Chapter 24: You Can Contact Me Anytime Part 1

She needed time to reconcile with herself.

Mu Shanyi admitted that she wasn’t as relaxed as she appeared on the surface.

Miao Zhu barely slept that night. The next day, she boarded the plane in a daze and spent most of the flight wearing an eye mask to catch up on sleep or staring blankly at the fluffy clouds outside the window.

The plane landed in a small town in Southern France at around seven in the evening local time. Only after disembarking did she learn that Lu Zheng had come too. Last night’s emotions surged back over Miao Zhu, and she stood under the intense summer sunset, feeling as though she had walked through a damp spring rain.

She didn’t hide her low spirits in that moment. Sheng Xingran thought she was just unaccustomed to having a bodyguard follow her.

“Our itinerary will have times when we split up anyway. It’s not like back home—having someone ensure your safety here isn’t a bad thing. Lu Zheng is a bodyguard my sister trusts deeply. She’s discreet and won’t make you uncomfortable.”

Miao Zhu: “…Mm, okay.”

The one who organized this trip was Sheng Xingran’s friend Flora, who came to pick them up personally.

Miao Zhu had never met Flora before. Flora was a bit older than them and appeared to be mixed-race from her features. Her chestnut curls were tied back with a silk scarf, she wore earrings, and her smile was bright and relaxed, carrying a warm affinity.

Flora hadn’t known beforehand that there were others besides Sheng Xingran, but that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.

“Xingran, aren’t you going to introduce them?” She gave Sheng Xingran a hug, her gaze sweeping over Miao Zhu and Lu Zheng before selectively lingering on Miao Zhu’s face.

“My—” Sheng Xingran drew out the word, draping an arm around Miao Zhu’s waist with a smile. “Fiancée-to-be, whom I’m still pursuing. Flora, you can call her Mia.”

“Welcome, Mia.” Flora teased Sheng Xingran with a look. “Let’s walk and talk. There’s a welcome party tonight.”

Lu Zheng carried Miao Zhu’s cello for her and carefully placed it in the car Flora had driven. Flora helped load their luggage into the trunk.

It was a four-seater sedan, and the cello took up a spot. Flora suggested calling another car for Lu Zheng, but Lu Zheng refused outright: “No need. We have a security vehicle.”

She took out two wristbands and handed one each to Sheng Xingran and Miao Zhu. “These have GPS trackers. Press here for an emergency call. The danger level in this area isn’t high, so please enjoy your vacation with peace of mind. We’ll maintain a reasonable safety distance.”

“Security vehicle,” “GPS tracker,” “emergency call,” “danger level”… Flora laughed helplessly. “Xingran, you’re so cautious.”

“It’s my sister who’s cautious.” The three got into the car, and Sheng Xingran continued, “She was nearly kidnapped as a teenager, so she always has bodyguards with her when going out, especially abroad.”

Miao Zhu sat alone in the back seat, silently piecing together the incident from distant memories.

“Some places really are chaotic. The security here is decent, but better safe than sorry.” Flora pulled away from the parking spot, and immediately, two cars followed at a controlled speed.

—It had happened. She was still young then, and when the news reached home, Miao Ling never picked her up late from school again.

She had heard that Mu Shanyi was injured in the kidnapping case, but Miao Zhu didn’t remember seeing any scars on her. Had they been removed? Or had she never looked closely enough?

From the airport to the old town, Flora occasionally introduced the highlights of the month’s itinerary to Sheng Xingran. To the right of the road stretched an open coast and pebbled beach. The sun hadn’t fully set yet, and the orange-red sunset sky spread across the deep blue sea. Many tourists stopped on the beach to watch the sunset.

Miao Zhu hesitated before sending Mu Shanyi a safety update. There was a time difference here from home— it was already two in the morning for Mu Shanyi, so naturally, there was no reply.

Miao Zhu glanced back; the security vehicle followed at a neither too close nor too distant distance.

She withdrew her gaze and unexpectedly met Flora’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

Flora had been sizing her up but smiled innocently when caught.

The town wasn’t large, and they reached their destination in just over ten minutes.

It was Flora’s own property, a house divided into four floors facing the sea. The small garden was meticulously tended, with vibrant flowers complementing lush fruit trees.

Sheng Xingran was the last member to arrive for the trip, so Flora had scheduled the welcome party for tonight.

Servers came to carry the luggage. The party hadn’t started yet, and only two or three people sat chatting on the sofas in the hall. Flora greeted them before leading Sheng Xingran and Miao Zhu to their rooms to freshen up.

The room Flora prepared for Sheng Xingran was on the fourth floor. From the room’s terrace, one could see the entire bay. The fragrance of flowers from the garden wafted up with the warm breeze, refreshing the senses.

Even after sunset, the bay twinkled with scattered lights, and the Mediterranean remained vibrant and lively.

“It’s so beautiful,” Sheng Xingran sighed.

Flora: “Mia, how about staying next to Xingran?”

“She can stay with me,” Sheng Xingran turned and said.

They were all adults and knew what that implied. Flora smiled. “We sometimes come back late. If she shares with you, you might disturb her rest.”

Sheng Xingran thought for a moment and let Miao Zhu decide, so Miao Zhu said, “Sure, next door it is. Thanks for the trouble, Flora.”

Flora told her not to stand on ceremony and opened the door to the adjacent room.