147. Surprise and an Airport Embrace

The man had kept his eyes fixed on Scarface. The moment he saw him move, he rushed forward and caught Liu Ziqing just as she was about to fall.

Gazing in the direction the attackers had fled, his brooding eyes filled with an icy, boundless murderous intent.

How dare anyone lay a hand on his woman!

He lowered his head. She had never before curled up in his arms like a frightened little rabbit.

The softness in his hands, the warm, delicate body against him—

Even his usually cold, hard heart melted at the touch.

“Are you all right?”

His voice was low and gentle, his tenderness flowing like water.

The sudden turn of events had come too quickly. Even with Liu Ziqing’s intelligence, she had been unable to react in time.

Startled awake by his voice, Liu Ziqing shuddered and cautiously lifted her head from his arms.

Good heavens!

She drew a sharp breath inward, stunned by the face of the man who had saved her life.

She might be cold by nature, but she had always been proud of her beauty. Yet the man before her was actually three times more beautiful than any woman.

Dressed entirely in black, his handsome features appeared even more mysterious and alluring beneath the dim yellow streetlamp.

Meeting those exquisite, narrow phoenix eyes, Liu Ziqing curved her lips into a faint smile. “Thank you for tonight.”

Seeing how calm and composed she was, amazement and satisfaction flickered through his eyes. She truly was the woman he had chosen.

“Xu Yichen!”

“What?”

His beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with determination and seriousness.

“My name is Xu Yichen.”

“Xu Yichen.” Liu Ziqing silently repeated the name several times. Then she realized that lying in his arms like this was far too intimate. She was just about to get up when her legs went weak, and she fell back into his embrace.

It looked almost as though she had thrown herself into his arms.

Only then did Liu Ziqing realize that she had actually been frightened. She had merely been forcing herself to remain composed.

If she had truly been violated by those men… She shook her head. She would have had no face to go on living. At the thought of what had just happened, that nauseating feeling rose in her throat again.

Unfortunately, she had spent so long vomiting earlier that her stomach was already empty. There was nothing left to bring up, and all she could do was retch helplessly against his chest.

“How are you feeling?”

Xu Yichen gently stroked her back and handed her a handkerchief. “Do you feel any better?”

After a while, Liu Ziqing felt somewhat recovered and nodded.

Xu Yichen glanced around, then helped her to her feet. “I’d better take you home first. We’ll go out and get a taxi. You should stay home and rest for the next few days, and don’t go out alone.”

Liu Ziqing knew her condition. She was afraid that if she spoke, she would vomit again, so she merely nodded and let him make the arrangements.

Seeing her docility, a strange gleam passed through his long, narrow eyes before disappearing.

In this life, she would be his—and his alone.

After Xu Yichen escorted Liu Ziqing back to the Liu residence, he was naturally treated as an honored guest. After observing the way he spoke and conducted himself, the old foxes of the Liu family began making their own calculations.

Had the person who saved their daughter been some nameless, impoverished young man, the Liu family would merely have given him a little money and sent him away. But the man who had rescued her daughter was someone of this stature.

Thinking of the information he had recently received, Liu Ziqing’s father made up his mind.

The surname Xu, combined with such a bearing—if he was not from the Xu family, then who else could he be? Throughout the rescue, every word and action had revealed his concern for Ziqing. Her father knew very well how beautiful his daughter was. He feared that the young master of the Xu family had already taken an interest in her.

He had never wanted to remain trapped in this small place. Now that someone from the capital had appeared, how could he fail to make the most of the opportunity? But that was a matter for later, and need not be discussed in detail here.

Meanwhile, Lin Xia and her father arrived in B City. They found a hotel and spent the night there. The next day, they contacted Chen Qing first. After receiving an affirmative answer, Lin Xia called Jin Ye.

Once he had learned where they were staying, Jin Ye told them to wait at the hotel. Someone would take them to view the apartments.

During their previous conversation, Lin Xia had learned that he was currently abroad. Judging by the time, it was already the middle of the night where he was, yet he still had not gone to sleep.

“Work is important, but your health matters just as much. You should take care of yourself first. Money can never be earned all at once.”

Lin Xia suddenly blurted this out, warming Jin Ye’s heart.

In all his years, aside from his mother, she was the first woman to show concern for his health.

Clearly, Jin Ye had already forgotten that the countless female secretaries he had dismissed had expressed the same concern. He was too self-centered, doing everything according to his own preferences. He looked at other women through tinted glasses, and no matter what they did, he instinctively labeled them as having ulterior motives.

But his encounters with Lin Xia had been so dramatic, and they shared a mutual acquaintance in Chen Qing. In addition, Lin Xia knew nothing of his identity, while Chen Qing protected her almost like a nanny.

With so many factors intertwined, Jin Ye naturally began to regard Lin Xia somewhat differently.

Especially after their first few encounters. Whenever he thought of her, the corners of his lips would rise involuntarily, and amusement would shine in his eyes.

It had been a long time since he had seen that little girl. He wondered whether she had grown taller—or perhaps put on weight.

