Chapter Ninety-Five: Celebrity Lin Ruoxue

Yu Qing still had not opened the door, no one knew how many one-minute waits had passed. Liu Yunfei had no choice but to leave the crumbling little building with Lawrence. Hearing their footsteps fade away, Yu Qing tore the door open and dashed out of the room, only to catch a glimpse of Liu Yunfei’s back as he turned into the stairwell. For an instant, she desperately wanted to call out and make him stop, but in the end she still could not bring herself to do it.

Once they were through the corridor, Liu Yunfei got into the car and, after steadying his mood, said to Lawrence, “Lawrence.”

“I know, brother Yunfei. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Miss Yu’s life for you, and I’ll come by often to talk some sense into her. Remember the last time? When David was killed, wasn’t I the one who persuaded her?”

Liu Yunfei said nothing. He simply patted Lawrence on the shoulder. Perhaps the old fox really did have a way. For now, there was nothing to be done but leave it to the future. Pressing too hard might only backfire. Even if Yu Qing truly refused to forgive him, he could not blame her.

Lawrence had originally planned to host a grand banquet at home, but seeing the situation, he knew the mood was wrong. He also had no idea where Liu Yunfei wanted to go. He felt that this Chinese youth was truly uncanny, and he thought that he absolutely had to maintain a good relationship with him. If such a person became an enemy, it would be a nightmare.

Out of the corner of his eye, Liu Yunfei watched the city lights blaze to life beyond the window, watched the crowds flow past in their endless hurry, and for no reason at all he thought of Park Minji. He had no idea which city she was in at that very moment, or whether she too was standing by some street, watching the rush of people and thinking of him. When would the two of them be able to go to Mount Xiaoyang together to see the snow and soak in the hot springs?

Screech.

The shrill sound of brakes cut off his thoughts. Looking up, he saw that in front of the car he was riding in, an Asian woman with dark hair and fair skin had fallen to the ground. He had not actually hit her, but the girl seemed badly frightened and had forgotten even to get up; she sat there clutching her chest, gasping hard.

“Do you have eyes or not?”

Ordinarily, men in Europe paid some attention to gentlemanly conduct, especially when facing a beauty they would all pretend to be refined and courteous. But the gangsters of Europe were as brazen as the street punks back home. They cared for none of that. They lived off the ferocity on their faces.

Seeing the lead car stop, bodyguards and muscle from the cars behind surged out at once, all in black shirts that shone under the light. Several of them had their hands tucked into their trousers, obviously carrying weapons. Lawrence was unlike the old prince, who cared about pomp and circumstance; he had no choice but to travel with a large entourage. His enemies in the underworld were simply too many, and there were also many newly rising factions and families eager to move up in the world, which meant they first had to eliminate the old guard. The two men by his side were both trained by Israel’s special forces, top-notch in fighting and shooting.

Yet that girl was completely oblivious to the danger. She still sat on the ground, blocking the Mercedes. The car looked ordinary enough, but it had bulletproof glass, run-flat tires, sand-filled doors, and the roof was made of special steel. Several armed bodyguards immediately bent low and advanced in a zigzag pattern, while the others scanned the surroundings for snipers.

The girl did not move. Instead, she clutched her chest even harder and looked up in pain. The moment Liu Yunfei saw her face, he was struck first by sheer beauty: skin like white jade, a nearly perfect oval face, arched willow brows, long eyelashes, a pair of lively large eyes, and a small adorable nose twisted with pain that made one feel sorry for her. His second feeling was recognition, though of course it was Liu Yunfei who recognized her, not the other way around.

“Isn’t that Lin Ruoxue?” he murmured to himself.

“Oh? You know her?” Lawrence was very curious. This Chinese boy really was uncanny. Randomly bump into someone on the street and he would know them too. Strange. Did he know every beauty in China or what?

“She’s a singer from Hong Kong. She hasn’t been in the business long, but she’s pretty, she sings well, and most importantly, she has the support of her father, the international superstar Lin Long, so she shot to fame in just a little over a year.” As he spoke, Liu Yunfei got out of the car. Since she was a singer, he did not need to worry that this was an assassination attempt. Lawrence clearly understood this as well. Although he was not very familiar with Lin Long, the kung fu superstar who had become famous all across Asia, he had seen martial arts films before. So he also got out from the other side and called the bodyguards to a halt. However, he was tactful enough not to walk over himself. The old fox knew very well that the boy was about to flirt with a girl again, so he might as well leave the chance to him.

In truth, Liu Yunfei had not planned on flirting at all. The look in the girl’s eyes made her seem genuinely in pain, so she probably really had been hit. Besides, she was a famous singer, and he was just an ordinary high school student. He had not even considered anything else.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Liu Yunfei walked over and crouched in front of Lin Ruoxue. Since he knew she was from Hong Kong, he spoke Chinese directly.

