Chapter 17
1739 Words
Erika was talking to their photographer's assistant when she overheard what her fellow models were talking about.
"It's already our second day here on the island, the sun is so hot on the skin," one female model said in a pretentious tone while talking to another model.
"It's beautiful here, I wonder why Leatrice doesn't want to live here," the model said to her companion.
"Didn't she mention that a tragedy happened to her family? Maybe there are memories here that she doesn't want to relive," the model said to the other model.
"The family is rich and the property is huge for her to leave it behind," the model said.
"Sometimes, even if you have a big house, if you have painful memories in a place, would you still come back?" Lixue suddenly spoke, surprising the two models when they saw their co-worker.
"No, maybe I'll only come back once I've moved on so I won't remember those things anymore," Erika said as she approached them as well.
"Where did you go last night? Do you know you worried us, especially the guys and the manager?" the model said as she looked at Lixue.
Lixue didn't answer her fellow model's question. The manager approached her and talked to her about what happened yesterday.
"You worried us yesterday when you didn't come back from the sea," the gay manager said to Lixue.
"I went to the other island, manager," Lixue denied it. The staff who searched for her said that was what she told them.
"Darling, good morning," Erika greeted her boyfriend when she saw him and kissed him on the lips.
Lixue and the manager she was talking to turned their heads. Lixue and Shuji's eyes met, and they immediately looked away.
"There's another island?" the gay manager asked.
"There isn't anymore, manager. I went to visit someone I know," Lixue said to the gay manager.
"You should've just used a vehicle, there's a main road we passed through, right?" the gay manager said.
"That's still far. If I used a vehicle, it would take longer. If I swam, it was closer, I got there immediately," Lixue replied.
The gay manager fell silent. The male and female models looked at them, along with the photographer and his assistant.
"Let's eat first before the photoshoot for the Valentine's and summer collection," the gay manager said to everyone.
They went to the restaurant where they had eaten the night before.
"Lady Chen, someone is looking for Shuji Liao, and it's a woman. I asked her who she was and how she got here at the resort," whispered the woman in black who suddenly approached Lixue.
Lixue looked at their staff before standing up and excusing herself. Her companions looked at her in confusion.
"I'll just check something at the resort entrance," Lixue said seriously. She glanced at Shuji before leaving the restaurant.
Lixue went to the lobby where the receptionist desk was. She saw someone she never expected to arrive at the resort.
"Who are you?" Lixue said as she confronted the shouting woman.
"And who are you? Are you the manager of this resort? Talk to your employee. They said I'm not allowed to get a hotel room without a reservation fee, and that I need to know the owner of the resort. I don't care if I don't know the owner because I just arrived here," the woman said, raising her eyebrow at Lixue.
"I'm sorry, miss, but renting a hotel room at this resort is prohibited if you're not from here, and the owner does not allow entry without notice. What you did is trespassing. We can take you to the police station if you continue," Lixue said, making the woman frown even more.
Behind Lixue were her companions who followed her out of curiosity. The people in black blocked them from getting closer, along with the tourists booking rooms.
"Who are you? What about the foreigners booking rooms now? Are they trespassing too?" the woman said.
"Me? I'm the daughter of the resort owner. Even I am not allowed to let outsiders in without my father's permission. Those foreigners are spouses of the locals. Sorry, miss, but you need to leave before I call the police. I don't care who you are or how famous you are in this country. You're making a scene on my territory. Who are you and why are you here?" Lixue asked as family staff approached her.
"I'm Aiya Gayag, daughter of a well-known businessman in the country. And who exactly is the owner of this resort? My dad might even be richer than your family. Your family's resort is small," Aiya said, rolling her eyes.
"Come here! Do you see the arch before you reached this place and before you got off the main road? Everything from there to here belongs to our family. That's why there are no houses nearby. We don't allow anyone to step on our land without my dad's permission. Me? I'm the legitimate daughter of Jiang Chen, a tycoon billionaire from China," Lixue said as she grabbed Aiya's arm and pointed to the land around the resort.
"Aw!" Aiya cried out in pain.
