Chapter 2: Our Journey to Ming City
Chapter 2: We’re Going to Ming City
*Whirr.*
The motorcycle came to a halt under the banyan tree not far from the elementary school gate.
Gu Mang stretched out her long, slender legs to the ground, took off her helmet, and let her jet-black hair cascade over her shoulders.
Squinting, she glanced toward the school entrance, where a bustling crowd of parents waited to pick up their children.
It was 5:20 p.m.—Gu Si’s school would let out in ten minutes.
Troublesome.
A flicker of impatience surfaced in Gu Mang’s eyes as she swung her bag from her back to the front.
She unzipped it, revealing a large black backpack in disarray.
Inside lay a laptop.
A replica gun.
A mechanical wristwatch.
Three cellphones—two bulky flip phones and one slim.
A tightly rolled black cloth, palm-sized.
A small metal iron box.
A metallic lighter.
A pack of cigarettes.
Several sticks of candy.
Though the pile seemed small, it was heavy.
Gu Mang pulled out one of the flip phones, noting dozens of unread messages in the internal communication app.
One message caught her eye, and she raised an eyebrow.
The corner of her mouth tugged into a defiant, carefree smirk, tinged with a hint of mischief.
...
Across the street, a black SUV slowly came to a stop.
“Mr. Lu, this is the place,” the driver said.
Both right-side windows slid down.
In the back seat sat a man with long legs crossed, dressed in a black shirt. His arm rested casually on the window frame, fingertips holding a cigarette. His knuckles were sharp and well-defined, impeccably clean.
He glanced at the school and the noisy cluster of elementary students, frowning.
“Is the person here? At an elementary school?”
His profile was sharp: porcelain skin, a high, straight nose, deep-set brows half-lowered, lips pressed thin with an icy detachment.
The driver scratched his head awkwardly. They had tracked the address to a town’s elementary school and found it ridiculous, especially since none of the people gathered looked remotely like the one they sought.
“I don’t understand,” the driver said, “but the last location we had was right here.”
“When exactly?” the man asked.
“Just ten minutes ago.”
The man flicked ash from his cigarette, his cold gaze casually sweeping toward the distant tree. His eyes narrowed sharply.
The wind was a bit strong today.
The young girl sat atop the motorcycle, her black hair whipped about, radiating an ethereal aura. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful—almost unreal.
Especially the vivid red leather bracelet on her wrist, which accentuated her jade-like skin, alluring and delicate.
Beautiful.
She looked quite young; a child already in elementary school.
After a few seconds, he withdrew his gaze and asked, “How long has she been here?”
“Less than a minute,” the driver replied.
The man’s dark eyes lifted, locking onto the rearview mirror with a sharp, oppressive intensity.
“Less than a minute, and you still dared to bring me here? Do you think she’d wait around for you?”
The driver met his gaze, then quickly lowered his head in panic. “My subordinates have failed.”
With knuckles defined, the man crushed the cigarette in the ashtray. “Enough. Return to the capital and have the men continue the search.”
...
At 5:30, the school bell rang.
A boy of about seven or eight dashed out first.
He paused at the gate, glanced around, then his eyes brightened when he spotted Gu Mang. He ran toward her.
His curly hair was tousled by the wind.
He yanked off his school uniform and shoved it roughly into his backpack, then tossed the entire bag into the trash can.
He was fleeing as if for his life.
“Sis!” Gu Si called from afar.
Gu Mang lifted her gaze from her phone and saw Gu Si running over. She clicked her tongue. “Why are you running?”
“Finally escaping this hellhole! A cause for celebration!” Gu Si said disdainfully, rolling his eyes at the elementary school behind him.
Gu Mang smiled and handed him a small helmet.
Gu Si put it on expertly and asked, “Gu Yin left?”
“Mm,” Gu Mang replied casually.
Gu Si rolled his eyes again. “Idiot.”
Gu Mang stretched out her arm, scooped him up, tossed him onto the back seat, and handed him the heavy bag. “Why are you insulting her?”
“She’s brainless. If I don’t insult her, who else should I?” Gu Si clutched the large black bag, speaking matter-of-factly. “And who really wants to take care of her in the Lei family? They’re just after her inheritance!”
Gu Mang kicked up the motorcycle’s stand, revved the engine, and the bike roared onto the road.
As they brushed past a black sedan, its window slowly rolled up, and the man’s face flickered by.
Gu Mang raised a brow, the hint of a wicked smile playing at her lips.
“Sis, where are we going?” Gu Si held onto her waist and asked.
“The airport,” Gu Mang replied lazily. “We’re going to Ming City, to Uncle Lu’s place.”
Uncle Lu’s place.
Hmm...
(End of chapter)