Chapter 78

"Let me tell you, sis, that island over there is Alcatraz, a famous federal prison in California that has housed many notorious criminals. However, it was abandoned in 1963 and is now a tourist attraction in San Francisco," Lin Lixia pointed to the distant island, enthusiastically introducing it to her sister.

"Oh..." Lin Qingxia responded absent-mindedly, her gaze unfocused despite looking far away.

"Do you want to go and take a look? The ticket only costs $5, and there's a ferry to take us there," Lin Lixia continued.

"Maybe not," Lin Qingxia shook her head, "I don't want to go up there."

As she turned to leave, Lin Lixia frowned and followed a few steps behind, "How about we go to the modern art museum? To be honest, I've lived in San Francisco for so long and I've never been there."

"No need, Lixia, let's just walk around," Lin Qingxia shook her head again, refusing her sister's suggestion.

Lin Lixia frowned again, looking around for a moment, not sure what she was looking for, then asked, "Sis, is there something on your mind?"

"No... nothing, I just feel a bit tired, and I can't do anything," Lin Qingxia forced a smile and sighed.

"Then let's find a place to sit down," Lin Lixia rolled her eyes, "It's almost noon, let's rest for a while and find a nearby restaurant for lunch, okay?"

Lin Qingxia had no objections, and the two sisters walked down the street, stopping at a Mexican restaurant.

"This tortilla looks pretty good, I wonder how it tastes. I've never had Mexican food before, so I'll try it today," Lin Lixia said boldly, taking a small bite of the tortilla, then closing her eyes and exaggeratingly shaking her head before opening them wide.

"Pretty good, sis, it's sweet and sour, try it!" Lin Lixia called out in a clearly fake tone of surprise.

"Alright, I get it," Lin Qingxia finally smiled, her eyes twinkling, looking very charming.

She picked up the tortilla in front of her, mimicking her sister's small bite, and soon nodded, "It's indeed good."

"I told you so," Lin Lixia laughed.

The two sisters continued their conversation for a while, and then Lin Lixia suddenly asked, "By the way, I've never been to the villa you and Fengjiao share. When can you invite me over? Fengjiao said it's very large."

Lin Qingxia's smile froze, and she suddenly remembered the face of Lin Fengjiao she saw before leaving that morning.

At that time, Lin Fengjiao was coming out of her bedroom, her face rosy, a smile on her lips, and a clear sense of satisfaction in her eyes. When she saw Lin Qingxia, she smiled awkwardly, looking even more alluring.

There was no doubt that she had just finished a passionate encounter with a man, and she clearly enjoyed it.

Feeling a chill, Lin Qingxia greeted her and fled. The betrayal of her former ally, who had promised to stand by her, was painfully clear, leaving her distracted all morning.

Now, just as she had calmed down, her sister's question brought back those feelings, making her face turn pale.

"What... what's wrong?" Lin Lixia was at a loss, but then she smiled and stood up, waving to the door.

Lin Qingxia took a deep breath to control her emotions and turned to look at the door, only to be stunned.

A tall, handsome man walked in, greeted Lin Lixia, and then looked at Lin Qingxia with excitement.

"Qingxia, are you okay?" He walked over in a few steps and asked earnestly after sitting down.

"Charlie... Xianglin... How did you...?" Lin Qingxia was at a loss.

"I'm sorry, sis, I didn't mean to betray you, Charlie was so pitiful," Lin Lixia stuck out her tongue, "I couldn't resist his pleading."

"Qingxia, don't blame Lixia. After you avoided me last time, I begged her, I know you're still angry with me, but I really miss you," Qin Xianglin said immediately.

"It's not... I..." Lin Qingxia wanted to say something but couldn't, "I told you last time, don't come back, go home, don't stay in San Francisco, why won't you listen?!"

As she said the last sentence, her voice choked, and her eyes became misty.

Qin Xianglin clearly misunderstood something and immediately grabbed her hands, "Qingxia, listen to me..."

But Lin Qingxia instinctively pulled her hands back and pleaded, "Charlie, please, leave here quickly."

