“Alright, my brother can’t see now. Let’s change clothes,” You Xue said to Zhu Mei.
“Thank you,” Zhu Mei replied with a kind smile.
“There are towels inside. Dry yourself off,” You Xue said.
“Okay,” Zhu Mei opened her bag.
Two seconds later, You Xue turned her head away. They were both girls, and Zhu Mei had only just started unbuttoning her pajamas, yet she hadn’t seen anything—nonetheless, her face felt warm.
It was all because of that seductive face!
No wonder her brother was so concerned about her; he must have been enchanted by her!
Wait, her brother wasn’t someone who lacked self-control. It must be that he had taken a liking to her and wanted to possess her!
Come to think of it, the three guards had searched for so long without finding her, but her brother found her after just a brief outing. What special skill was that?
Did her brother have a special ability to sense beauty?
Unable to help herself, You Xue glanced in Zhu Mei’s direction again. Zhu Mei was already putting on a dress.
Such a beautiful girl, even she liked her and wanted to get closer.
The last girl who made her feel this way was An Siyao.
Speaking of which, would this girl threaten Yaoyao’s position?
In her heart, You Xue began comparing the two.
An Siyao was the ideal image of a gentle, long-haired beauty, exuding the charm of a well-bred lady. In contrast, this girl was the ideal image of a seductive fox spirit, the legendary beauty of District 45. However, this was only about looks; her body still seemed to need developing.
With the long-standing feelings between An Siyao and her brother, there shouldn’t be a problem. At most, her brother might hide this girl away, but he wouldn’t change his intended bride.
You Xue exhaled in relief, but then felt a little guilty. She knew exactly what her brother was doing but couldn’t tell An Siyao.
After all, Xia Yu was her brother, and An Siyao was just An Siyao.
Sighing, You Xue felt that she, still so young, was carrying too much burden for someone her age.
“I’m done,” Zhu Mei’s voice brought You Xue back to her senses.
“Eat something and drink some water first,” You Xue said. Then she went to the cave entrance and told Xia Yu he could come in.
When Xia Yu entered, he saw Zhu Mei biting into a piece of bread. The girl looked very hungry, devouring a fist-sized loaf in two bites.
The sight of her red lips parting and the fleeting glimpse of her tongue made Xia Yu quickly avert his gaze.
After eating three pieces of bread, Zhu Mei’s hunger was relieved. She slowed down, took a sip of water, and looked at Xia Yu and You Xue.
Her gaze moved between the two for a while before finally settling on Xia Yu.
“Thank you,” she said to Xia Yu.
“No problem,” Xia Yu waved his hand.
“Really, thank you both,” Zhu Mei said again.
Initially, when Xia Yu found her, she had braced herself for capture. She hadn’t expected him not only to not capture her but also to provide her with clothes and food.
“May I borrow your phone for a moment?” she asked cautiously.
Without hesitation, You Xue took out her phone and handed it to Zhu Mei.
Zhu Mei took the phone and dialed Lihua’s number. The call was quickly answered, but no voice came through.
After hanging up, Zhu Mei knew Lihua’s phone had already fallen into the enemy’s hands.
She tried hard to recall her younger brother Zhu Mengbing’s number and dialed it.
The call was quickly answered, and a voice soon came through, but it wasn’t her brother’s voice.
“Who are you?” the person on the other end asked.
“What do you want?” Zhu Mei asked.
“As long as you come, we will release everyone. How does that sound to you?” the other party replied.
“Do you really think I’ll believe that?” Zhu Mei countered.
“Ha ha ha, it doesn’t matter if you don’t fall for it. We will find you, Princess of District 232,” the other party said and hung up.
Zhu Mei bit her lip. She hadn’t expected her identity as a princess to be exposed.
She handed the phone back to You Xue and sat lifelessly on a rock.
You Xue looked at Zhu Mei, then at Xia Yu. She had overheard some of the conversation and, combining it with the previous situation, concluded that Zhu Mei was being pursued and that her family had fallen into the hands of dark forces.
She grabbed Xia Yu’s hand and pulled him to the cave entrance, away from Zhu Mei.
The girl quietly asked Xia Yu, “Brother, you’re not thinking of getting involved in this, are you?”
“What do you think?” Xia Yu asked You Xue.
“Of course not! Those are dark forces, after all. This isn’t District 1, and it’s dangerous!” You Xue held Xia Yu’s hand tightly, showing her determination to stop him.
Although in movies, the male lead often single-handedly defeats an entire dark force, You Xue knew this was just fiction. An ordinary person could never defeat a dark force.
Even if they tried to suppress him with money and power, there was always a chance they had some reckless brute ready to spill blood.
She continued, “If you want to win her over, all you need to do is break her illusions and take her back to District 1. Without money, she’ll definitely rely on you, so there’s no need to fight the dark forces to gain her favor.”
In the past, You Xue wouldn’t have said so much to Xia Yu because the previous Xia Yu would have avoided trouble, let alone faced danger.