Listening to Lin Xia’s voice, Jin Ye’s thoughts wandered. “Yes. I was just about to go to sleep.”

“All right, then. Get some rest. I won’t bother you anymore.”

After a brief exchange, Lin Xia ended the call.

Jin Ye then instructed his trusted secretary to find someone reliable to take Lin Xia and her father to view the apartments. The moment the employees heard, they all volunteered to go.

Who was the person the boss had personally ordered them to pick up? Who could it be?

They could hardly be blamed for being curious.

In the end, Secretary Guo did not send anyone else. He went himself.

When he saw them, however, he was sorely disappointed. They were nothing like what everyone had imagined. Looking at Lin Xia’s honest, unassuming father and the sweetly smiling young girl, Secretary Guo cursed the entire group of gossips inwardly.

Just look at this father and daughter. They hardly seemed to have anything going on with the boss!

Those people were truly shameless. Who knew what they thought about all day?

They settled on two properties. Secretary Guo drove them there himself and offered his own opinions. His task for the day was simply to make sure the father and daughter chose a suitable home and completed the paperwork.

As he looked at the development before him, Secretary Guo thought this was far easier than sitting in the office. Staring at a computer all day had nearly exhausted him. His poor lower back and neck were suffering terribly.

Perhaps because Lin Xia instinctively trusted Jin Ye, she found nothing to criticize about the two communities he had selected. They were close to both a hospital and supermarkets, with middle and high schools nearby as well. By bus, they were only a dozen or so stops away.

Food, clothing, housing, transportation, and education had all been taken into account. The surroundings were pleasant too. How could Lin Xia and her father be dissatisfied?

They paid the full amount on the spot and received the property certificate.

Holding the little red booklet, Lin Xia felt somewhat puzzled.

The last time she had bought a house in B City with her cousin Lin Bing, they had waited for ages. Today, everything had gone smoothly.

Apparently, buying a house was not as simple as merely saying a few words and having the property transferred, as it was portrayed in novels.

First, one had to go to the real estate transaction hall to obtain an Application for Transfer of Housing Ownership, fill it out, and have the developer stamp it. Then one had to collect the payment notice for the public maintenance fund and the final settlement statement. Two surveying maps and two surveying forms also had to be obtained from the development’s surveying office, all properly stamped. Next, the public maintenance fund had to be paid at a bank using the payment notice. Finally, one had to take the purchase contract, final settlement statement, purchase invoice, and identification to the local tax bureau to pay the deed tax.

The process was extremely troublesome. Yet today, everything had proceeded without a hitch, leaving Lin Xia slightly perplexed.

Of course, she did not dwell on it.

After all, she had no idea how to tell Xie Xitong and the others that she was moving.

Fortunately, the house they had bought was unfinished, so it would still take some time to renovate. Jin Ye had already instructed Secretary Guo to contact a renovation company as soon as they chose a property.

Lin Xia did not need to worry about any of these matters.

After hearing Secretary Guo say this, she quietly wondered what kind of background Jin Ye had. To him, matters like these seemed to be nothing at all.

Remembering their first meeting, when a group of people had surrounded him and called him “President Jin,” Lin Xia rolled across the bed twice in confusion.

They were returning to Rong City the next day. That evening, she and her father bought some things at the supermarket to take back and distribute among Zhao Qian and the others. As for the matter of moving, she decided to wait and discuss it later.

Lin Xia thought like an ostrich, burying her head in the sand.

The next day, Lin Xia and her father bought their tickets and waited for their flight in the airport lounge.

“Dad, I’m going to buy two bottles of water.” Lin Xia pointed toward a convenience store not far away.

Her father nodded. “Did you bring money?”

“I did.” Lin Xia smiled and walked over.

“Then hurry. The plane will be here in two minutes.”

“I know. I won’t make us miss the flight.”

Just as she was nearing the convenience store, a familiar voice came from behind her.

“Xiaxia.”

Lin Xia turned around and saw a young man standing not far down the corridor. Wearing a white T-shirt and a baseball cap, he looked like a young Jay Chou impersonator.

When he came closer, Lin Xia teased him with a smile. “What kind of wind is blowing lately? Even you have started copying Jay Chou.”

His eyes held their usual refined warmth. With a faint smile, he asked, “Why did you come to B City?”

“Didn’t I tell you last time that I was moving? I came with my father to look at houses.” She pointed toward a corner in the distance. “There, my dad is sitting over there. I’m going to buy a bottle of water. Do you want one?”

As she spoke, she continued toward the shop.

You Xin walked beside her as usual and shook his head with a faint smile. “I’m not thirsty.”

“By the way, didn’t you move to B City? What are you doing at the airport? Don’t tell me you came here especially to see me off.”

After buying the water, Lin Xia asked with a playful smile.

You Xin smiled. “If I said I rushed here especially to see you, would you believe me?”

Lin Xia raised her brows and blinked at him. “If that were true, it would be—”

Before she could finish, You Xin pulled her into his arms.

And in the few minutes while Lin Xia and You Xin had been talking and buying things, the flight from the United States had already landed in B City.

Jin Ye had just come through the ticket checkpoint when he saw the scene before him.