"Leave now while I'm still holding back. Tell whoever disrespected us that what you did is trespassing. Whoever told you about this place should be ready because THEIR LIFE IS THE PRICE for telling you. Who are you following here? You have no business here," Lixue said. Aiya's companions fell silent.
"We'll leave, but you should be afraid. You might end up eating your words. Watch yourself," Aiya said, rolling her eyes before walking out.
Everyone saw Lixue raise her hand, and her staff nodded before following the departing people. Lixue turned around and saw her companions staring at her, fear evident on their faces. She approached them and spoke.
"Manager, I need three hours of rest before the photoshoot. I need to talk to my dad about what happened," Lixue said, looking at the gay manager and Shuji who was staring at her.
"You're scary! Your voice was different when you talked to that woman, Aiya Gayag," the gay manager said.
"I think I know her, right? Darling, she's Aiya—the girl who bullied us in school," Erika said while watching Aiya walk away.
Shuji looked at the woman leaving and then at Lixue's serious face.
"I don't remember. It was a long time ago," Shuji said to his girlfriend.
Lixue excused herself from the models. What she didn't know was that one staff member from Sakura Modelling Agency was watching her. Her staff noticed and warned them.
"Don't follow Miss Lady Chen with your eyes," the woman in black said. The staff member looked away.
Hours later
Lixue was no longer in the photoshoot. The gay manager approached Shuji and asked where the mansion was because he wanted to see Lixue. After the photoshoot, they went to the restaurant.
"I can't tell you, manager. Even when she talked to me about it, she was firm. What are you going to ask her?" Shuji asked.
"Just give her this letter," the gay manager said, handing him a folded paper.
Shuji immediately stood up and quickly left the restaurant. He was accompanied by staff, while another staff followed them. When Shuji headed toward the secret pathway, the staff pulled him back and shook their head. They went to the restricted area, and as they neared it, a glass panel suddenly dropped from above, making Shuji turn around.
"What?" Shuji said.
"Someone followed us before we got here," the staff said.
"There's glass there?" Shuji asked.
"Yes. When it senses someone trying to enter, it drops suddenly. I don't know if it hit them," the staff said as they entered the mansion.
"Where's Lixue?" Shuji asked the person who greeted him. The woman in black separated from him.
"Lady Chen is in the underground training room," the staff said.
"Can I go there or should I wait?" Shuji asked.
"We'll accompany you. Lady Chen knew you might look for her when you returned. She instructed us—since she came back, she's been there," the staff said.
They walked up the stairs and then down another set leading to the room.
"Lady Chen?" the staff called upon reaching a large iron door.
"Leave him there," a voice from inside said.
The iron door opened, revealing a sweaty Lixue. Shuji was pulled inside and was shocked to see the interior filled with Chinese, Japanese, Greek, and other weapons from different countries.
"This is where you'll train, but you won't use these yet. You saw earlier—you were followed," Lixue said.
"Before I arrived here, someone followed us. There was a glass trap in the middle of the road to the restricted area," Shuji said, sighing.
"They'll be seen on CCTV, but people won't notice the cameras there," Lixue said as she handed him boxing gloves.
Lixue changed Shuji's clothes before they moved to the adjacent room.
"Call our manager and say you're sleepy so they won't look for you outside," Lixue said.
"Alright. That place looks like a gym full of weapons from different countries. This place is cool. I guess I really need to train in case something happens to me or to Erika and me," Shuji said as he called the manager and pretended to sound sleepy.
They stood inside the battle ring. Lixue smirked as Shuji sparred with the staff she called in.
"You can do it! Release your anger so your punches get stronger," Lixue said.
Shuji learned quickly. Lixue taught him the basics of self-defense martial arts.
"We'll train again tomorrow, Shuji. Let's eat dinner," Lixue said as they exited into a hallway lit on both sides.
They walked, and Lixue pressed something—turning the wall into an elevator. She also told Shuji the code.
"The path my staff used before is still connected. Do you know how to enter?" Lixue asked.
"They tell me the code every time we enter the room. I already know it. This one too?" Shuji asked.
"It's been a long time, but because the staff maintains the house, it still looks good and not old," Lixue said.
They crossed the stairs and entered the dining area where the food was already served. They sat down and ate dinner. After a few minutes, they went upstairs to their room to rest.
- Writer