But the current Xia Yu, You Xue felt, was too soft-hearted toward pretty girls. Whether it was being dragged by Liu Manman to perform a duet, composing music for An Siyao, or even engaging in music itself, none of these were things the old Xia Yu would have been interested in.
Although she had received much affection because of this, like this trip, which the old Xia Yu would never have agreed to, safety was still more important.
You Xue continued to analyze for Xia Yu, “If you help her find her family now, she’ll probably leave with them. Then, brother, you’ll be left with nothing—ow!”
The girl, having been flicked on the forehead by Xia Yu, covered her head in grievance and glared at him.
“Do you really think I’m the kind of man who wants to bring every pretty girl home?” Xia Yu said helplessly.
This was already the umpteenth time You Xue had misunderstood him. It seemed his image in the girl’s eyes indeed had significant issues.
“Isn’t that true?” You Xue asked, hands on her hips.
Xia Yu had no way to explain.
“Anyway, you are not allowed to get involved in this!” You Xue grabbed Xia Yu’s shoulders and brought her face close to his, emphasizing each word.
Xia Yu knew the girl was worried about him, but with all his skills, he really wasn’t too afraid of the Gray Reef Company. Of course, the one doing the fighting couldn’t be his own body.
“Maybe she has her own way,” Xia Yu said.
“Then let her solve it herself. You can’t lose the whole forest for just one tree!” To dissuade Xia Yu from taking risks and to protect her only brother, You Xue spoke earnestly.
“What whole forest,” Xia Yu tapped the girl’s head again and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything dangerous.”
With Xia Yu’s assurance, Youxue didn’t dwell on the head-tapping incident. She held Xia Yu’s hand and smiled.
Xia Yu shook his head slightly. The girl was still too naive—avoiding danger and refusing to help Zhu Mei were two entirely different matters. Could those people from Grey Reef Corporation even be considered a threat?
However, Xia Yu was still contemplating whether to help Zhu Mei or not. He wasn’t exactly a philanthropist—no saintly paternal instincts here. As long as Zhu Mei was fine, that was good enough for him.
Returning to the cave, Youxue and Xiayu looked at Zhumei, and Zhumei looked back at them.
The departure of the two just now made Zhu Mei think that they had sensed the danger in her and didn’t want to take the risk of sheltering her.
“I’m leaving now.” Zhu Mei stood up.
“Do you have somewhere to go?” Youxue held Zhumei back.
Zhu Mei couldn’t answer—she had nowhere to go.
“Just stay here,” Youxue said again.
“But…” Zhu Mei hesitated a little.
“It’s okay, as long as you don’t go out, there won’t be any problems,” Xia Yu added.
“Thank you.” Zhu Mei sat back down on the ground, her mind a bit muddled at the moment.
Even during the most difficult times—whether being hunted in the palace or pursued in the mountains—she was never left alone. Accustomed to relying on others for solutions, she had no idea what to do next.
“Let’s go to our place first,” Youxue said.
“Hmm?” Xia Yu and Zhu Mei both cast puzzled glances.
“It’s about to rain, and there might be water coming in here. Plus, if there are big waves, it wouldn’t be safe either,” Youxue explained.
Xia Yu hesitated a little. Taking Zhu Mei back would mean letting Kong Hanyue and the others know about it.
“But there are other people in the villa, you need to hide,” Youxue continued.
Zhu Mei nodded. Although she wasn’t a pampered princess, as a normal person, she certainly didn’t enjoy staying in a cave—especially as night was falling and she didn’t have any lighting equipment with her.
“Where should we hide it?” Xia Yu asked Youxue. Youxue didn’t live alone but shared the place with Liu Manman. If they hid it in Youxue’s room, Liu Manman would definitely find out.
Glancing at Zhu Mei, Youxue said, “I’m with Manman all the time, and Mom often comes over too. There’s no way we could hide it in my room—it has to be yours.”
Xia Yu: “???”
Seeing Xia Yu’s puzzled expression, Youxue silently applauded her brother’s acting skills in her heart. She believed her brother was attracted to the other’s beauty, and now, by directly sending the person to her brother’s room, she had delivered an incredibly strong assist.
As expected of me. Youxue marveled at her own charm as a younger sister, feeling a sense of loneliness that comes with being unmatched.
Zhu Mei, who had initially intended to oppose, saw that Xia Yu also looked troubled and dismissed her doubts.
She had no objections, so the matter was settled.
Outside the cave, Zhu Mei looked at the cliff that was taller than a person, pondering where to climb up. But then she saw Xia Yu effortlessly lift Youxue, first helping her grasp the edge of the cliff, then lifting her feet to push her up.
Facing Xia Yu’s gaze, Zhu Mei shook her head. The gesture was too intimate for her to accept.
On the adjacent cliff, the girl slowly climbed up.
Seeing both girls had climbed up, Xia Yi leaped effortlessly, grabbed the edge of the cliff, and pulled himself up.
