"Let's go." Huo Shenyan said, then reached out and grabbed her wrist, leading her to the driver's seat and opening the car door.
Ni Jingxi looked at him, still not understanding what was going on.
Huo Shenyan looked at her as well, a faint smile appearing on his usually expressionless face. He said, "Now, take me for a drive in your new car."
Author's Note: Mr. Huo: Honey, aren't you surprised? Aren't you happy?!
Lord Ni: What the hell is this amazing husband?
Chapter 9
Your new car...
The first four words of that sentence stunned Ni Jingxi. She wasn't ignorant; she naturally knew what brand the car was.
Brabus is the world's largest tuning company specializing in Mercedes-Benz modifications.
The car in front of her is probably worth almost as much as her house.
Ni Jingxi thought for a moment and then asked, "Is this car a gift for me?"
Huo Shenyan's gaze remained fixed on her eyes as he said directly, "This car took quite a while to customize, and we only received it a few days ago."
Actually, he had Tang Mian customize this car after he and Ni Jingxi got married.
Ni Jingxi was still too surprised, because to be honest, after they got married, Huo Shenyan wasn't the type to shower her with money, because he knew he definitely wouldn't like that.
Even when he had tentatively suggested that he could help his grandmother transfer to one of the top nursing homes in Shanghai, Ni Jingxi refused.
It wasn't that she didn't want her grandmother to live in a good nursing home, but the current nursing home cost 8,000 yuan a month, which was already the best nursing home Ni Jingxi could afford.
Ni Jingxi took a deep breath. She knew it wouldn't be good to refuse, but she couldn't accept the car.
As soon as she looked up, Huo Shenyan put his arm around her shoulder, patted her twice, and said in a low voice, "Let's get in the car first. This is the underground parking lot downstairs from my company."
That statement was indeed effective.
Ni Jingxi was put into the driver's seat by Huo Shenyan, and then Huo Shenyan moved from the front of the car to the passenger seat.
He got into the car and closed the door. Ni Jingxi, who was next to him, said, "I can't take this car."
In the end, he still said it.
Huo Shenyan wasn't angry; it was as if he had expected it. He slightly raised his chin and chuckled as he pointed at the steering wheel: "Let's test drive first. Didn't you say that if you wanted an off-road vehicle, it would be best to have a Brabus?"
Ni Jingxi was taken aback. She was stunned for a long time before she remembered that she had indeed said those words.
They said this when they first met.
...
Jerusalem.
This ancient city, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, has long been known as a holy city. Having withstood the test of time for thousands of years, the city exudes antiquity and solemnity.
There are very few high-rise buildings in the city; instead, you can see old, earthen-yellow buildings everywhere.
Ni Jingxi arrived in Jerusalem last night and had booked a hotel in advance for one night.
She changed her clothes early in the morning and left the hotel. She wandered around the city for three days, asking almost every Chinese person she could, but no one had ever seen her father.
Ni Pingsen disappeared in Israel five years ago; he was sent here on assignment.
But he never went home again.
Throughout her four years of university, Ni Jingxi never once missed out on a scholarship. She was always the best student in her department. But that wasn't enough; she worked tirelessly to earn money, like a robot that never knew rest or fatigue.
She earns money not only to take care of her grandmother, but also because she wants to go to Israel.
She wanted to go find her father.
She wanted to bring her mother's Pingsen home.
Ni Jingxi came to Jerusalem full of hope, but this ancient city, known as the Holy City, ultimately failed to bring her that hope. She then decided to go to Haifa, fortunately, because Israel's land area is incomparable to China's.
Even if she searched all over Israel, it wouldn't be a difficult task.
Her only fear was that Ni Pingsen might not be in any of these big cities, but in some small place.
She believed that something must have happened to him to explain why he hadn't been home for so long. In any case, as long as she didn't find the body, those words that made her give up didn't count, and no one's opinion mattered.
So she decided to rent a car to go to Haifa.
After asking the hotel owner for directions to the car rental shop, she carried her bag and walked along the long cobblestone alley. Men wearing black hats, a classic Jewish attire, passed by her from time to time.
The car rental place was so hard to find; she searched for ages before finally finding it.
What surprised her even more was that the person sitting at the door was an East Asian man, whom Ni Jingxi immediately thought was Chinese.
Ni Jingxi tried asking in English, "Do you rent cars here?"
The man, who had been wearing a hat to cover his eyes, lazily looked up and was immediately struck by his beauty. Honestly, he'd been running his car rental business here for so long, seeing countless people come and go.
The girl in front of me is so beautiful.
The man immediately stood up solicitously and said in a very fluent Northeastern accent, "Miss, are you Chinese?"
Ni Jingxi's usually aloof face showed a rare smile.
Visiting old friends in a foreign land.
She nodded, and the man slapped his thigh and said with a smile, "I knew it, neither Japan nor South Korea has a girl as pretty as you."
