black Shenglun. She stared Black Shenglun in the eyes and directly stated her threat –
’If Dike says it can’t be taken off, it can’t be taken off. If you take the oxygen mask off without permission, I’ll cry! I’ll cry so loudly that the whole island will hear me! And I’ll keep crying until you put the oxygen mask back on. Now, do you still want to take off the oxygen mask?‘ As she spoke, the first wave of action was ready in her eyes.
There was no sound.
’Very well,’ said Lian Lian, wiping away the tears in her eyes and turning to the stunned Di Kai: “He said not to take it off.”
Di Kai suddenly woke up and gave a thumbs-up. “Madam, what a spirit!”
Xu Shenglun frowned.
Lian Lian unhesitatingly puffed out her chest. ’Thank you.’
Hitch, Mosen and Bain, who were standing nearby, were holding back their laughter so hard that they were on the verge of internal injury, but no matter how hard it was, they still had to hold back, otherwise if their master got bored one day and took it out on them for old times’ sake, they would be in trouble!
So, with a proud air, Lian Lian stuck out her chin, and the four men, with strange expressions on their faces and laughing inside, couldn’t move as they lay on the bed, thinking.
Damn it! I can hold back if I want to, no need to ask why…
Damn it! Why should I hold back?
※※※
It was the afternoon of the sixth day after they arrived on Jinshi Island.
The sunlight cast beautiful patterns on the white walls of the balcony, where the vines and flowers and railings were reflected, and on the beautiful man half-lying on the bed on a pile of pillows, forming a graceful picture, if only the expression on the man’s face didn’t ruin the perfection of the scene with its disgust and disdain.
Hei Shenglun stared at the bowl that Lian Lian was holding in front of him.
“I’m not eating this,’
‘You can only eat this,‘ Lian Lian said patiently.
He snorted in contempt.
’This is for babies.‘
’You’re lucky you can eat at all. Before today, you couldn’t eat anything. Dekai said your stomach was hurt, so you can only eat this kind of liquid food.‘ She scooped up a spoonful of the gruel. “Here, I’ll feed you.”
’No,’ he said, closing his mouth.
She put the spoon down helplessly.
‘What do you want in order to eat?’
‘I want real food and a bottle of red wine.’
‘That will have to wait until your stomach heals,’ Lian Lian firmly rejected. ‘For now, you have to eat this, whether you like it or not.’
‘Absolutely not,’ he said, closing his mouth again.
‘You have to eat, otherwise you won’t have the strength,’ and another spoonful of gruel was brought to him.
His mouth closed even tighter.
The spoonful of gruel hung in the air for a long time before it was slowly withdrawn. Lian Lian slowly lowered her head and looked at the gruel resting on her lap.
‘I knew you were still blaming me, so you’re deliberately torturing me like this… I didn’t do it on purpose, I was just so stupid, I… I really thought they would let us go…’. A tear fell into the bowl, then another, and another…
Damn it! She’s the one torturing me!
‘I’ll eat it!’ Heisheng Lun said rudely.
Lian Lian looked up at him, her eyes blurred with tears.
‘You don’t blame me?’
He shrugged impatiently.
‘I never blamed you.’
‘Really?’
‘Do you want me to eat or not?!’ he shouted angrily.
‘Yes, of course!’ Lian Lian hurriedly spooned a mouthful of gruel into his mouth.
It had a faint salty taste. He swallowed the gruel in his mouth.
Was that the taste of tears?
※※※
Jinshi Island is a small island that came into being because of changes in the seabed. Because it is located in an earthquake zone, the earth’s crust is still very unstable and earthquakes of varying magnitudes often occur. In ancient legends, it is said that the people on the island angered the gods and were punished as a result.
‘What will happen if a major earthquake strikes the island?’ Lian Lian asked as she fed the last spoonful of gruel into Hei Shenglun’s mouth.
In the six days since they had arrived on Jinshi Island, there had been at least four minor earthquakes. Although they were a bit too frequent, since she had experienced the ‘super earthquake’ at Venice Airport, Lian Lian was not too scared.
So, while she was feeding Hei Shenglun porridge, she used this as a topic of casual conversation.
Hei Shenglun gulped down the porridge.
“It will be very dangerous, because the houses built by the people of the mainland are not sturdy enough, and many people will die.’
‘People will die?!‘ Lian Lian exclaimed, remembering the smiling fat woman who lived at the end of the street, the friendly islanders who worked at the docks, and the naughty children who always ran around the streets…
Hei Shenglun glanced at her.
’That’s not so bad. If it’s a strong earthquake, I’m afraid that one of these days the whole island will sink.”
Lian Lian looked at him in disbelief. ’You’re joking!’
Hei Shenglun snorted.
‘I told you I never joke. This island was formed by an earthquake, so it’s not surprising that it will disappear due to an earthquake.’
‘But…’ Lian Lian stammered, ‘then… won’t all the residents of the island be finished?’
‘Exactly,’ Hei Shenglun said coldly.
‘Then shouldn’t we…’
A cautious knock came at the door.
‘Come in.‘
Dike and Hage entered together. Dike habitually went to the bedside and took Black St. Leon’s wrist to take his pulse. Black St. Leon frowned, but ignored him.
’What is it?‘ Black St. Leon asked.
Hage stepped forward and replied, “Recently, there have been a lot of earthquakes, which is very unusual. I don’t know if my master…”
’I’ve noticed. We’ll leave tomorrow.‘
’Tomorrow?’ Dike blurted out, ’No, my master, your physical condition doesn’t allow…’
Heishen Lun’s face fell. ‘Since when is it your turn to speak?’
