Chapter Ninety-Six: A Mysterious Identity

It was almost as if fate itself were proving that she had been telling the truth. The moment she finished speaking, her phone rang. Lin Ruoxue felt her tension ease a little and told her assistant, “If I don’t get back for a long time, you must call the police.”

She answered at once. “Hello? Xiaoying, you’re awake? I’ll be right back, there in five minutes. I just had an attack out on the street, and luckily I met someone named...”

Lin Ruoxue tilted her head and looked at Liu Yunfei, thinking that if she revealed a little more about him, it would be easier for the police to find her.

Liu Yunfei looked at her fair, delicate face and very nearly wanted to lean in and kiss her. What a beauty. Swallowing, he straightened his posture and put on the air of a modest gentleman. With a faint smile, he said, “My name is Liu Yunfei.”

“He’s called Liu Yunfei. Liu Yunfei. He does... what kind of work does he do?”

Lin Ruoxue had already seen the lascivious look on his face and secretly thought something was wrong. Had she really run into a lecherous gangster? Then she saw that this lecher was still pretending to be proper. Truly, nothing in the world was more frightening than a lecher with manners.

But the question had already been asked, and she immediately realized it was inappropriate. What could a person do? Could he honestly answer that he was a gangster?

To her surprise, the lecher said, “I’m a senior in high school. I’m from Huangjiang, here in Italy on a trip.”

Only then did Lin Ruoxue finally relax. She hung up and thought, So he’s a student. Why didn’t you say so earlier? You almost scared me to death. But then another thought crossed her mind: there are plenty of bad students too. Bold, reckless, lawless student punks are the most dangerous of all because they never think about the consequences. This was terrible. Why couldn’t she see a police car anywhere? If she saw one, she would jump out and cry for help immediately.

Liu Yunfei had not expected that in such a short time this singer had already produced two little worries in her heart. Seeing that she still seemed somewhat tense, he raised the bottle of rum in his hand to ease the atmosphere. “Would you like a little?”

Lin Ruoxue grew even more nervous. That drink was probably full of sedatives. So he really was an experienced hand; he even carried his tools with him. She hurriedly waved her hand. “I’m sorry. Because of my condition, I can’t drink.”

Liu Yunfei looked puzzled. “Your illness is so serious, and yet you can still go onstage to sing? The performances there are very intense, and some even require you to match your voice with energetic dance routines. Can you handle that?”

“It’s not that my illness is always bad. It only acts up when I’m frightened. Besides, before I go onstage I take two extended-release capsules in advance, so I’m fine even after an entire concert.” Once she began speaking about her own work, Lin Ruoxue no longer felt as nervous. “And besides, I sing mostly slow songs. I don’t have many fast ones.”

“Oh, oh, I see. Your slow songs are all really good,” Liu Yunfei said. He genuinely liked the slow songs she sang.

“Thank you. But reporters in Hong Kong and on the mainland are all very nosy.” Lin Ruoxue had originally wanted to say, Please don’t tell anyone about what happened today, or that I have to take medicine before going onstage. But then she suddenly realized that would be the same as reminding him of it. What if he used those things to blackmail her?

Fortunately, nothing Lin Ruoxue had feared happened during the rest of the ride. Though still uneasy, she soon arrived at the Marriott Hotel. Before she even got out of the car, she saw Xiaoying, her assistant and agent, waiting at the entrance. At last, she could breathe again.

Liu Yunfei also got out of the car with her. Seeing that Lin Ruoxue had basically returned to normal, he relaxed as well. Someone came over to fetch the several bags she had left behind, and Lawrence also stepped forward.

Lin Ruoxue now felt a little embarrassed. She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, her cheeks faintly pink, and said to Liu Yunfei, “This is my assistant, Xiaoying. Thank you so much today, Mr. Liu. I’m sorry.”

In truth, when she said sorry, it was because she felt bad for having thought him so badly. After all, he had saved her life, so why had she assumed the worst of him? She felt a little guilty.

Liu Yunfei did not know what she was thinking. Looking at Xiaoying beside her, he saw that she was also a beauty, only one or two years older than Lin Ruoxue. Her short hair and sharp eyebrows gave her a capable, spirited look, but standing next to Lin Ruoxue, who was blushing, she immediately seemed to lose some of her brightness. Watching Lin Ruoxue tuck her hair behind her ear stirred something in him for the first time, a sudden, startling flutter in his chest.