The moment the word "girl" came out, the boss felt awkward.
It just came out of my mouth, I just said it naturally.
Ni Jingxi didn't pay attention, but the boss quickly asked, "Where are you headed?"
Haifa.
The boss frowned and sighed, "It's quite far. Are you alone?"
Ni Jingxi countered, "Can't one person rent a car?"
The boss was actually well-intentioned. He said in a low voice, "You know this is the Middle East. The Middle East is not like our country. It's very chaotic. Especially for a pretty girl like you, I think you should definitely not go alone."
As he spoke, the owner scratched his head sheepishly, "And it's just bad luck, my last car here was just rented out."
Ni Jingxi never expected to encounter this situation.
"But don't worry, the guy who just rented my car was also Chinese, and he seemed like a good person. And coincidentally, he was also going to Haifa. How about I ask him if he can give you a ride?"
The boss is indeed very kind-hearted; he has already thought of a solution for Ni Jingxi.
Ni Jingxi didn't want to delay her trip any further. Her return flight was booked for half a month later, and every day of delay reduced her hope of finding her father.
She whispered, "Thank you, boss."
The shop owner chuckled and said, "This guy went to buy something, you'll have to wait a bit."
After glancing at Ni Jingxi a few more times and looking up at the sky for a while, he couldn't help but say, "What's going on today? When that guy came over just now, I was stunned. He's so handsome. I thought some big star from China had come. But as soon as he left, you showed up."
The boss was genuinely impressed. He had seen many ordinary people before, but in just a short time, the two people who came in before and after him were both so good-looking that it made him envious.
Ni Jingxi didn't say anything, but felt that the boss was exaggerating.
Until she heard a noise behind her, she exclaimed with delight, "Hey, speak of the devil!"
Ni Jingxi turned her head as well.
That one glance truly gave me a sense that life is worth living.
The man was extremely tall, with a white shirt tucked into black trousers and black boots. Although he was dressed very sturdy, his expression was indifferent as he walked slowly, and his arrogance softened his otherwise sturdy appearance.
His facial features were extremely handsome, especially his high, straight nose, which looked as if it had been meticulously sculpted.
The man was wearing black sunglasses, and as he approached, Ni Jingxi could clearly see her reflection in his lens. Even through the lenses, she could sense that he was indeed looking at her.
The boss quickly stepped forward to help her mediate.
The man remained silent, listening to his boss mutter for a long time.
But after a long time, he just stood there, neither refusing nor agreeing.
Ni Jingxi thought for a moment, then took out her passport from her backpack, opened it, and showed it to the man: "My name is Ni Jingxi, and I'm from Shanghai, China. I'd like to hitch a ride with you. I can pay half the fare for your car. The owner said there are no cars available for me at the rental shop, and you're also going to Haifa, right?"
She finished speaking in one breath, her passport still held in mid-air.
At that moment, the man finally raised his hand and took off his sunglasses. The instant Ni Jingxi's eyes met his, she felt as if her soul had been gently struck.
It's the kind of feeling that strikes deep into your heart, and then a small voice says, "Look, he should have such beautiful eyes."
The man was indeed as handsome and charismatic as the boss had described. Perhaps people are visual creatures; such a good-looking appearance and a refined demeanor made one think that he must not be a bad person.
Finally, the man spoke, "My name is Huo Shenyan. Have a pleasant journey."
That day, Ni Jingxi got into Huo Shenyan's car and headed to Haifa. Israel is a large agricultural country built on the desert, and the roadsides are vast and desolate.
The deeper they drove, the fewer people they saw.
Unfortunately, neither of them were the type to engage in casual conversation, and they hadn't exchanged a single word of small talk since boarding the bus.
The car window was half open, and the wind on both sides blew through it, ruffling the stray hairs at her temples. Outside the window was an endless expanse of azure sky, so deep and vast that not a single cloud could be seen.
The tranquility and peace at this moment make one feel that this is a country that was once deeply embroiled in war.
Ni Jingxi turned her head to look out the window, enjoying the rare tranquility and peace.
Until she saw something suddenly dart out in front of her, she shouted, "Watch out!"
The person in the driver's seat clearly sensed it too; he jerked the steering wheel, but instead of hitting the fleeting object, the car plunged straight into the sandy ground beside him.
Both of them were taken aback.
Huo Shenyan got out of the car first, followed by Ni Jingxi. The two went to the front of the car and tried to push it back onto the road, but it was an SUV and was too heavy.
Moreover, after a short while, Ni Jingxi smelled gasoline.
They then discovered that the car was leaking oil, a fact that both of them noticed. Huo Shenyan immediately turned off the car, not even attempting to reverse it at full throttle.
Huo Shenyan looked at Ni Jingxi and said, "Let's wait for someone."
Ni Jingxi knew, of course, that the only option was to wait for another vehicle to help pull the car out.