Dikei turned to Lian Lian, Heishen Lun frowned, and Lian Lian opened her mouth to speak. At that moment, the windows suddenly creaked and the chandelier began to sway.
‘Earthquake!’
Lian Lian clutched Heishen Lun’s arm with both hands, and Heishen Lun and Dikei also grabbed the bedposts. Everyone expected that this earthquake should subside after a while as usual.
However, the earthquake showed no sign of abating, but instead became more and more intense. Soon, Lian Lian heard constant sounds of collapse in the distance, followed by wailing, and the sound of glass shattering could be heard everywhere. The whole house shook even more violently. Mosen and Bain also came, and they grabbed hold of the door panel to stand as best they could. Everyone looked out the window, although they couldn’t see anything.
Hei Shenglun suddenly turned pale, and he suddenly lifted the sheet and moved his feet off the ground.
‘Husband, what are you doing?!‘
’Master, you can’t get out of bed yet!‘
He grabbed the bedpost with his left hand and stood up, pressing his wound with his right hand. Lian Lian and Di Kai held him from the left and right, trying to push him back into bed. The three of them swayed together.
Di Kai anxiously tried to push him back, but was afraid of accidentally making the wound worse. “Master, the wound…”
’Let go of me, I have to let it settle!’
Dike exclaimed in alarm. ‘No, master, absolutely not! You’re too weak, you’ll definitely bleed internally if you exert yourself too much, and then it’ll be over…’
‘The island is sinking!’ Black St. Leon yelled.
Everyone froze.
Hei Shenglun broke free from their grip and staggered to the window, where he put his hands on the window sill. Green light shot out far and wide. Hei Shenglun’s face grew increasingly ugly as time passed, his breathing became increasingly rapid and erratic, the green light flickered, and his body began to tremble. But finally, the earthquake slowly stopped, and the surrounding area gradually returned to tranquility.
Suddenly, a large amount of blood gushed from Black Shenglun’s mouth and nose. He didn’t even have time to grunt before he fell backwards.
‘Husband!’
‘Master!’
Everyone hurriedly lifted him onto the bed. Blood continued to pour from his mouth and nose, and his body twitched slightly.
‘Damn it! I knew this would happen! He’s suffering from severe internal bleeding. There’s no time to prepare, I must operate on him immediately! You do as I say!”
Dike San removed the bandages from Black St. Leon’s chest with two hands, and while giving instructions to the other three people on what to do, quickly prepared the surgical instruments.
After washing and disinfecting his hands, he went to the bedside to look at the tear-stained Lian Lian, who was holding a towel and shaking her hand as she wiped the blood that kept coming out of Black St. Leon’s nose and mouth.
‘Ma’am, are you…?
Lian Lian wiped away her tears, ‘Don’t mind me, just do your surgery!’
So, five minutes after Hei Shenglun was carried onto the bed, Lian Lian watched as Di Kai made the first incision on his chest. She clenched her lower lip to keep from screaming.
‘If the master stops bleeding from his mouth, put an oxygen mask on him right away!’
‘Blood bag! Blood bag! Hurry!’
“Moseng, go wash and disinfect your hands and help me!’
‘Damn it! Is the heart rate monitor ready yet?!‘
’Give me the stitches!‘
’Okay, the stomach is done!’ Dekker let out a big breath. “Next are the lungs, we have to spread the sternum first…”
※※※
Five days later, after another operation, Black St. Leon was sedated and carried onto the yacht (because he insisted on walking there himself), and then after warning the islanders one by one, they hurriedly left Goldstone Island. God knows if there will be another major earthquake that will sink the island next time, and Black St. Leon will not be able to stop it again before he recovers.
During their stay on Goldstone Island, Hicky. Mosen and Bain worked together to slightly disguise the yacht. For example, they changed the black and white exterior to a white base with yellow stripes, removed some useless decorations, and even painted the name of the ship (which did not have a name before) on the side of the ship on a whim: Lovely.
They had expected the owner to be furious when he found out. Not only had they named the boat without his permission, but they had also chosen such an unusual name. Even if he didn’t yell at them, he would at least order them to remove the name immediately.
To everyone’s surprise, when Black St. Leon learned of the name, he merely raised an eyebrow and didn’t say a word.
Because they were concerned that Black St. Leon’s physical condition was only suitable for smooth sailing, not rough seas, the group (minus the host and hostess) decided after some careful deliberation that they would rather extend the return voyage and avoid any factors that could cause the boat to rock unstably, such as typhoons. July and August in particular are the typhoon season in the Pacific Ocean, so their resolution was not to enter the Pacific Ocean for the time being, which of course meant that they could not go home for the time being.
They told the hostess of their decision and asked her to ‘pass it on’ to the host. This was their clever move, as they knew that no matter what objections the host had to the decision, the hostess would be able to handle it.
In order to avoid being tracked down by people with ulterior motives, they also decided to avoid going ashore as much as possible, except for the purchase of essential supplies. Therefore, after leaving Kingstone Island, they had to go to Athens first to do some serious shopping.
Lian Lian looked out of the porthole, and the image of Kingstone Island gradually faded from her eyes. She had not been able to explore the island after all, she thought with regret.
※※※
Athens gradually woke up after a heavy afternoon nap.
The shops in Piraeus Port opened their eyes one after the other reluctantly, and the radio, which was playing a sad tune typical of the Middle East, suddenly stopped. Women in black hurriedly waved goodbye to each other, ending a long conversation, and stepped in the sunset to rush home.