“If anyone should apologize, it should be me,” he said. “My car nearly hit you. It’s good that you’re all right.”

Seeing that Liu Yunfei had no intention of introducing him, Lawrence took the initiative and stepped forward with a business card in hand. He handed it to Lin Ruoxue. “This is my card. If Miss Lin feels any discomfort at all, please call me. We will take responsibility for anything that is ours to bear.”

Lin Ruoxue accepted the card. To be honest, even though they had reached the hotel, she was still rather afraid of these people. Looking at the burly men in black behind them, all of them glancing around alertly, she took the initiative to extend her hand. “Thank you all. I’m going upstairs to rest.”

Liu Yunfei reached out and took her soft, boneless hand. It was so smooth he could not help thinking how slippery it felt. What kind of hand cream did she use? How could it be this smooth? But outwardly he remained perfectly proper. “Goodbye, Miss Lin. May God bless you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong. He had probably stayed in the role of an Arab prince so long that he had slipped into character. That kind of phrase was not something a Chinese person would normally say, and it sounded strangely out of place.

Lin Ruoxue looked visibly stunned. Lawrence hurriedly leaned in and explained, “My brother Yunfei also has another identity: he is the prince most favored by the King of Saudi Arabia.”

The more Liu Yunfei tried to explain, the more confused things became. Since it was uncertain whether they would ever meet again, he only smiled politely, nodded once to Xiaoying, and turned toward the car. The bodyguards opened the door for him. He bent slightly and sat down in the back seat.

Watching Liu Yunfei leave, Lin Ruoxue was still lost in thought about his identity. Xiaoying tugged at her sleeve. “You’re still staring? The car’s already gone. Did you fall for that handsome guy?”

Lin Ruoxue casually handed the card to Xiaoying. Usually it was Xiaoying who handled such things, so she turned and walked toward the elevator in the lobby.

“My God,” Xiaoying suddenly cried out. “Lawrence? President of Tongda Petroleum?”

She was a woman who moved in business circles. Even though she did not speculate in futures, her background was international trade, so she paid close attention to the global oil market.

“What is it? You know him?” Lin Ruoxue asked as she stepped into the elevator. She only loved singing and knew nothing about business, nor did she care to.

“Tongda Petroleum used to be only a second-tier local company in Italy, but lately there has been a rumor that a large Saudi oil company is going to form a joint venture with it to create a major multinational petroleum group. Even if its registered capital may not be the highest, the outlook is excellent. Tongda Petroleum has already become the sixth-largest oil company in Europe. The international crude market has been swinging up and down because of this news. Who would have thought it belonged to that short old man?”

Xiaoying regretted not asking for an autograph just now. She already had so many autographs from people in the entertainment world that she had nowhere left to put them, so she had started collecting signatures from famous business tycoons instead.

Lin Ruoxue did not answer. She was thinking that the handsome Chinese man was probably really a Saudi prince, otherwise why would that elderly president have been so courteous to him? But he had clearly told her that he was a high school student in Huangjiang. She had even held a concert in Huangjiang before. Could it be that Saudi Arabia also had a city called Huangjiang?

“I’m going to call Lawrence tomorrow and definitely ask him for an autograph,” Xiaoying was still saying.

From behind them, a kind elderly Italian gentleman suddenly spoke up. “Be careful. Lawrence is a member of the Buiano family.”

In truth, he did not know the two beautiful girls at all. He had no intention of saying anything at first, but seeing a lamb about to walk into a tiger’s mouth, he could not let it pass without a warning. Otherwise his conscience would not rest easy. He also did not know what relationship those two girls had with Lawrence, so he stopped at that one reminder, neither elaborating nor exaggerating.

“Ah!”

The two girls exchanged a shocked look. It was a coincidence, too. That afternoon they had been chatting with a local friend about the mafia, and the friend had mentioned that the most powerful family in Italy now was the Buiano family. Even the assassination of the chief prosecutor had ended without any consequence.

Lin Ruoxue suddenly curved the corner of her mouth and smiled.

Interesting. The Chinese young man who had saved her life was really full of mysteries. Student, prince, and even mafia boss? Which one was his real occupation? And what country was he actually from?