When Mu Mingcheng refused a toast, the group no longer offered him wine. Instead, they praised him for taking care of his body, along with his country’s health practices.
Gu Jin sneered to herself. What does that have to do with paying attention to health? Instead, the man was staying away from potential trouble by refusing that wine. He must have learned this by experience. When one is abroad, it’s not as easy dealing with an emergency compared to when one is at home.
It’s been said that men at work are the most attractive, but most men were idle. Gu Jin wasn’t sure if it was because of her dream, but for some reason, whenever she glanced at Mu Mingcheng from this angle
e, his well-spoken words and sharp aura made him more beautiful and elegant. To her, he was just like–a mouthwatering carrot.
Oh my God, no way!
Gu Jin leaned against the window, her eyes wandering with the fleeting scenery outside. From an outsider’s point of view, her eyes looked empty without feeling. It was hard to guess what she was thinking.
“Stop, let’s get off from here.” The car stopped in front of the pedestrian walkway and Mu Mingcheng opened the door.
“What’s the matter?” Gu Jin got off the car with her purse.
Since her plans to look around for handsome foreigners vanished into thin air, she felt remorse for sticking around Mu Mingcheng all day. If it weren’t for the sake of not embarrassing him in front of outsiders, she would have long ignored his thoughts and gone out to play by herself.
And Mu Mingcheng, who sabotaged her plans, dared to make other arrangements today?
“Didn’t you want to go shopping?” The man’s authentic handmade leather shoes touched the ground.
He ordered his assistant, “You may head back first. I can show her around.”
Gu Jin looked up at Mu Mingcheng with disbelief. ‘He’s going shopping with me?’
“Since you accompanied me for my meeting, I’ll accompany you with your shopping,” the man explained when he saw her doubtful expression. He raised a brow and added, “Don’t think about it too much, it’s an equal exchange.”
“You didn’t have to,” Gu Jin pouted. She would be more comfortable if she had gone shopping alone and enjoyed tea to herself. If he came with her, how could she get a chance to hook up with a foreign hunk?
The other assistants got on the bus and left sensibly. Only the driver, Lao Liu, was left behind sitting in Mu Mingcheng’s exclusive car while waiting on the couple.
After visiting several shops, the unsatisfied Gu Jin began to feel a little thirsty.
“Wait here, I’ll buy you water.”
As he looked at the crowded vending machines, Mu Mingcheng insisted that Gu Jin stay at her spot while he got in line to fetch a water bottle for her.
The foreigners in this country were generally taller than people from Z country, but as Gu Jin stared at Mu Mingcheng’s back, the man was still very eye-catching and tall as he stood within this crowd.
“Hello Miss,” a stranger greeted behind Gu Jin. He spoke to her using the Z country’s language, but with a different accent.
Gu Jin turned around and saw a man of about 30 years old holding a traveling bag on his back.
It was a pleasure to meet people from the same Z country here in a foreign country.
“Hello,” Gu Jin replied with a gentle smile.
“Actually,” the man smiled in embarrassment as he explained, “My wallet was stolen along with my cellphone. Can you lend me your phone so I can call my friend to ask him to come and pick me up?”
“Sure,” Gu Jin said. It was such bad luck for this guy to encounter a thief in a foreign country. She didn’t mind lending her phone to a fellow citizen.
“Great,” the man smiled lightly and reached for her cellphone.
However, upon seeing the calluses on his broad palm, Gu Jin’s eyes flashed.
“I’m sorry.” Gu Jin suddenly retracted her hand and said regretfully, “My cell phone doesn’t have battery so it turns off without warning at times.”
Gu Jin raised her phone to show the man the black screen. “My boyfriend is over there,” she said as she pointed to the crowd towards the vending machine’s direction. “You wait here, I’ll have him come over to help you.”
The man’s expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered his expression: “Thank you then.”
“You’re welcome,” Gu Jin replied with a smile and nodded lightly. She steadily walked towards the vending machine.
Before she could reach his side, Mu Mingcheng’s instincts caused him to look in her direction. Her pupils seemed a little shaky and her smile was unusually stiff. On a closer look, he noticed that her hand trembled as it held the cellphone to her chest. Her lips moved as she mouthed a few words to him.
Mu Mingcheng silently smiled and waved to her. As soon as she reached his side, he grabbed her arm before quickly rushing into a door.
At that same moment, gunshots reverberated on the streets. The crowd was in a frenzy with screaming and wailing.
“Who was it?” Gu Jin asked solemnly.
“Not sure,” Mu Mingcheng pulled out a small revolver out of nowhere.
Gu Jin wiped her lips and refrained from speaking. She couldn’t risk distracting him during this critical moment.
In the silence, Gu Jin suddenly heard a ‘bang’ before she was tossed to the ground, disoriented.
The police sirens were getting closer, but she paid no attention to it, as if the surrounding sounds were all drowned out at this moment. She could only feel a man’s moist chest against her hand.