Leaning against the railing, she gazed at the Acropolis, located on the hill of the same name two kilometres southwest of the centre of Athens. A remnant of the powerful Athenian city-state, it stands on a natural cliff face with a sheer drop of nearly 100 metres, almost 90 degrees vertical, and is awe-inspiring.
Although she could not go ashore to explore, she took the opportunity while Hei Shenglun was asleep to go up on deck and have a look.
Hai Qi and Bain went ashore to do some shopping, while Mosen stayed by Hei Shenglun’s bedside and Dikai accompanied her, giving her a brief explanation.
‘Dikai.’
‘Yes, my lady?’
‘How are the children?’ Lian Lian asked, her eyes still fixed on the shore.
Dikai smiled. ‘Very well. They are really three good boys.’
Lian Lian turned her head to glare at him in disapproval.
‘One of them is a girl!’
‘Of course,’ said Dekai, scratching his head. ‘I’m just used to calling them that. You don’t know, they all look the same, and they’re all the same at eating… and drinking… and they’re all as beautiful as angels, just like their master, but they’re cold, they don’t cry, and they don’t smile.’ He shrugged. ‘When they grow up, they’ll probably be just like their master.’
‘That won’t do!’ Lian Lian murmured. “I was hoping that when the children grew up, I could see what they looked like when they smiled. You all know that he never smiles, so if the children look like him, then it would be better to see them smile. If even the children don’t smile, then I…” Lian Lian pouted. ’I won’t be able to see what a beautiful person looks like when they smile for the rest of my life, will I?’
‘You’d better be prepared for that, my lady. The children really do resemble their master, not only in appearance but also in character,‘ Tikai advised kindly.
’Really?‘ Lian Lian glanced at him askance. “Do you think I’d let that happen?”
’Huh?‘
’Huh what?‘ Lian Lian turned her head and looked out at the sea. “Tikai, there’s something I’ve always wanted to know, but never had the chance to ask him, so could you help me out?”
’I’ll try, my lady.’
The sun had slowly set in the west, and darkness gradually enveloped the sea. In the afterglow, the sea surface shone with a dazzling, iridescent sheen.
Lian Lian gazed at the specks of gold dust on the sea.
‘Why does he have such powerful strength? That’s hardly something that humans can possess, isn’t it?’
‘Ah, well,’ Dikai smiled apologetically. ‘Actually, I don’t know either. Even if you go and ask the master, he’ll give you the same answer.’
Lian Lian turned around.
‘Don’t know? How can he not know? That’s the kind of magic only gods and demons can have, how can he not know how to have it? Didn’t his parents have this kind of ability? Or did his ancestors have it…’
‘That’s exactly why he doesn’t know,’ said Dikai, looking at her strangely. ‘He doesn’t have parents, he’s a foundling abandoned on the island of horror.’
‘So?’ Lian Lian’s eyes widened. ‘A foundling? He’s a foundling?’
‘Mm.’ Dikai looked out at the sea. ‘And it happened in a very strange way.’
‘Weird? How so?‘
’I was almost ten years old at the time, so I could understand the islanders‘ discussions,’ said Dekai, lost in his memories.
‘They were discussing and speculating that among the less than a hundred people living on the island, no one had given birth, not even to a baby, and no outsiders had come to the island by boat for a long time. So where did that beautiful baby come from, who neither cried nor laughed, but just stared at people with wide eyes?’
“And then?’
Dike shrugged. ‘No conclusion was reached. In the end, they decided that he had fallen from the sky, so everyone had to work together to raise him. You know, since it was a “gift” from heaven, of course you have to take good care of it.’
‘From the sky…?’ Lian Lian looked at him in disbelief.
‘Maybe it really was a gift from heaven,’ Dike continued. ‘Although the master is cold-hearted, domineering and tyrannical. But life on the whole island has changed thanks to him. Before, our lives were a hundred times worse than those on Treasure Island, but now everything on the island is the best,’ said Dickey with a smile. ’Because the master says he wants the best of everything. I dare say the lives of the islanders are better than those of the residents of Beverly Hills. Coupled with everyone’s fear of his magic, the entire island is completely subjugated to him, and absolutely no one wants to defy him.’
Lian Lian was stunned for a long time, and then said, ‘I think I understand now. So in the beginning…’
‘My lady, please come quickly. The master has woken up. He…he says he wants to get out of bed!’ Mosen appeared at the cabin door, his face full of anxiety.
‘Get out of bed?!’ Lian Lian and Di Kai both shouted at the same time and rushed towards the cabin door at the same time.
As Lian Lian and Dekai rushed towards the main cabin together, Black St. Leon had already pulled back the covers and was sitting up with difficulty. He gritted his teeth and covered his wound, beads of sweat running down his forehead. After gasping for a while, he was about to remove the needle from the intravenous drip when two rockets shot in.
‘Heishenglun, don’t you dare unplug that!‘ Lian Lian shouted as she rushed to the bed. “I’ll cut you in half, chop you into 18 pieces, throw you into a meat grinder, and then throw the pieces into the sea for the fish to eat!”
Heishenglun snorted contemptuously and looked at her with cold green eyes.
’No?’ Lian Lian raised an eyebrow. ’Okay, let’s start again.’
Mosun and Dikai looked at her curiously, wondering what trick she was going to play this time.
‘Black Shenglun, if you dare to unplug that, I’ll show you!’ Lian Lian shouted, ‘I swear I’ll cry, I’ll cry very loudly, until…’
Mosun and Dikai smiled at each other. It was an old trick, but it worked. Look, the owner’s hand had retracted and obediently laid back on the bed.
