Chapter Forty-Five: I Cherish My Life

The journey passed in silence. After they left the Dinosaur Valley Service Area, Xiaoxiao glanced at the signpost, her disbelief mixed with surprise and delight. "We're going to..."

"To discuss business," Lin Shuo replied calmly, unruffled.

After lunch, Lin Shuo asked Xiaoxiao if she wanted to take a nap. Instead, she took the keys from his hand without a word, slipped into the driver’s seat, and fastened her seatbelt. He stood outside with his hands in his pockets, curious about her intentions.

She started the engine and looked at Lin Shuo, who was watching her. "Aren’t you getting in?"

He leaned against the window. "Better let me drive."

She shook her head. "It’s a long trip. What if you doze off? I value my life, you know."

He laughed easily and hopped into the car. Watching her handle the controls with practiced ease was amusing—years ago, even bumper cars made her shrink into his arms in fright, yet now she had the courage to drive on the open road. Some say growth is shaped by environment, but what had she experienced to change so much? He used to be full of questions, yearning for answers. Yet whenever Ziyu or Hua Mei tried to talk, he would deliberately avoid it. So, facing her again today, all he knew was that her circumstances were less than ideal; everything else about her remained a mystery.

"Drive slower," he admonished.

She was puzzled. "Am I going too fast?"

"No, you’re just absent-minded. You could even hit a lightbox."

"I wouldn’t have, if not for you—"

"For me what?" He rested his hand leisurely on the window.

She denied it. "Nothing, nothing." She certainly didn’t think it wise to let him know she’d panicked and had an accident because of his phone call.

Because she drove slowly and stopped to rest several times, they didn’t reach Lijiang until dusk. Lin Shuo made a phone call, and soon someone came to pick them up, taking them directly to his home. Xiaoxiao felt uneasy—business was rarely conducted at someone’s house.

"Brother, knowing you were coming, I planned out the day early on." Their host was a burly man, Xiaoxiao guessed he was in his thirties, with a manner that spoke of the underworld. He greeted Lin Shuo warmly, his gaze tinged with gratitude.

"And this is?" He noticed Xiaoxiao, and in that instant, mentally labeled her.

Lin Shuo replied carelessly, "Ni Xiaoxiao."

The man nodded in understanding. "Just call me Han. In Mosuo, it means ‘sun.’" True to his name, Han was as warm as the sun. He called out, and a striking woman emerged from the kitchen, her long black hair twisted into a casual bun at the back of her head, the tassel on her antique silver hairpin swaying with her steps. Xiaoxiao was mesmerized—if ever there was a delicate beauty, it was her.

Han wrapped his arm around the woman and introduced her, "Ying, my wife." The iron man, tender at heart.

Ying greeted them in awkward Chinese, her cheeks flushing with shy color.

"Sorry, my wife’s Vietnamese. Her Chinese isn’t very good yet." Han grinned sheepishly, and his explanation made Xiaoxiao suddenly understand a great deal. She glanced at Lin Shuo—so he’d planned this all along, purely for business reasons.

At dinner, Xiaoxiao was in luck—not only did she get to taste Ying’s specialty Vietnamese dishes, but also Han’s own ethnic specialty, tuotuomeat, a chunk big enough to fill a bowl, as generous as its maker. Han was a gracious host, bringing out his treasured Mosuo walking-marriage wine, and he and Lin Shuo exchanged toasts.

Lonely moments are not for romance. Chapter Forty-five: I Value My Life—now updated!