“I have heart disease. I need my medicine. I can’t move. Hurry and look in my bag,” Lin Ruoxue said haltingly.

Lin Ruoxue had clearly come to Rome to shop, carrying bag after bag. Liu Yunfei quickly found a small black handbag in one of the larger shopping bags and, without caring about manners, dumped everything in it onto the ground all at once: lipstick, makeup case, phone, and other women’s things. Of course there was also a little plastic bottle. He twisted off the cap and had no time to read the label.

“How many?”

“One.”

Lin Ruoxue looked extremely beautiful in her present state, and Liu Yunfei could not help thinking of the legendary beauty Xi Shi. It was said that she had a strange illness, and that she was at her most beautiful when she frowned and pressed a hand to her chest. That was how the old saying about Dong Shi trying to imitate Xi Shi came to be.

Liu Yunfei poured out one capsule of heart medicine into his palm and placed it into Lin Ruoxue’s mouth, then shouted, “Water!”

The bodyguards immediately sprang into action. Some ran to buy bottled water, while the smarter ones fetched liquor from the Mercedes. By the time they brought it back, Lin Ruoxue had already swallowed the capsule. Still, Liu Yunfei took the bottle of water, opened it, wrapped one arm around Lin Ruoxue, and fed her a sip with the other. As his hand touched that soft body, his heart clearly stirred, but then he immediately thought that she was suffering right now, and he could not allow himself such improper thoughts.

The medicine proved effective indeed. After drinking it, Lin Ruoxue’s complexion improved at once. Still, she remained seated on the ground, breathing heavily. But this was the middle of one of Rome’s busiest roads, and they were blocking traffic. No matter how good the temper of the cars behind them was, they could not endure it forever. Yet the vehicles in front of the blockage belonged to the Mafia, and no one dared urge them to move. The jam stretched on and on, and the drivers behind had no idea who the Mafia were anyway, so horns began blaring everywhere. Liu Yunfei was a well-behaved young man and felt it was his duty to keep the road clear, so he said to Lin Ruoxue, “It’s not very good to sit in the middle of the road like this. I’ll carry you to my car so you can rest for a while.”

Lin Ruoxue still looked a little embarrassed. “I can walk. Just help me up.”

Liu Yunfei quickly put the scattered things on the ground back into the little bag and helped her up by the arm.

The moment Lin Ruoxue stood, her vision blurred and her head spun. Liu Yunfei hurriedly slipped one hand under her arm and the other beneath her legs, lifting her horizontally into his embrace.

Warm softness in his arms, Liu Yunfei looked down and saw Lin Ruoxue’s embarrassed, reddening face. If there were any flower that could describe the beauty in his arms at that moment, it would have to be the blooming pink peach blossom.

After placing Lin Ruoxue into the Mercedes, the men naturally gathered up the shopping bags and put them into the trunk. Lawrence, the sly old fellow, was remarkably quick to read the room and took the initiative to get out and sit in the car ahead. Everyone got back in, and the convoy moved on. The driver and the back seat were separated, though a small window had been left open. The driver turned his head and asked, “Boss, where to?”

Although Lawrence was the actual head of the organization, the thugs usually preferred to call him Boss. So the one sitting with the Boss was naturally also a Boss.

Liu Yunfei did not know where to go, so he could only look at Lin Ruoxue. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine. It’s an old problem. I’ll be better after resting a bit,” Lin Ruoxue said, but in her mind she was actually thinking about this Chinese boy’s identity. He looked very young, very handsome, and very bright, but after glancing at his subordinates, Lin Ruoxue, having seen gangsters in Hong Kong before, could tell at a glance that those men in black were no good people. The way the driver addressed him only confirmed her suspicion. Though the gangsters in movies always seemed full of loyalty and fire, in real life one really should not get tangled up with them. Since he might not have recognized her yet, she had to find a way to get away as soon as possible.

Thinking this, Lin Ruoxue said, “I’m staying at the Grand Hotel, not far ahead.”

“To the Grand Hotel.” The driver had to receive orders from the boss before acting. While driving, he used his earpiece to call the vehicles ahead.

“Aren’t celebrities supposed to have assistants?” Liu Yunfei asked casually.

“Yes. But she wasn’t feeling well and was asleep, so I didn’t wake her. Anyway, I thought it wasn’t far, so I just came out to walk around near the hotel.” In her heart, Lin Ruoxue was growing very tense. Bad news—he had recognized me. These gangsters are all lechers. And he’s so young, too. He even took the initiative to carry me just now. Was he asking whether I had an assistant because, if I didn’t, he would take me somewhere and force himself on me? So she hurriedly added, “If she wakes up and doesn’t see me, she’ll call my phone right away.”