Now they finally understood what the owner’s nemesis was.
Was it the lady?
No, it’s the tears of the lady!
Website production: 100% Heartbeat Scanning personnel: Minmin Proofreading personnel: Minmin
Data entry personnel: – Data input personnel: Xinmei
Chapter 8
The disappearance of Black St. Leon began the most painful days in the lives of the four Andersons. The shadow of fear loomed over them at all times. They worried day and night: it was Marco Polo Airport in Venice last time, but what about this time? Shen Lianlian stopped it last time, but will she stop it this time?
It is easy to imagine the fury of ‘the authorities’. After a series of angry taunts, only four sentences were left: If the world is really destroyed, the responsibility will fall on you four. Even if not the whole world is destroyed… but only part of it or just one city, the guilt will still be on your shoulders. They could only wear this big hat with a bitter smile.
The four of them split up and searched every continent, hoping to find someone before Black St. Leon recovered from his injuries. Whether they wanted to apologise to him, persuade him, beg him, or try to kill him again (which was of course extremely unlikely), they always had to find someone before they could do anything.
They also understood that the more urgent the situation, the more they had to keep it from the world, otherwise it would definitely cause a full-scale global panic. Without waiting for the angel of terror to act, the world itself would be destructive enough to destroy the world.
The heads of state of various countries cooperated fully, mobilising the police to search the land and the navy to search the sea. The area around the island of terror was packed with ships and speedboats. Although some people wanted to go to the island of terror to take a look, they could not even get close. It seemed that there was an invisible force on the island preventing them from getting any closer. After many failed attempts, the naval personnel had to give up. They really couldn’t figure out what kind of strange force it was, and of course they had no idea that there were six strange green rays shooting out of the emerald eyes of the three extraordinarily beautiful babies in the castle on the island at the same time.
It was not difficult to describe the target: an incredibly beautiful man with long black hair.
But finding him was like looking for a needle in a haystack, there was no trace of him.
It had been a month since the large-scale search began on the third day after Black St. Ron disappeared, and all four people had turned in blank sheets. Anderson had no choice but to gather the four people at the New York headquarters to discuss the follow-up actions.
The four dejected people sat around Anderson’s office.
‘Could he have also become invisible?‘
Ren Feitu gave Martin an expressionless glance. “Maybe.”
’Is he even human?‘ Martin muttered.
’If he were an ordinary person, we might not be able to find him, but his appearance is just too distinctive. It’s really hard to believe that we can’t find him…‘ Putnam shook his head.
’There are still some places that are difficult to search, such as Africa, that huge area…’
‘He wouldn’t go to a place like that,‘ Putney said, looking at Anderson. “You’re forgetting. He was seriously injured, and he couldn’t have recovered in a place like that. It could have taken just two days there to kill him.”
’And his yacht has never been seen,’ Renfei said, ’but the navy has also never seen it. They’ve checked almost every yacht, big and small, and the radar at sea has found no unusual vessels.’
Anderson pondered for a moment.
‘It’s been a month, his injuries should have healed up pretty well, he could show up at any time.’ Of course, he had no idea that Black St. Leon had suffered massive internal bleeding during his second surgery to prevent the sinking of Jin Shi Island.
There was a moment of silence.
‘Maybe he’s dead,’ Martin guessed.
Putney snorted. ‘Maybe he’s looking at a map right now, trying to decide where to operate first.’
‘Maybe Lian Lian will stop him,’ Ren Fei hoped in secret.
Anderson gave a bitter smile. ‘Maybe Shen Lianlian is helping him decide where to do it.’
‘Maybe he’s already returned to Terror Island,’ Martin added.
‘Maybe his evil eye is already set on a certain city,’ Putney poured cold water on him again.
‘Shen Lianlian shouldn’t let him do that,’ Ren Fei muttered.
Anderson let out a long sigh. ‘I really shouldn’t have lied to her in the first place.’
There was another suffocating silence.
‘You had no choice,‘ sighed Putney. “None of us did.”
Martin looked at everyone in frustration. “So what do we do now?”
’What else can we do?‘ Anderson said with a bitter smile. “Since we can’t find him, we can only wait for him to show up on his own and then see if we can find him before he does anything.”
Ren Fei shrugged, “And then what?”
’And then what?’ Anderson repeated, stunned for a moment, and then, ’I don’t know.’
‘No?‘ Martin laughed mockingly. “Yes, that’s a great plan.”
’I still don’t think Shen Lianlian will let him do anything,’ Ren Fei insisted.
Putney glanced at him.
‘I hope so too, but you should remember how deep the hatred was in her eyes when she pointed at us and called us murderers that day. We deceived her and used her to hurt her husband in front of her,‘ he sighed. “You don’t know how terrifying women can be when they harbour hatred. They are even more vicious than men, and they are capable of almost anything.”
Ren Fei let his shoulders slump in defeat.
’She doesn’t seem like that kind of woman.’
‘You can’t tell what someone is like just by looking at them,‘ said Putney. “That’s what you Chinese say. Shen Lian Lian doesn’t look as weak and pitiful as she is. She’s always jumping around like an immature child, and God knows what she’ll be like when she’s angry!”
’Before, Shen Lian Lian was in front of us, but now,’ Martin muttered, “we’ll have to face two fire-breathing dinosaurs ourselves.”
Anderson turned in his seat and looked out the window.
Shen Lian Lian, where on earth are you hiding?
