The Mediterranean Sea, as blue and gentle as crystal, surrounds this city. Haifa is a city built on a hillside, so the scenery is exceptionally beautiful when you stand on the hill and look down.
At this moment, their off-road vehicle had just entered Haifa. It was very different from Jerusalem. Jerusalem exuded an ancient and profound sense of history, while this city was a leisurely pastoral idyll.
Ni Jingxi got out of the car, put on her backpack, and took out her wallet to take out RMB.
She had previously asked the car rental person about the approximate cost of renting such a car, including fuel, but she added an extra two hundred because the car had been damaged on the road and there were repair costs.
She handed the money to Huo Shenyan and said softly, "Thank you for bringing me along."
She knew the other person had no obligation to bring her, but she still hailed him. Even though she had already thanked him, she thanked him again.
Huo Shenyan looked at the money in her hand but did not immediately take it. Instead, he said, "Are you sure you want to get off here? I can take you to your booked hotel."
“No need, the hotel I booked isn’t far from here,” Ni Jingxi said calmly.
Finally, Huo Shenyan took the money from her hand, turned around and got into the car. As he closed the car door, he glanced out the passenger window and saw Ni Jingxi carrying her bag, preparing to leave.
His gaze fell on her, and whether it was a sense of it or something else, Ni Jingxi looked up.
Her eyes looked over, and their gazes met in mid-air.
A few seconds later, Ni Jingxi nodded slightly: "Goodbye."
This time she turned and left, striding forward without looking back.
But what Huo Shenyan didn't know was that she was constantly listening to the sound of the car starting up and eventually driving away behind her.
When she could no longer hear the car, Ni Jingxi finally turned around.
Those who happen to travel with you on this journey are people you'll probably never meet again in this lifetime.
She never imagined that such a short journey of just a few hours would evoke such a sense of loss in her heart.
Fortunately, she was never a sentimental person, and she picked up her luggage and went straight to the hotel she had booked. Although she had brought a lot of money with her on this trip abroad in case of emergency, Ni Jingxi did not dare to waste it.
The hotel was one she had carefully selected—cheap and safe.
Fortunately, Israel is not as war-torn as she often heard on the news when she was a child. On the contrary, compared to neighboring Syria, which is in deep trouble, her time in Israel has been peaceful and serene.
Ni Jingxi came to Haifa just to try her luck, because she didn't know where Ni Pingsen was either.
I always felt that finding another place might increase my chances of success.
Perhaps her father really did have an accident and couldn't come home, and is now waiting for her to come find him.
Ni Jingxi wasn't searching aimlessly. She first contacted the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Fortunately, the Chinese community was quite helpful. As soon as they heard that she was visiting her father, they immediately sent Ni Pingsen's photo to their chamber's group chat.
But no one said they knew him, not even someone who had seen him before.
The first day of searching was filled with hope, but as always, it ended in disappointment.
She returned to the hotel in the afternoon, and as the sun began to set, she realized she hadn't eaten all day. Fortunately, she quickly found a fast-food restaurant selling Israeli burritos.
But she was soon drawn to a place that looked like a bar nearby.
She came to Israel full of hope, but to this day she has received no news at all, and even the strongest will cannot comfort her.
So Ni Jingxi went ahead and ordered beer.
But after one glass, she was still feeling down, so she ordered another, and another. When she finally ordered another beer from the bartender, the man who had been sitting in the corner couldn't stand it anymore.
Huo Shenyan saw her when she walked in, but she was sitting at the bar and didn't look around at all.
Once he sat down, he just kept drinking in silence.
One glass after another, he was completely in a drunken frenzy.
Huo Shenyan remembered that her passport showed her that her registered residence was in Shanghai, but he didn't expect her to have such a high alcohol tolerance.
As he walked over, Ni Jingxi had just held her fourth beer in her hand and was about to bring it to her lips when a hand reached out from the side and grabbed the glass.
Ni Jingxi's eyes followed the direction, and when she saw that aloof and handsome face, she loosened her grip.
The man took the beer from her hand and even brought it to his own lips, taking a sip himself. After he finished, he whispered, "Can you buy me a drink?"
Ni Jingxi saw that he had already taken a sip. If she said it was no good now, would it count?
Huo Shenyan sat down on the high stool next to her and turned to look at her: "What are you doing in Haifa?"
Ni Jingxi looked into his eyes. This man seemed to possess a kind of magic. When he looked at her, she was silent for a moment before whispering, "Find my father."
A hint of surprise flashed in Huo Shenyan's eyes.
"Not going well?" he asked.
Ni Jingxi gave a bitter laugh, which was probably one of despair.
So she tapped on the table, asking the bartender for another beer. Her alcohol tolerance was really high; beer didn't get her drunk at all. Finally, she turned to Huo Shenyan and asked in a low voice, "Can I get drunk?"
In this foreign land, where she only knows him, can she get drunk?
