The conditions of the hotel Xia Yanran was staying were worse than those hostels in China. The sound insulation was not good and in the corridor, the sounds in the next room could be heard clearly if it was loud.
Xia Yanran did not sleep well at night as she was afraid that someone would break into her room in the middle of the night.
She woke up at dawn, changing into the locals’ clothes, before the painted her face dark and put on the veil.
She went on a shabby bus and went on a bumpy ride towards the suburb Xiao Yi was at. The roads in the suburbs were bumpy and Xia Yanran almost threw up the food she ate in the morning.
Before coming here, she had checked the situation on the internet, but the reality was harsher than she had ever imagined.
The bus was driving slowly and Xia Yanran was on tenterhooks all the way, afraid that the bus would break down halfway. The roads were lined with weeds and the houses were in ruins, the traces of war still evident.
It took more than two hours and Xia Yanran was starting to feel restless, but there was still another half to go. By now, Xia Yanran’s stomach was churning and she felt uncomfortable.
Just when she was leaning against the window drowsily, the bus stopped.
Several black men with swords got into the car.
Xia Yanran saw that the few passengers on the bus had taken their bags out.
Xia Yanran knew that the security was not good here and those men had guns too, so she took out her bag like the other passengers.
The black men with swords took their bags away.
One of the black men stopped in front of Xia Yanran and sized her up.
Xia Yanran lips under the veil pursed tightly and her fingers curled, She lowered her eyes, not meeting that man’s gaze.
That man suddenly reached out and pulled away Xia Yanran’s veil.
Xia Yanran’s heart seemed to have stopped at that moment.
But fortunately, when that person saw that her skin was dark and had no outstanding appearance, he did not stay and left with the sword in his hands.
The bus started to move again.
Xia Yanran’s back and palms were all sweaty. This place was more dangerous and scary than she had thought!
After another two long hours, Xia Yanran arrived at her destination near noon. The sun hung in the air, like a fireball burning people’s bodies.
Xia Yanran fanned herself with her hand. Her bag was stolen, but it was fortunate that her important belongings were in her clothes.
Taking out her phone, she found Tang Chao’s number and sent a message to him. But the signal in this place was so bad that the signal went dead after she sent the message.
Xia Yanran found a big stone and sat down. She only hoped that Tang Chao could see her message, otherwise if she met those thugs again, she would be dead!
Half an hour later, Xia Yanran heard the roar of a motorcycle.
Looking up, she saw a tall figure riding a motorcycle speeding over, a dust storm rising behind him. Under the rays of sun, she could not see his face clearly.
But from his outline, she could tell that it was Tang Chao. This fellow always appeared in such a different way.
Tang Chao rode very fast and soon, he was by Xia Yanran’s side.
He had obviously become tanned after coming to Bardahl. He was wearing sunglasses and a helmet on his head. After looking around, his gaze landed on Xia Yanran. “You are…”
Xia Yanran saw his puzzled expression and could not help laughing, her tensed up nerves also relaxed.
To be honest, she was really worried that she would die before she got to see Xiao Yi.
Hearing Xia Yanran’s laughter, Tang Chao took off his sunglasses and looked at the woman who had covered herself tightly. “F*ck, y-y-you’re Beauty Xia?”
Xia Yanran took off her veil, revealing a dark face. “If I didn’t do this, you’d probably not have seen me today.”
Tang Chao got down from the motorcycle quickly and hit the back of his head. “F*ck. I thought you were kidding, why did you really come here? Are you crazy? It’s not safe here and if you’re not careful, you’ll really die.”
Xia Yanran pointed at her face. “That’s why I have to do makeup like this.”
Tang Chao looked around Xia Yanran and raised his eyebrows. “Your bag was stolen?”
“Yes. But it’s lucky that I hid my important belongings on my body. So I’m okay.”
Looking at the optimistic Xia Yanran, Tang Chao shrugged. “You’re really not afraid of death for the sake of love.”
Xia Yanran smiled shyly.
Tang Chao patted the back seat of the motorcycle. “Brother Xiao went to the construction site. The signal’s not good there. I’ve sent him a message and I think he won’t see it for some time, so I’ll take you to where we live first.”
Xia Yanran nodded.
Along the way, Xia Yanran learned from Tang Chao that the city where their construction site was called Peace City. It used to be one of the most prosperous cities of Bardahl, but the war had destroyed everything.
When they arrived at Peace City, Xia Yanran saw that the houses on both sides of the road were shabby. They were either missing a door or window, or collapsed in shambles, looking extremely desolate.
Tang Chao took Xia Yanran to a building that had once been a government building. The building had lost its prior splendor and was covered with marks. At the door, Xia Yanran saw several women drying blankets and a few little boys without any clothes on.
“We’re staying here for the time being. These women lost their husbands and help with the cooking and laundry here.”
Xia Yanran nodded and greeted the women in English, before following Tang Chao into the house.
Tang Chao took Xia Yanran to the room right at the east on the third floor. “Brother Xiao stays here. You must be tired. I’ll go get some water and food first. You take a rest and have a nap.”
Xia Yanran nodded. “Alright, thank you.”
“No trouble. When Brother Xiao comes back and sees you, he’ll be over the moon.”
After Tang Chao left, Xia Yanran looked around the room. It was simple and dilapidated.
There was only one bed, one table and a stool with missing legs. There were spider webs in the corner of the wall and other than the bed, the rest of the room was covered in dust.
Xiao Yi must be very busy usually and he did not like anyone coming into his room, so those women did not tidy up his room.
After Tang Chao brought water and food up, Xia Yanran washed her face and ate a few bites of the food. First she took off the bedsheet and blanket, then she carried Xiao Yi’s dirty clothes and went downstairs to wash them.
The women were stunned when they saw Xia Yanran coming. The woman who followed Tang Chao up was clearly dark-skinned, how did she become a fair and beautiful girl in just a short while?
Xia Yanran smiled and greeted them, as well as explaining her skin color.
The women were very friendly and seeing Xia Yanran carrying Xiao Yi’s clothes, they understood that she might be CEO Xiao’s girlfriend and showed her where to wash the clothes.
It was sunny here and the clothes and blankets were dry by the evening.
Xia Yanran put the bedsheet on the bed and lay on it, her heart pounding. Xiao Yi was not back yet and she did not know how he would feel when he saw her after he returned.