※※※
Bermuda is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the United States. The triangle formed by the easternmost point of the US state of Florida, the westernmost point of Bermuda, and the easternmost point of the West Indies is known as the Bermuda Triangle. Since 1945, more than 1,200 people have disappeared or died in this area. Ships and planes must be extremely careful when passing through this area of the ocean, because these people have disappeared without a trace under unknown circumstances. Therefore, they try to avoid this devilish triangle as much as possible.
In 1977, scientists discovered a huge pyramid at the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle, taller than the largest pyramid in the world, the Great Pyramid of Giza. At the top of the pyramid there are also suspected temple-like structures.
Some people speculate that the underwater pyramid may have been generated by the energy of the Atlanteans, because the area covered by the Bermuda Triangle includes the North Bimini Wall, which is the site of Atlantis. And after the sinking of the continent of Atlantis, these relics with magnetic fields or radioactive energy can still generate enough energy in the seawater to affect the electronic equipment of modern vehicles, causing abnormal phenomena such as instrument failure—compasses spinning wildly, and even radar becoming ineffective here.
In short, no one would dare venture into the Bermuda Triangle, not even the navy searchers.
And yet, the Cutie was following an unknown route into this no-man’s-land under the guidance of Black St. Ron. Anchor at a fixed point on the latitude and longitude specified by Black St. Ron. It was the fifth day since the Cutie had left Kingstone Island.
‘It’s safe within a two-kilometre radius. Whatever you do, don’t go beyond that,’ Black St. Ron warned gravely.
‘How do you know?‘ Lian Lian asked. She was the only one who dared to question what Black St. Ron had said.
Black St. Ron glanced at her impatiently. “I just know.”
’Why do you know and I don’t?‘
Ignoring her, Black St. Ron closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
’How do you know anyway!”
He didn’t care about her at all.
Lian Lian glared angrily at Black St. Leon, who was lying on the deck chair basking in the sun. Normally, she would have jumped onto his stomach and vigorously interrogated him by tugging on his chest hair.
But now his chest hair was gone, well, it was tied up with a bandage, and she didn’t dare jump on him. If she jumped on him and his surgical stitches suddenly burst open, and his stomach popped out, what would she do then? Hold it in her hands reverently? Or quickly stuff it back in?
But… Lianlian squinted her eyes, really unwilling to give up!
Lian Lian rolled her eyes and glanced over to see Dekai, who was also sunbathing, as well as Mosen, who was peeling fruit, and Bain, who was cleaning the deck. The three of them were staring at her curiously.
Lian Lian gave the ‘OK’ sign, as if to say, ‘Watch me!’
She sat down on the deck next to Black St. Leon, and then, without even a rehearsal, a sound of sobbing came faintly from her hands, which were covering her face.
As soon as the sobs began, Hei Shenglun’s eyes suddenly opened, and he frowned at Lian Lian. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m crying,’ came the muffled words.
Frowning, Hei Shenglun asked again, ‘Why?’
‘You bullied me,’ she accused.
His eyebrows shot up. ‘I didn’t.’
‘You did!’
Hei Shenglun took a breath with patience. ‘Tell me.’
‘You don’t answer when people ask you questions.’ Lian Lian looked up, her face free of tears, which were still rolling around in her eyes.
Hei Shenglun stared at the tears in her eyes and gritted his teeth. “You ask.”
Lian Lian lowered her head as if wiping away the tears, but secretly tilted her head slightly to the side and gave a victory sign to the three spectators who were holding back their laughter, and the three of them simultaneously gave her the thumbs up.
‘Okay, let me think about what I just asked…‘. Lian Lian frowned and thought for a moment. “Oh, that’s right, how did you know the extent of the safe area?”
Black Sheng Lun closed his eyes. “I felt it.”
Lian Lian sat up on her knees and placed her hands on his thighs. “What did you feel?”
Her jaw tightened, “It was a feeling of safety.”
’I know, but what exactly was that feeling like?”
Black Sheng Lun closed his eyes.
God! Why didn’t those two shots kill me!
***
With her bubbly nature, it was hard to keep Lian Lian quiet for long.
But during the time that Black Shenglun was recovering, apart from occasionally pestering him with nonsense (she didn’t seem to notice Black Shenglun’s ugly face), or insisting on feeding him herself (Black Shenglun opened his mouth for her to feed him with a black face), or arguing that she wanted to change his wound dressing —change the bandages, but as soon as she saw the ugly and terrible stitches, she burst into tears (Hei Shenglun gritted her teeth and told her to shut up). Apart from that, she no longer complained about being bored or unhappy, but always found ways to amuse herself and pass the time.
Since they were in the middle of the sea, the best way to have fun was to go swimming, so Hachi’s crash course in swimming officially began, with Hei Shenglun watching with indifference.
After three days, Lian Lian, who had finally learned how to doggy paddle, shouted happily:
‘I can swim! I can finally swim! I can dive to the bottom of the sea and catch lobsters!’
Dive? Hei Shenglun called to her with a stern face, ‘Get up here!’
‘No way!‘ Lian Lian lay on her back in the water, looking up at Hei Shenglun, who was leaning over the side of the boat. “I want to catch lobsters.”
’Ask Hei Qi to catch some for you.‘
’No way! They’re tastier if you catch them yourself.‘
’You can’t dive.‘
’I can swim.‘
’That’s not the same thing.’
‘You’re bluffing!’ Renren snorted. “It’s all in the water, what’s the difference? I just have to pinch my nose and dive down, it’s not hard!”
Black Shenglun glared at Hiccup, who was floating next to Renren. “Is this what you taught him?”