For some reason, she trusted him so much.
She agreed to ride in his car the first time she met him, and the two of them, a lone man and a lone woman, shared a journey.
When I met him again, I didn't hesitate to get drunk.
Huo Shenyan's dark eyes fell on her, and after a long while, his thin lips parted slightly: "You can."
Ni Jingxi laughed, almost as if she were excited, and tapped the table to signal the bartender to bring over some strong liquor. Even Ni Jingxi couldn't remember how many drinks she'd had; her life was far too clear-headed.
So much so that she always felt that getting drunk was such a luxury.
Because drinking alcohol means I don't have to think about tomorrow, I don't have to worry about my grandmother's medical expenses, and I don't have to think about whether my father is dead or alive.
The cobblestone streets were unusually quiet; the nights in this Middle Eastern city were not as brightly lit and bustling as those in Shanghai.
Only the streetlights illuminated the cobblestone path.
When Ni Jingxi came out, her face was flushed, but she could still walk on her own. So Huo Shenyan went to her side and escorted her all the way back to the hotel.
He already knew where she lived before she got drunk.
Ni Jingxi walked unsteadily along the roadside. When she finally reached a street lamp, she stared at her long shadow on the ground and couldn't help but laugh.
She stood still, and her shadow remained still as well.
Huo Shenyan, who had been walking behind her, slowly walked up to her, his equally long shadow nestled intimately beside her.
Ni Jingxi laughed and laughed, then suddenly turned around forcefully to face Huo Shenyan, almost falling over in the process.
She grabbed his arm tightly to steady herself.
When she looked up, a misty haze suddenly rose in her dark eyes, shimmering with tears. Her eyes were fixed on him, and she suddenly whispered, "Come here, I'll tell you a secret."
Looking at her drunken state, Huo Shenyan actually obediently bent down, intending to listen to her so-called secret.
The evening breeze blowing from the Mediterranean Ocean caressed the two of them, so gentle.
Then a voice gentler than the wind whispered in his ear, “I think Huo Shenyan is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
After saying that, she slightly increased the distance between them and put a finger to her lips.
"Shh, don't tell him, or I'll get shy."
At this moment, the girl's shyness was written all over her face.
The street was silent for a long time before the man's voice finally rang out: "So, are you going to be tempted by my looks?"
Author's Note: Brother Shenyan: How can I possibly tolerate this...?
As for risking one's life to protect this, please look forward to tomorrow.
Chapter 20
That night, Ni Jingxi slept soundly, and she didn't even know why, but she slept without any dreams until dawn the next day.
When she woke up, the hotel curtains were drawn tightly shut.
There was also a man sitting on a small sofa next to the curtains.
He was so tall that he lay on the sofa with his long legs sticking out on the floor, looking a little cramped and uncomfortable.
Ni Jingxi blinked gently, staring at the man on the sofa. He was clearly not sleeping comfortably; his head was tilted slightly against the back of the sofa, and his brows were slightly furrowed.
Just as he slid his shoulder further into the sofa, Ni Jingxi thought he was about to wake up and immediately closed her eyes.
She pretended to be asleep, but there was no movement in the house for a long time.
Ni Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he probably hadn't woken up yet. She didn't know why she felt so embarrassed towards Huo Shenyan right now.
Did she do something she shouldn't have done after drinking last night?
Ni Jingxi tried hard to recall for a long time, but apart from a headache, her memory was completely blank.
She had a bit of a headache. She was naturally good at drinking and had even worked part-time in a bar, but she had never experienced such a break in her alcohol tolerance before. Especially when she was in a bar, although she didn't stay there for long, she was extremely vigilant and would never drink any alcohol offered to her by others.
She never lets her cup out of her sight.
But she never expected that she would trust him so much last night. Because of him, she drank without restraint, even if it meant drinking until her memory was completely blank the next day.
She can still rest assured.
Ni Jingxi genuinely found it strange; she had never been someone who could easily trust others. During her four years of university, she worked tirelessly part-time to earn money, encountering all sorts of people.
She had never entrusted her safety to a man she had only met once, as she had done last night.
At that moment, she opened her eyes instantly, her gaze falling once again on the person on the sofa.
She trusted him completely.
This feeling is truly wonderful, uniquely wonderful.
Suddenly, the man lying on the sofa slowly opened his eyes, his eyelids slightly lifted, and his dark pupils looked this way. But unlike the deep, penetrating gaze he had during the day, there was no emotion in his eyes at this moment; he was still in a dazed state after just opening his eyes.
His hair was probably messy from sleeping all night; he was rubbing it back and forth on the back of the sofa.
His current state of just waking up has somewhat diminished his aloof and detached demeanor, which usually indicates a detachment from worldly affairs.
Ni Jingxi couldn't help but smile.
So this is what he looks like when he wakes up.
The two looked at each other for a while before Huo Shenyan spoke up, "You're awake?"