vstars Chapter 506 Even the starlight carries a fierce aura
Chapter 506 Even the starlight carries a fierce aura
"Guobao is back."
Many people were spreading out dresses of various fabrics around the sofa, and there were several display shelves next to it, filled with dresses of all colors.
A makeshift dressing table had been set up in the corner of the living room, where dozens of makeup artists were adjusting cosmetics, and several assistants were whispering among themselves. When Fang Li entered, everyone stopped what they were doing.
"There's something I forgot to tell you beforehand. Tomorrow is the Xu family's year-end conference, and Grandpa wants you to attend as well. This is a styling team that was specially invited from Paris and Milan to take care of your look tomorrow."
Fang Li's mother stepped out from the crowd, her eyes filled with worry: "Lili, if you don't want to go, don't force yourself. I'll talk to Grandpa..."
"It's okay, I can go."
Fang Li's voice was calm yet clear, interrupting her mother.
The living room fell silent instantly, and even the busy servants were stunned.
Those who know Fang Li know that she has disliked public occasions since she was a child, especially attending large banquets, which is what she hates the most.
Everyone thought she wouldn't agree this time either, but to everyone's surprise, she actually agreed.
The head of the styling team was the first to react, and his face immediately lit up with a smile: "That's wonderful, Ms. Xu! We've prepared twenty dresses and several top hairstylists, guaranteeing that you'll be the center of attention tomorrow!"
Fang Li nodded, her gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of dresses, jewelry, and cosmetics in the living room. The air was filled with the mixed scents of hairspray and perfume. The busy and grand scene seemed to be the prelude to a long-awaited debut.
She walked to a row of gowns, her fingertips gently brushing against one of the moon-white satin dresses, and for the first time, a clear light, belonging to her own, appeared in her eyes.
What followed was a lengthy process of selecting and trying on dresses that would last for several hours.
Fang Yun was worried that Fang Li would get tired, so she kept an eye on her and let her rest after she tried on a few clothes.
And so, they worked until sunset, and as the wall clock pointed to the number nine, Fang Li's dress and makeup were finally finalized.
After the styling team left, Fang Li ate something quickly and went upstairs.
The steam in the bathroom hadn't dissipated yet. Fang Li, wrapped in a bath towel, sat on the edge of the bed, her fingertips repeatedly stroking the necklace around her neck.
The stone was pressed against my collarbone, and its cool touch couldn't suppress the panic in my heart.
She opened her contacts, her fingertip hovering over the dial button, but her heart clenched suddenly.
She could imagine the moment the call connected, the sound of wind on the other end, or his deep voice amidst the static.
He said "Don't worry," but "worry" never listens to orders.
She didn't know what he was doing at that moment, whether he was looking at the same moon as her, or whether he was hiding in some corner, on edge.
She was afraid to hear the gunpowder on the other end of the phone, and as she listened to her own racing heartbeat crashing against the silent room, Fang Li finally turned off the screen and placed the phone face down on the bedside table.
The neon lights outside the window shone through the sheer curtains, casting flickering shadows on the wall, much like her anxious and unsettled state of mind.
And the Mamba at that time.
It was also late at night.
In the pitch-black forest, only the chirping of insects and the faint sound of gunfire in the distance could be heard.
Han Xi leaned against the hood of the SUV, his phone screen displaying a red dot, the coordinates of which were his old house in Haicheng.
Indeed, he had deliberately placed a small locator in the necklace he gave to Fang Li when he left the capital.
He zoomed in on the map, looking at the satellite imagery, and could even imagine her curled up in bed reading or staring blankly at her phone.
"What are you looking at?"
Deng Xiulin leaned out of the passenger seat, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Han Xi didn't look up, his fingertip lightly tapping the red dot on the screen as if touching a fragile treasure. "Where are the things we prepared?"
His voice had a barely perceptible hoarseness, "Try to finish this quickly, appease the local armed forces, and prevent them from causing any trouble."
"rest assured."
Jiang Bei took out night vision goggles from the trunk and said in a calm tone, "The military government took our entire ship of medical supplies. Last night, they replaced the outer sentries with their own people. We know the firing positions of Fourth Master's private armed forces better than he does himself."
Han Xi finally put away his phone, the gentleness in his eyes instantly replaced by sharpness.
He got up and jumped off the hood, the sound of his military boots snapping dry branches clear in the silence.
Deng Xiulin said, "The mercenaries are already on standby on the east wing of the mining area. Their equipment is three generations better than your fourth uncle's old-fashioned stuff. The local military government's armored convoy will block the western exit at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Everything is arranged."
Han Xi nodded and took the tactical backpack handed to him by Jiang Bei. Inside, there were two satellite phones and first-aid kits prepared for the most extreme situations.
He lowered his eyes and examined the items slowly and methodically.
Jiang Bei said, "I had the locals traverse the evacuation route from the mining area to the border seven times, with a rendezvous point every five kilometers."
The night wind carried the stench of blood from afar, a scent most commonly found on this land.
Occasionally, beams of flashlight beams would flash from deep within the woods; these were the hidden sentries Han Shuo had set up.
Over the years, the armed forces he has raised here have become so powerful that even the local government has to give them a wide berth. The villages surrounding the mining area have long since become no-man's land, leaving only ruins and stray dogs.
Han Xi looked up at the moon, which was obscured by dark clouds. Even the starlight in the Mamba night sky seemed menacing, but what flashed through his mind was the light in Fang Li's eyes when she smiled.
"How's it going in Jiangdong?"
He zipped up his tactical backpack, the crisp sound of the metal buckle drawing a cold, hard line in the night.
“My brother has sent word that everything is normal at the mine. Fourth Master’s men should not have discovered our presence yet. He has made preparations to meet us at the mine, and we can go there at any time.”
Han Xi looked up.
In the distance, searchlights from the mining area swept across the night sky like will-o'-the-wisps, like a giant net silently spreading across the land soaked in ambition and bloodshed.
"Let's go."
Deng Xiulin got out of the car, took the equipment that Jiang Bei threw at him, patted it off, and tossed it onto his back.
Han Xi went into the woods behind him first, followed by the other two. The three figures quickly disappeared into the forest, their footsteps soon swallowed by the wind.
The Xu family's old residence, far away in Haicheng.
Xu Fangye didn't come back tonight, and Fang Li was the only one in the whole building.
Late at night, in Fang Li's room upstairs.
The room was dark, with only a bedside lamp on.
The person on the bed was fast asleep, but a closer look revealed that she was sleeping very restlessly. Her forehead and neck were covered in fine beads of sweat, and she was nervously clutching the blanket, muttering something to herself.
Fang Li was completely immersed in a dream.
In her dream, she was in a dark forest.
There was nothing in front, behind, left, or right; all that could be heard was the howling of the cold wind and the occasional roar of a wild beast.
Fang Li stood there trembling, hugging her shoulders, completely enveloped by fear.