Hiccup looked at Renren, who was beaming with pride, and couldn’t help but smile.
‘Master, of course not. It was the lady herself who came to that conclusion.‘
Hei Shenglun opened his mouth and snorted, narrowing his eyes at Lian Lian.
’Are you coming up or not?‘
’Of course I’m coming up!’ Lian Lian smiled slyly, “As soon as I catch the lobster!”
His bandaged chest rose and fell noticeably. Hei Shenglun said no more, and with a surprisingly agile movement, he swung his right leg over the side of the boat, and his left leg…
What was he going to do?
Lian Lian stopped moving, and Lian Lian hurriedly floated up, her eyes wide with fear, ‘What are you doing?’
Hei Shenglun had both feet over the side of the boat, and he glanced at her as he sat on the railing.
‘Go down and bring you up.’
‘You’re crazy!’ Lian Lian screamed. ‘You just got your wound a little better and you want to soak in salt water? Do you think this will make it heal faster!’
Hei Shenglun didn’t say a word, just looked at her.
Lian Lian pouted, ‘All I had to do was grab one!’
Without even blinking an eye.
‘A small one?’
No response.
‘Stingy!’ Lian Lian muttered and swam back. ‘I won’t come back while you’re sleeping, will I?’
‘Hitch, don’t let the lady go in the water in the future.’
‘So? You can hear that too? Your ears are longer than a rabbit’s!’ Lian Lian squealed.
Heidi St. John put his feet back on the deck, looked at Leni as she climbed up the ladder next to the yacht, and then went back to his deck chair.
Leni stuck out her tongue at the closed eyes of Heidi St. John, took the towel Bain handed her, and reluctantly went and sat down next to Heidi St. John. As she dried her hair, she asked, ‘So when are you going to let me dive?’
“In a few days I’ll teach you to dive myself.’
‘A few more days?‘ Lian Lian turned her head suspiciously and cast an inquiring glance at Dekai.
Dekai shook his head and opened his mouth to say no silently.
Lian Lian looked back at the well-defined profile of Black Shenglun.
’Forget it, I don’t really want to dive either. Let’s wait until you’re fully recovered.‘
Black Shenglun opened one eye and looked at her.
’I’ll teach you in a few days.’
Here we go again! Lian Lian rolled her eyes at the ceiling. Men are all the same, they never admit defeat! Fine, if I don’t go in the water, can you still throw me in?
Lian Lian took an apple from the small table and nibbled on it.
‘Honey, when you’re better, can we go straight home? Can we…’
“No.’
Lian Lian froze for a moment, then beamed and shook the hand of Black St. Leon. ‘Honey, you’re so nice to know that I want to go back to Taiwan first, so…’
‘Taiwan? …If you want, we’ll stop by on the way back to the island.’
Lian Lian blinked and tilted her head to think.
“You mean…we have to go somewhere else before we go home?’
Hei Shenglun didn’t bother to respond, and when Lian Lian nudged him, he still ignored her.
‘Hey, why are you ignoring me again!’ Lian Lian pouted. Hei Shenglun opened one eye again and looked at her. ‘What?’
‘What?’ Lian Lian repeated discontentedly. ‘I’m asking you, are we going somewhere else? Where? What for?’
Hei Shenglun looked at her for a while before closing his eyes again. ‘To the United States.’
‘Hm, and then what?’
Hei Shenglun’s jaw suddenly tensed.
‘No one has ever dared to hurt me! And no one can make me bleed and still come out unscathed!’
Lian Lian was dumbfounded.
“Are you going to settle scores with the four of them?’
‘Four people? Settle scores?‘ Black Shenglun snorted. “Just the four of them wouldn’t be enough to pay for my blood, and I don’t need to ”settle’ scores with anyone. I’ll just ‘pay back’ the score to them!”
Lian Lian swallowed. ’So… how many people do you want to… pay… no… pay back?’
Hei Shenglun slowly opened his eyes and looked into the distance.
‘I can probably guess which countries are involved, but the US president must be the one who started it all, so…’ He paused. ‘A country that is half destroyed will be a lesson he will never forget. Of course, I won’t let any of the other countries off the hook either, and the next one will of course be…’
Lian Lian shivered cleverly. She finally understood why they were so eager to kill Hei Shenglun!
She turned to Dekai and the others for help, but they all shook their heads solemnly, so she knew she was on her own. Since he hadn’t really done anything shocking or outrageous to anger the gods before, she certainly wouldn’t let him become a real monster now or in the future.
Seeing his cold, unfeeling expression, Lian Lian couldn’t help but shrink again. After a long while, she mustered the courage to speak.
“But honey, what you’re doing… will hurt a lot of innocent lives.’
He glanced at her.
‘It’s their own president who got them into this mess.’
‘Honey…’ She looked at him, trying to find the right words. ‘You can’t blame them entirely. I think they must have been too scared to make the right decision, so they took this risk. It’s understandable. Honey, let them go. You’ll be damned if you get innocent people involved, people who don’t even know about this.’ Lian Lian pleaded with him.
Heisheng Lun snorted.
‘Honey…’ Lian Lian hesitated. ‘The incident at the airport also hurt a lot of people, so it should be… enough, right?’
‘Not enough!’
Lian Lian frowned. ‘Honey, I’m begging you, don’t…’
‘No more talking! I won’t give in this time, so save your breath!’
How can I save it? How many lives are at stake!
