Qin Shu did not know what to say when she saw the stranger admit to it so readily.
The Crimson Sand Organization was a guild dealing in death. It was an organization specializing in assassinations. For the right price, the organization would accept contracts for hire with an unprecedented mission completion rate.
Where there is a market, there are sure to be those who will offer services catered to meeting that demand.
She was about to put away her phone when she received another message.
[ Annonymous: Where are you now? ]
[ Qin Shu: Where I am is none of your concern. ]
After sending the message, she put away her phone and continued wandering through the sea of lilac flowers.
President Baâs small black body wove in and out of the swaying blooms.
Qin Shu was not worried that President Ba would get lost. He possessed the uncanny ability to find her whenever he needed. He would return soon enough.
To her surprise, Qin Shu stumbled across the loving couple again.
âWhat a coincidence! Isnât this the third time weâve chanced upon each other in two days? How curiousâ¦â The beautiful woman smiled, pleasantly greeting her fellow acquaintance.
Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, but three times? It could only be explained away as fate.
âSince Iâm in Lucaya, I thought it would be a waste if I didnât see its lauded lavender fields at least once.â
âI thought so too, so I came to take a look. The travel magazines donât do justice to the view at all! Itâs far more breath-taking than the pictures suggest.â The beautiful woman twirled around on the spot, delighting in the fields of lavender sprawling as far as the eye could see.
The handsome man patted the beautiful woman on her shoulder and said, âIf you like them so much, Iâll plant as many of them as youâd like in our garden.â
The beautiful woman arched a delicate brow, her face lighting up like the radiant sky. âIâll hold you to it. When we get back, youâll have to plant all the flowers I want. Just having lavender would be too dull.â
âDonât worry. Iâll let you decide on the flowers you want to be planted.â
Qin Shu regarded the lovely couple in front of her. Not only were they pleasing to the eye, but they also fit each other to a tee.
She was green with envy watching them.
âIâve met you three times, but youâve always been alone. Although a manâs career is important, he should still find time to accompany you.â The beautiful woman turned to her husband. âDonât you agree?â
The man nodded gravely. âA manâs wife is his whole world. Nothing should be more important to him.â
Qin Shu felt as if she had bitten into a lemon. Though the coupleâs words were said to support her, she could not help but feel uncomfortable. After all, she had been the one to distance herself from him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âSo, what is your husbandâs name? How can there be such a dense man alive?â The beautiful woman asked curiously.
â⦠him.â Qin Shu wanted to say something but hesitated.
At this moment, President Ba returned and rubbed against the side of Qin Shuâs pants.
Bending down, she picked up her mischievous cat.
The moment she bent down, the purple diamond pendant hanging around her neck was exposed. Hastily, Qin Shu covered it up.
However, before she did so, the beautiful woman caught sight of it.
âAre you finally tired of playing? Who told you to run around and exhaust yourself?â Qin Shu admonished as she gave President Ba a flick on his nose.
The beautiful woman eyed the black cat in Qin Shuâs arms. It was a handsome feline bearing a noble grace befitting its haughty species. Its dark green eyes shone brightly with a keen, almost human, intelligence. It was anything but ordinary.
Those eyes of his reminded her of Ye Siâs blue eyes.
Unfortunately, Ye Si was no longer around.
âYour cat is quite handsome. Itâs rare to see such a clever cat,â the beautiful woman praised sincerely.
Qin Shu rubbed President Baâs head and said, âI bought him in a pet shop. You would not believe how ferocious he was back then. Heâs much more obedient now.â
âMy, my. I really am getting old. Weâve been chatting for so long, but I still donât know where you live. If we happen to live in the same city, weâd be able to share parenting experiences. Wouldnât that be nice?â the beautiful woman inquired with great enthusiasm.
Caught flat-footed, it took her a while to formulate a response. âI⦠I live in Jiangcheng.â
âThatâs wonderful! I never imagined we would live in the same city!â The beautiful woman grasped Qin Shuâs hand excitedly and said, âIâm also from Jiangcheng. We should go shopping together in the future.â
The man spared his wife a helpless glance.
