"Your chances of using them are almost 90%!" Murong Ye couldn"t look any somber than if he had tried. Evidently, he had been suppressing his anger to the point that he was close to exploding. His pupils were cold and unreadable.
"Huh, why? If that"s the case, is there still a need for us to go to America?" Murong Ye"s figure startled Murong Yunxi. This indicated that something bad would surely happen during their US trip. She became more and more anxious.
Gong Yu was also looking at Murong Ye in astonishment. The glint in his eyes became even sharper.
"Go! Of course, you must go!" Murong Ye looked far away into the distance as if he was looking through time and into another dimension.
"Brother, do you know something? Tell us so we have some mental preparation at least."
"Someone is losing their patience and is preparing to make a move. So they would be targeting you in America!"
"Me? Who are you referring to? Why would they target me?"
"Because no one in the Murong family has the guts to touch me. You"re a different story, however. Now that you"re beginning to set foot in the Murong family"s business..."
"You"re referring to the Murong family?"
"Just remember to be absolutely careful when you"re in America and act like you know nothing. Don"t alarm the enemies because we want to lure them all out to the open. Otherwise, they"ll hide even deeper in the future and make things even more difficult for us to handle them."
"Who are they?"
"You don"t need to know that now. It might not necessarily be good for you to know. You just have to know that there"s no one else in the family that you can trust except me and Father."
"Got it! Oh, right. What about Fourth? Will he be coming to America with us?"
"He"s already lying in wait in the U.S.!"
"So the reason why he"s been gone for so many days is that he"s away in the States on your orders?"
"Yeah. He"ll be there, but Second and Fifth will be staying here since it"s not appropriate to bring so many of our people there. It"s only when we look like we"ve relaxed our guard that they"ll make their move."
"Then, can Fourth alone do the job?"
"Of course, he won"t be the only one there. But the rest will be hiding. So you can rest a.s.sured. With me around, I won"t let you come to harm."
"Okay. I"ll always feel a.s.sured with you around."
"Gong Yu, your mission this time will be very arduous. You mustn"t leave Xiao Xi"s side even for a second."
"Got it."
"Get some rest then. We"ll be setting off tomorrow morning."
"Brother, goodnight!"
"Goodnight. Don"t be nervous and get some good rest."
The next day, evening.
It was early morning over in the States. After flying for more than ten hours, the Murong family"s private plane finally landed outside a villa in the suburbs of N City, U.S.A.
The villa sat on a wide and flat land and was constructed in a style similar to the ancient castles that royal families would live in. There was also a large garden outside and behind the villa was an aircraft parking ground.
Holding Gong Yu"s arm, Murong Yunxi got off the airplane behind Murong Ye. Seeing the building did surprise her.
"Wow! Brother, is this also one of our family"s estates?" Murong Yunxi looked up and down the building in front of her. Several people dressed as housekeepers and maids were running out of the villa toward them.
"Big Master."
The housekeeper was an elderly foreigner with greying hair, looking like he was in his fifties. He was probably a looker when he was young. His Mandarin was also particularly fluent, with articulate p.r.o.nunciation and vocalizing. In fact, it was completely accentless.
"Xiao Xi, this is Housekeeper Terry. If there"s anything you need while we"re here, you can let him know."
"Miss Xi, I"m delighted to serve you."
Terry greeted Murong Yunxi courteously and deferentially. He even made a ninety-degree bow to her.
"Nice to meet you! I"ll be imposing on you in the coming days!"
"Don"t say that. It"s my duty and also honor to serve you. I suppose this must be Young Master Gong."
"I"m Gong Yu."
"The two of you really look good together. Well, please forgive me for being so long-winded. Let me lead you to your room upstairs."
Terry led them to the villa. Murong Yunxi walked behind him while curiously observing him.
"Housekeeper Terry, you speak Mandarin so well!"
"Oh, yes. I received Chinese-language education since young, so you could say that Mandarin is my first language."
"Oh? You have been educated in Mandarin since young?"
"Yes. It was Old Master who took me in as a child. He has always given me a Chinese-style education."
"So that"s what it is!"
Mid-conversation, Murong Yunxi and the others were brought to the rooms on the first floor.
The more than ten hours of flight, coupled with the time difference in the States, meant that Murong Yunxi was pretty exhausted by now. Murong Ye rubbed her hair and said in a pampering tone, "Go and get some rest, both of you. I"ll bring you out in the afternoon."
Murong Yunxi nodded. Gong Yu placed his arm around her shoulders and entered their room.
The moment she walked past the door, she threw herself on the large bed and buried her delicate body under the soft bedding. It was so incredibly comfortable.