However, no matter how much Renren tried to persuade him, Black Shenglun simply ignored her. In the end, Renren had to resort to her last resort –
‘Okay, husband, if you really don’t listen to me, I’ll cry! I promise I’ll cry really loudly, I –’
Renren suddenly stopped, looking at Black Shenglun, who had already left, in disbelief.
Why didn’t it work? Did I use it too many times? What should I do now? Persuade him with a death threat? No way! She’s not pretty, she’s not gentle, and I don’t think the King of Hell would want her as a concubine.
But…
Lian Lian sat on the deck in a daze, until Di Kai whispered something in her ear, and she smiled after a little thought.
“Do you think this will work?’
Dike gave an OK sign. ‘Absolutely!’
Lian Lian shrugged. ‘Let’s try it then.’
A sudden sound of plaintive sobbing pierced the eardrums of the just-lying-down Black St. Leon like a powerful arrow, and he suddenly sat up. His handsome face instantly tightened.
Damn it! This time, absolutely… absolutely no more concessions!
He warned himself sternly, then slowly lay back down.
This time, absolutely no concessions!
Absolutely no concessions!
Absolutely no concessions!
Less than ten minutes later, a furious voice suddenly came from the cabin door –
‘Damn it! Tell her to stop crying! I’ll do anything she says, just tell her to stop crying! Damn it! Stop crying!’
※※※
After another month of living in fear, Anderson finally received a report from the South Pacific patrol fleet.
“A luxury yacht called the Lovely is heading towards Asia. There is a beautiful man with long black hair standing proudly in the wind at the front of the yacht. We tried to approach and interrogate them, but we were never able to get close. In fact, our ship was pushed in the opposite direction by a strange force.’
Either it’s Terror Island or Taiwan, Anderson guessed. Isn’t he going to retaliate? Has he really been convinced by Shen Lian Lian?
Without time to think, Anderson hurriedly reported to ‘above’ before quickly gathering the other three and heading towards Asia.
Whether or not he wants to retaliate, he has to find out for sure.
At the Shen family villa on Yangde Avenue in Yangmingshan, it was already 10 pm, but the lights were still on and the laughter was like thunder.
Shen Zhengxuan’s eldest daughter, Xinru, had an engagement ceremony with Lu Hao, the son of a trading company, at noon on Saturday, and her flawless face was filled with a smile of happiness and joy. Shen Zhengxuan walked steadily forward, raising his glass in a toast, while Shen Zhengxuan’s parents sat on the sofa, smiling contentedly.
After the engagement banquet, Lu Hao accompanied his fiancée’s family back to Yangmingshan, planning to stay at her house and take her to meet his grandparents in central Taiwan the next morning.
As she watched her daughter nestled shyly in her fiancé’s arms and her son, who was setting up his own company, walking without limping, Shen’s mother sighed. Everything was perfect, except that
Shen’s father patted her hand reassuringly.
‘Thinking about Lianlian again?’
‘Just let me see her again, let me know she’s doing well,’ Shen’s mother murmured. ‘That’s enough, that’s enough…
‘Mom, don’t think too much. She should still get in touch with us. Just wait patiently.‘
Shen’s mother looks at her son worriedly.
’It’s been more than a year, and there hasn’t been a single word. And that last person…‘
Shen Xinru also leans over.
’Mom, my little sister has always been able to take care of herself. Don’t worry so much. If she finds out later, she’ll laugh at you to death.’
As soon as Shen Xinru finished speaking, a hearty laugh could be heard coming from the living room.
‘You really understand me!’
All five heads turned together to the source of the sound.
‘Little sister!’
‘Lianlian!’
Lianlian strode into the living room with a smile on her face, and the Shen family members all rushed forward, hugging and kissing, crying and laughing.
‘What’s there to cry about? I’m back, aren’t I?‘ Lian Lian said helplessly. “It’s better to come at the right time than at the wrong time. It just so happens that my sister is getting engaged. Isn’t that great?”
Shen Xinru wiped away her tears.
’How do you know? You just got back, didn’t you?‘
’Of course I have my ways. It wouldn’t be fun to tell you!’ Lian Lian winked mysteriously. “You should introduce me to your future brother-in-law first, shouldn’t you?”
Lu Hao took a step forward on his own. ’Lu Hao, please teach me a lot.’
‘Advice? No good?‘ Lian Lian teased, “Don’t you know that sisters-in-law are the most difficult? Watch out, I’ll get you!”
Lu Hao puffed up his chest bravely.
’I’m not afraid! If I were, I wouldn’t be worthy of marrying Xinru. Go ahead and try!‘
Lian Lian burst out laughing.
’You’re serious!’
She glanced to the side and saw that Shen’s mother was still wiping away tears. She couldn’t bear it and cried out, ‘Mom, what are you doing?’
‘You’re finally back,’ Shen’s mother choked.
‘It was Mom who told me to bring someone back to you to see, so I just… Huh? Where is everyone? Weren’t they following me?’ Lian Lian looked back and then ran outside.
The Shen family was taken aback. They were about to chase after her when the sound of a voice coming from the room stopped them in their tracks.
‘I don’t care. You promised me you would meet them!’
‘I didn’t promise,’ said the cold, deep voice.
‘You didn’t object, so you promised!’
‘Whatever you say.’
‘Then you came with me here!’
‘I won’t let you go too far away from me.’
‘You really won’t see them?’
“No.’
‘Fine, if you won’t see them, I’ll cry. I’ll cry very loudly, I’ll…‘
’I’ll see them!”
The Shen family members looked at each other in disbelief as they listened to this absurd conversation, and they were even more stunned when Lian Lian led a man with long hair into the room.