“How about that? My brother is amazing, right?” Youxue didn’t forget to give Xiayu an assist.
Under normal circumstances, when faced with her brother’s new goal, she would at most refrain from causing trouble and certainly wouldn’t aid and abet him. But Zhu Mei was different—if her brother couldn’t handle it and decided to target the Gray Reef Company to gain favor, that would be no good.
Faced with her question, Zhu Mei glanced at Xia Yu and nodded.
Even Ah Wei probably couldn’t jump up here in one go. I just don’t know if Xiong Xiong could.
At the thought of the brown bear, Zhu Mei’s previously relaxed mood turned gloomy again.
She clutched the pendant hanging from her neck.
Noticing the change in Zhu Mei’s mood, Youxue thought she was simply worried about her family and quietly took her hand.
As they approached the villa, Xia Yu and Zhu Mei hid to the side first, while Youxue entered the villa to see if she could scout out a safe route.
Before she returned, Xia Yu pondered. Hiding Zhu Mei in his room sounded thrilling, but how could he possibly conceal such a living person without being discovered?
It was well hidden this week, but when Yu Mengmeng went through the procedures to take Zhu Mei away a week later, it would still be exposed.
Hiding it makes no sense; just bring it in openly.
Xia Yu had originally planned to talk to both of them as soon as Youxue returned. However, upon seeing Youxue come back with a suitcase, he felt it wouldn’t be too late to wait until after sending Zhu Mei inside before bringing it up.
Facing the open suitcase in front of her, Zhu Mei looked at Youxue’s urging expression and Xiayu’s expectant gaze, gritted her teeth, and took a step forward.
Xia Yu watched as the girl hugged her legs and curled up inside the suitcase, feeling the camera on his phone practically itching to capture the moment.
However, Zhu Mei wasn’t like An Siyao or Liu Manman. Teasing a girl with whom he didn’t have a good relationship would significantly lower her favorability, so Xia Yu had no choice but to give up.
“Hurry up, I tricked them into going to Sister Manman’s room to look at her clothes. They probably won’t stay long,” Youxue said to Xiayu.
Xia Yu nodded, crouched down to close the suitcase, and zipped it up.
Carrying the suitcase, he and Youxue quickly arrived at the villa.
A bodyguard and a security guard on watch downstairs glanced at the suitcase in Xia Yu’s hand, then deliberately looked away.
Mind your own business as a servant is the essence of self-cultivation.
Arriving on the second floor, the living room was indeed empty. Xia Yu opened the door to his room and walked in together with Youxue.
Opening the suitcase, Zhu Mei stood up from inside, her face slightly pale.
Held in Xia Yu’s hand, the suitcase inevitably swayed a bit, making her feel somewhat dizzy.
Leaning against the wall to steady herself, she gradually recovered.
After her physical discomfort eased, Zhu Mei began to reflect on what had just happened. Although she wasn’t heavy, she wasn’t exactly light either. Yet, this man had effortlessly lifted her with just one hand, appearing completely at ease.
Unfortunately, the people from Grey Reef Company had guns.
Zhu Mei felt a glimmer of despair. The other party had already recognized their identities and would undoubtedly be extremely cautious. Was it really possible to rescue Lihua and the others?
“Let’s wait until tonight to take a shower. I’ll go get a towel to dry your hair first,” Youxue said, looking at Zhu Mei’s wet hair.
“No need,” Xia Yu stopped her. “Just take it out directly. They won’t have any objections.”
Of course, Youxue knew those girls wouldn’t have any objections. An Siyao seemed perfectly fine with whatever Xia Yu did, Kong Hanyue was the mother, Hu Lianglu was An Siyao’s little follower, and as for the remaining Liu Manman—even if she had opinions, she’d have to keep them to herself.
I hid in your room to give you a chance, you silly brother!
You Xue was somewhat indignant, feeling that she had gone against her conscience to help Xia Yu, yet he showed no appreciation.
“Forget it then.” Youxue huffed angrily, grabbing Zhumei’s hand, stormed out the door, and slammed it shut behind her.
Xia Yu was completely baffled, unable to understand how he had offended Youxue.
He reopened the door, contemplating how to explain the situation to the women.
After pushing Zhu Mei into the bathroom, Youxue went to look for slippers while Xia Yu sat on the sofa, drinking cola.
Before long, Kong Hanyue emerged from Liu Manman’s room.
“Youxue? Youxue?” Kong Hanyue called out, puzzled by her daughter’s sudden disappearance.
She walked into the living room and saw Xia Yu. Just as she was about to ask something, she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom.
“It’s almost noon, why are you taking a shower now?” Kong Hanyue muttered as she walked toward the bathroom, mistaking Zhu Mei inside for Youxue.
Finding it amusing, Xia Yu didn’t stop her and watched as Kong Hanyue quietly opened the bathroom door to sneak in and surprise “Youxue.”
“Ah—!” Two screams rang out.
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