963 Perplexed and Smitten 23

The thought of it made his heart wrench in immense pain and agony.

Ever since Mo Li left him for good, he had never lived properly again.

—

"Young Madam, these are all the information I've gathered about Hu Xin. Hu Xin leads a simple life," said Fan Shixin, handing her a stack of paper.

An Xiaoning took it from him and began flipping through the pages, all the way until the end. She then handed it to Fan Shixin and said, "Shred it."

"Alright. Did Young Sir tell you yesterday that Hu Xin looked him up at the office?" Fan Shixin asked.

"No, he's probably afraid that I would read too much into things," said An Xiaoning, who could guess the reason why he had hid it from her.

Fan Shixin remarked, "I think that girl must have thought that Young Sir was interested in her because Henry flirted with her last night…"

"I bet she was disappointed after meeting Qingyan at the office."

Fan Shixin chuckled and said, "That must've been the case. But, Young Madam, aren't you worried at all?"

"What should I be worried about?"

"About those young girls who are in their early twenties throwing themselves at Young Sir."

An Xiaoning smiled and said, "Don't you understand Qingyan's temper well enough? If those girls manage to seduce him successfully, that just means that he's not mine to keep. It's a different case if it's Henry. Although they're the same person, they're two contrasting personalities. We must be wary when it comes to Henry."

"I understand."

"Alright, get on with what you have to do, Shixin. I'm going out."

Fan Shixin excused himself while she headed upstairs. There was a chair left at the entrance of the bedroom to prevent the door from closing. After all, the bedroom could only be unlocked by Jin Qingyan's thumbprint.

She entered and closed the door.

She changed into a casual outfit that consisted of a white spaghetti-strap top and a pair of denim shorts. She picked up her bag and set off from home.

She arrived at the cosmetics store in her car. The sales assistant immediately recognized her and greeted her with great enthusiasm, "Ms. An, what would you like to buy?"

"Do you have eyeliner pens that are meant for males?"

"We do, they're over here," said the sales assistant, who led her to a product shelf near them. She then retrieved two eyeliner pens belonging to two different brands and explained, "These two eyeliner pens are the current bestsellers. It's effects are long-lasting and smudge-proof. The pigment is vibrant, and it can be easily removed with some makeup remover."

"Which one is the better out of the two?"

Pointing at the one on the right, the sales assistant said, "This one. It costs 200 dollars more than the other one."

"I shall take this, then. How much would that be?"

"Six hundred ninety-nine dollars."

An Xiaoning nodded and paid on the spot. When she got inside the car, she suddenly recalled the pastel yellow outfit of hers that Henry had put on.

She parked her car at the entrance of the shopping mall and entered to continue shopping.

She bought four sets of men's outfits that was suitable to be worn in the summer, each in a different color, namely pastel yellow, red, blue, and green.

She also bought two pairs of shoes that were in vibrant colors.

After her shopping haul, she placed the shopping bags in the backseat and brought them home. She handed everything to Fan Shixin, except the eyeliner pen. After looking at all the things that she had bought, Fan Shixin said, "How thoughtful of you, Young Madam."

"I just don't want him to wear my clothes again."

"By the way, Young Madam, that Mr. He came by again when you went out just now. He was looking for you and he left after hearing that you were not in. I told him to call you but he said that your phone was switched off."

"I left my phone to charge upstairs. I'll just call him back."

She had a gut feeling that He Yi looked her up with the purpose of discussing with her about going to V Nation again.

However, she decided that it would be better to call him back, no matter what.

He Yi arrived again soon after she called him.

An Xiaoning said bluntly, "If you're thinking of talking to me about the ancient graveyard in V Nation, there's no need for it. I won't go."

Seeing how straightforward she was, He Yi had no choice but to say, "Ms. An, please hear me out first. It's not too late to decide after hearing what I have to say."

An Xiaoning had already decided long ago that she would never return to V Nation to provoke Mr. Xiao. Regardless of how convincing He Yi may sound, she did not wish to put her life in danger again.

However, she decided to be polite and hear him out. "Please speak."

"I've been pondering over this for the past few days. I've also considered your advice carefully after our previous discussion. However, I still have misgivings… because I have a strong hunch that the highly-coveted treasure map is right inside that graveyard."

"You need basis to make such conjectures. What's your basis?"

"I've been researching V Nation for a long time and it doesn't matter whether my conjectures are correct or not. Ms. An, if you're willing to go with me and if we really do find that treasure map, we shall split the earnings by half. How does that sound?"

Remaining cool and collected, An Xiaoning answered, "Since you've decided to tell me the truth, I shall also tell you an honest truth that I'm aware of. To my knowledge, one nation had sent 3000 elite troops and several special agents to V Nation, but none of them made it back alive. Even if there were 2000 of us, I doubt we can defeat those people. Mr. He, don't you think we should just enjoy life while we can?"

He Yi was appalled to hear her words. "You… where did you hear those from?"

"You don't need to know where I got that information from, but everything I said is true. You don't have to try and persuade me anymore, I've already made up my mind and I definitely won't put my life in danger. I've already told you everything I should too. If you're still doubtful of the credibility of my words, you may go ahead and make a trip there. However, pardon my bluntness, but you'd better draw up a will to manage your assets and settle your funeral matters before you go. I'm not trying to scare you. I just really hope you will take my advice seriously."

"I don't understand. If you're so uninterested in the affairs of V Nation, why did you invite me to your place the day after we met at the classmates' gathering? Weren't you planning to find out more about V Nation from me?" He Yi questioned, airing his qualms.

"Just because I wanted to find out more doesn't mean that I wanted to go there again. That's two separate concepts. Mr. He, you've traveled to so many countries around the world. I reckon you must have witnessed countless absurdities and ridiculous entities, such as the blood-feeding tribes. Are there far more bewildering and intriguing existences in this world? The answer is a definite yes. I'm not sure what they are, however. I just know that I can't afford to incur their wraths. There's always going to be someone more powerful than you, so much more than you can imagine."

Seemingly enlightened, He Yi said, "You have a point. Your words have enlightened me and I've gained more knowledge than I would have from ten years of studying."

"You flatter me. Many people know that nothing matters more than your life, and yet they still harbor some audacious thoughts."

While they were in the midst of a conversation, Xiao Huang entered and reported, "Young Madam, Ms. Wen is asking to see you and she seems really desperate. She said that she must see you immediately, no matter what."