An angel!
Lian Lian smiled and took the man’s arm.
‘Dad, mum, this is your son-in-law, my husband, and the father of our children. He is Black St. Leon.”
Shen father and mother swallowed the saliva stuck in their throats at the same time.
The angel is our son-in-law?
***
When Anderson hurried to the Shen family, he was only given a letter left by Lian Lian.
Mr. Anderson:
Please don’t bother us anymore. We’re going back to Horror Island and probably won’t be coming out again. I had a hard time getting him to give up the idea of causing you trouble, so please don’t give him any reason to do so again, or I won’t be able to help you next time. (I haven’t forgotten that you lied to me and took advantage of me.)
Please remember one thing: as long as you don’t mess with him, my husband won’t pick on anyone for no reason. No matter what he does, his goal is the same: don’t mess with him!
And I warn you people up there, don’t mess with him either. Just don’t make him mad, and nothing will happen. Understand? That’s about it.
I wish you all good health and happiness.
Shen Lianlian
The four of them finished reading the letter and stood in silence for a long time in the morning light.
‘My father wants me to go back to Connecticut and take over his used car business,’ Martin suddenly said.
Putney looked at him.
‘I think I’m only suited to an office job.’
Ren Fei smiled.
‘I want to take over my mother’s restaurant. You are welcome to come to San Jose when you have time, and I will treat you to a good meal.‘
’No matter who comes to persuade me again, I will never make a comeback,’ Anderson muttered, “I still want to live a few years of peace.”
※※※
A luxurious and huge yacht gradually entered the waters of Terror Island. The weather was sunny and the wind was calm. Even the ugly black reefs no longer seemed so terrifying.
Black St. Leon stood with his arms folded, looking out ahead, while Lenore leaned over the railing, straining her eyes to get a better look at the castle in the centre of the island.
‘Master, our yacht cannot get any closer,’
Black St. Leon raised his eyebrows. ‘Why?’
‘It seems there is a force on the island preventing us from landing,’ Hege hesitated. ‘It seems to be the same force as your master’s.’
Lenore looked at them in disbelief. ‘Why can’t we go ashore?’
‘Damn those three brats!‘ Heisheng Lun said with clenched teeth.
’Which three brats?‘ Lian Lian asked blankly.
Heisheng Lun’s face turned black as he remained silent.
Hedge coughed. “Er, the two young masters and young mistress.”
’They?’ Lian Lian exclaimed in disbelief, “No way? They were babies!”
Hedge glanced at his master. ’Master, er…he was also, er…’
‘Yeah? He was also like this when he was a baby…‘
Heishenglun suddenly spoke up: “I don’t believe I can’t beat them!”
’Hubby! They’re your children! How can you…‘
Heishenglun looked down at her coldly.
’Otherwise, how do you think we’re going to get ashore?‘
’Ah…‘
’Hm?‘
’I…I’ll go persuade them…‘
’How? By yelling here?‘
’Huh?‘
’What do you think?’
‘Let… let me think!‘
’What’s there to think about?‘
’Wait… let me think… let me think…‘
’Think about what? How to persuade them to let us ashore?‘
’Yes!‘
’…
“Don’t worry, honey, I’ll take care of it. I’ll definitely think of a way to get us ashore. I’ll persuade them to let us dock, and then we can go home!’
***
Ten years later, in the colourful garden at the back left of the castle on Horror Island, on a blanket spread on the grass, Lian Lian was intently reading a romance novel that Mosen had specially bought from Taiwan.
A hundred-year-old tree with dense branches and leaves provided shade from the scorching sun like a giant parasol. The breeze was blowing gently, and it should have been a sleepy, lazy afternoon.
It should be, but it isn’t.
There are seven children of different ages, five boys and two girls, the oldest about ten years old, the youngest just three. Regardless of age or gender, they are all equally beautiful like angels, with long, thick black hair. They stand with their backs to Lian Lian, forming a line in front of her, facing a strikingly handsome man with long hair.
‘Get out of the way!’ the man says coldly.
The older boy standing on the far right seemed to be the leader, and he replied loudly and without fear, ‘No way!’
The man narrowed his eyes dangerously and said, ‘You’re looking for death!’
‘You can’t do anything to the seven of us,’ the older boy sneered, ‘She’s our mommy, and there’s no reason for you to take her anytime you want.’
‘She’s my wife, and she should be with me,’ the man said matter-of-factly.
The little girl on the far left pouted while hugging her doll and said, ‘Mommy wants to play with me, not daddy!’
The man glares at the doll in the little girl’s arms and says with disgust, ‘You can play with the doll yourself.’
‘I want mummy to play with me!’ the little girl says stubbornly.
‘I’ll say it again,’ the man says even more coldly, ‘Get out of the way! And the further away the better!’
‘Daddy,’ the older boy says with a sneer. ‘You know our answer is definitely no!’
Suddenly, the cold air and the gradually increasing wind finally attracted Lian Lian to look up impatiently. She shrugged her shoulders and said rather bored, ‘Hey, you and your eight fathers, if you want to fight, please go far away and don’t disturb me reading!’
This old routine is played out every day, and I’m tired of watching it. In a short while, there came a loud noise of roaring waves and thunder from the sea.
The islanders looked up in unison, but then quickly went back to their own business.
What a bore! If the island master wasn’t bothered, they certainly were.
After reading for a while, Lian Lian couldn’t help but look up at the direction from which the continuous loud noise came. With a mysterious smile on her lips, she thought:
If he knew that next year there would be one more… or two… or maybe even three children…