"Bed! I"m finally lying on a bed!"
Chuckling, Gong Yu walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge. He reached out to gently caress Murong Yunxi"s back. "You must be exhausted. You look like you slept poorly last night and we took such a long flight today."
"I"m really sleepy now. I just want to sleep in comfort." While speaking, her eyes were already shut. She looked like a lazy cat lying on the bed. Even her voice sounded languid.
"Why don"t you take a hot bath? You"ll feel cozier."
"No, I want to sleep this instant. I don"t have the strength to take a bath anymore."
"Why don"t I help you?"
Instantly, Murong Yunxi"s eyelids flew open. She looked at Gong Yu cautiously. "No way! If I let you help me, won"t you just eat me whole?"
Gong Yu sneered. "I"m not a wolf, you know. You"re just exaggerating!"
Murong Yunxi lay down on the bed, with her body turned sideways and a hand propping up her head. She stared coolly at Gong Yu. "You speak as if you"re not a wolf. Don"t forget that you just turned into a wolf the night before yesterday!"
"Oh? You call that turning into a wolf? I was just exercising my distress that day!" Gong Yu said, climbing onto the bed and lay down sideways in front of Murong Yunxi. The two of them lay so close to each other that they could feel each other"s breath. The shadow of affection swiftly permeated the room.
"If you know what"s my wolf mode like, I don"t mind demonstrating it to you." Gong Yu lowered his voice, sounding so seductively that she went numb all over.
Murong Yunxi couldn"t help mocking herself in her mind. "This man is getting better and better at seduction!"
"Speak! Who did you learn all these tricks from? Is this how you flirt with girls while filming?" Murong Yunxi narrowed her eyes and gave Gong Yu a warning look. She sounded both frank and calm.
"Oh? Is Mrs. Gong being jealous?" Gong Yu grazed his lips across Murong Yunxi"s earlobe ever so slightly, caressing her ear with his tepid breath. It made her feel like she was increasingly losing control of herself.
"You"re acting more and more like Eros each day. Where did you learn all your flirting techniques from?" Murong Yunxi feigned calmness as if she was unperturbed by him. The truth was that her heart was already numb and she was losing her restraint.
Gong Yu seemed to get closer to her with every word he spoke, escalating his provocation technique. He gently traced her hair with his finger, accidentally brushing her forehead with his fingertip. That sudden burning hot sensation made her feel like his finger was imbued with a bewitching power.
"I"m acting like this under Mrs. Gong"s provocation. No one else gets to enjoy such benefits. I"ll only unleash this talent in front of Mrs. Gong alone."
"That"s quite enough, Gong Yu!" Murong Yunxi couldn"t stand Gong Yu"s provocation or hide the changes in her body any longer.
She turned around and slipped under the quilt. "I"m going to bed!"
Gong Yu"s mood immediately brightened after seeing Murong Yunxi"s current state. He became increasingly fond of how he felt when he teased her.
He got up and entered the bathroom for a quick shower. By the time he came out again, Murong Yunxi was fast asleep.
Gong Yu lay down next to her and propped his head with his hand. He watched her peaceful face. The fast asleep Murong Yunxi had the corner of her mouth slightly curved as if she was having a pleasant dream. Her even breathing showed just how comfortable her sleep was. Seeing her like this made him feel calmer in his heart. It was an exceptional sense of comfort. He quietly savored this plain yet vivid happiness. Before long, he also fell asleep beside her.
When the two of them woke up, it was already 2.30 pm.
Murong Yunxi opened her eyes while lying comfortably inside the crook of Gong Yu"s arm. She pressed herself tightly against his warm and muscular chest. She could smell the faint fragrance of gra.s.s when he exhaled. It had been a curiosity of hers as to why Gong Yu would exude such a fragrance naturally. It was very pleasing. She couldn"t help but get intoxicated with it.
Murong Yunxi quietly observed Gong Yu"s handsome, sleeping face. His typical aloofness seemed to have waned completely and his facial features became a lot gentler. She reached out with her slender finger and mischievously began to trace the outline of his pretty face. She gently dragged her fingertip across his eyebrows, eyelids, straight nose, before lingering on his perfectly arched lips.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her naughty hand. She looked straight into a pair of phoenix-like long and narrow eyes that suddenly opened. His gorgeous amber-colored pupils seemed to be filled with magnetic power, strong enough to suck her soul in.
"Devil!" Murong Yunxi inadvertently whispered.
Gong Yu frowned at her. "Oh?"
She surprised herself by blurting the word out, but before she could react, Gong Yu had already turned over and pinned her underneath him. There was a sly smile dancing on his lips...