Qin Shu was taken aback by the beautiful womanâs sudden proposal, yet it did not impede her from agreeing. The beautiful woman gave her a warm feeling, and Qin Shu trusted her instincts, if nothing else. Besides, the beautiful womanâs suggestion had not been bad, and it would be nice to have some company on her sojourns to the various shopping malls.
âBut⦠if we go shopping together, wouldnât people think weâre sisters?â her cheeks colouring upon making such an observation.
The beautiful woman laughed.
âHow about we exchange contact details? Just add my number on your WeChat. Weâll have plenty of time to get to know each other better when we return to China.â
No sooner had she finished than her husband withdrew her phone from his pocket, handing it to her.
Although a phoneâs radiation was negligible, he preferred not to let his wife suffer its effects whilst pregnant. Some would call him an alarmist, but he would rather err on the side of caution than to allow any harm to come to his wife by way of negligence or accidents.
The beautiful woman accepted the phone and opened her WeChat. âScan the code. Itâs more convenient.â
Qin Shu looked at the actions of the handsome man and beautiful woman. Their understanding of each other was seamless, two bodies sharing one thought. To them, it was as effortless as breathing.
Observing the handsome man with a careful eye, Qin Shu was awed by the presence he seemed to exude. The manâs aura was more potent than Fu Tingyuâs, and his eyes chilled any who dared stare into them with the promise of a wintry death.
If she had not gazed into them with her own eyes, she would never have thought that he had an ounce of gentility or consideration in any bone of his body â let alone the qualities of being a good husband.
It seemed rather out of character.
Now that she could see the forest beyond the tree, it did not feel out of place at all.
Qin Shu took out her phone and opened her WeChat, scanning the beautiful womanâs code with her phone.
After becoming friends, they made notes.
âNow that I have a way to contact her, it will be much more convenient looking for her in the future.â
The beautiful woman seemed to remember something and asked, âWhen are you going back to China? I might be going back soon. Iâm getting old, and I prefer the air back home to the air outside.â
Qin Shu thought for a while and said, âI should be going back soon too. We can contact each other then.â
âOkay, okay. Itâs a promise.â
The beautiful woman chatted with Qin Shu for a while before taking the manâs arm and leaving.
When they were a distance away, the beautiful woman said, âHoney, do you know what I saw just now?â
The man pulled his wife into his arms and asked her, âWhat did you see, my wife, dearest?â
âI saw the pendant around her neck. Now, there wasnât anything wrong with it. I just thought it looked very similar to the purple diamond pendant Iâm wearing.â
The beautiful woman reached into her maternity dress and pulled out a purple diamond pendant of the purest quality for the man to see. âI got this from Tingyu.â
The man eyed the pendant in his wifeâs hand without any expression because it was not a gift from him.
âDo you think the pendant around her neck was given to her by our son? She also lives in Jiangcheng. Donât you think itâs too much of a coincidence?â The beautiful woman guessed aloud.
With his wife postulating possibilities left and right, the handsome men could not remain silent for fear of arousing her ire.âAsk, and you shall know.â
âAlright, Iâll ask him.â
The beautiful woman nodded in agreement. Instead of sliding her phone back into his pocket, she dialled her sonâs number without a second thought.
She waited for about 30 seconds before the call went through.
âSon, do you miss your mother?â
Fu Tingyuâs grip on his phone tightened. His mother would always ask him this question every time she called.
He did not know that his father was at her side, glaring daggers at the phone in his wifeâs hand.
His mother was not one to call without reason, even if that reason happened to be trivial. She was a little whimsical in that way.
Unfortunately, he did not have the time to beat about the bush.
âOf course I do. Is there something you need my help with, mother?â
âWell, of course, I do. Thereâs this tiny little problem bugging me at the moment. Did you give anyone else the pendant you gave me?â
Fu Tingyu paused for a moment. âWhy do you ask?â
âOther people may wear the same clothes as I do, but I doubt theyâd wear the same pendant Iâm wearing. I just met someone with a matching pendant today!â the beautiful woman pretended to be angry.
The only person who could possibly have the same pendant as his mother was Qin Shu.
Babe?
âMom, where are you now?â Fu Tingyu muttered anxiously.
âIâm in Lucaya. I arrived a few days ago. Oh right, you havenât told me. Did you give an identical pendant to someone else?â