"No, Qingxia, I've missed too many opportunities, I can't miss this one," Qin Xianglin looked at her firmly, "I want you to know, I love you, I really love you!"

"I..." A warm current suddenly flooded Lin Qingxia's heart, touching her soft heart.

Although her feelings for him were not strong, at this moment, a man had traveled thousands of miles to San Francisco, persistently pursuing her just to say "I love you," which was deeply moving.

The委屈 and despair she had felt over the past period, and the constant fear, seemed to fade away. The huge gap between her and others no longer seemed insurmountable.

"Listen to me, Charlie, listen to me, I have something important to tell you..." Lin Qingxia said excitedly, determined to tell him everything, to find a way to escape her predicament, and to never submit like Lin Fengjiao. She was determined to gain her own freedom and love...

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps came from the door, interrupting Lin Qingxia's words.

Then, two middle-aged white men in suits stood in front of their table, one of them staring intently at Qin Xianglin, "Mr. Charlie Qin?"

"Yes, that's me," Qin Xianglin looked at them in confusion.

The other man immediately showed his badge, "San Francisco Immigration, please come with us, we need your assistance in an investigation."

"San... San Francisco Immigration?" Qin Xianglin looked at the white man in front of him, disbelieving, "Is there a mistake?"

"Please come with us now," the white man said coldly and firmly, not even looking at her.

"But..." Qin Xianglin glanced at Lin Qingxia, wanting to resist, but Lin Lixia pushed him, "Go now, sir."

As she spoke, she shook her head at Qin Xianglin, knowing very well that one should never resist law enforcement in the United States.

Meanwhile, the other diners in the restaurant had turned to look, and some who heard that they were immigration officials showed disdain towards Qin Xianglin.

In this situation, Qin Xianglin couldn't say anything more, forced a smile, and got up to follow the two immigration officials out of the restaurant.

What humiliated him even more was that the two officials flanked him on either side, as if afraid he would run away.

Even so, before being pushed into the car, he turned to Lin Qingxia, who had followed them out, and said, "Don't worry, Qingxia, I'll... I'll be out soon."

"Really, what's going on!" Lin Lixia, watching the car drive away, frowned in anger and panic, "Why are immigration officials after Charlie?"

Turning her head, she was startled to see Lin Qingxia standing there, her face pale and her gaze unfocused, trembling occasionally.

"Are you okay, sis?" Lin Lixia quickly grabbed Lin Qingxia's shoulder, asking worriedly.

"I... I'm fine..." she said, but her voice was already trembling.

Even Lin Lixia, who was usually slow to notice, realized something was wrong, "Sis... Do you... Do you know why this happened?"

Lin Qingxia was shaken again but calmed down, forcing a smile, "Lixia, I just remembered I have something to do, I need to leave, you... you should go back."

"What exactly happened, sis?" Lin Lixia asked anxiously.

"Don't ask, Lixia, listen to your sister, just go back," Lin Qingxia said, then hailed a taxi and left, leaving her sister behind.

The drive back to the villa in Marin County was not far, and it took only a few minutes. However, even after getting out of the car, Lin Qingxia still trembled occasionally from fear.

She stumbled into the villa and grabbed a servant, asking, "Where... where is Edward?"

"The young master and Miss Joan are in the garden," the servant replied.

Lin Qingxia finally calmed down, took a few deep breaths, and walked into the garden.

After a few twists and turns, she found Lin Fengjiao and Li Xu, but the scene in the distance made her pause.

Lin Fengjiao was wearing a thin, long dress, barefoot, and curled up on a wooden swing chair. Li Xu was holding a camera, adjusting the focus and occasionally taking a photo.

From a distance, she could hear Li Xu's "Very good" and "Just like that," and Lin Fengjiao's giggles, making Lin Qingxia feel restless, unsure whether to approach or wait.

However, Lin Fengjiao soon noticed her and jumped off the swing, saying a few words to Li Xu.

Li Xu stopped and turned to look at Lin Qingxia, waving her over.

"Aren't you at your sister's place? Why are you back?" he asked with a smile.

For a moment, Lin Qingxia really wanted to punch him in the nose. He clearly knew why she was back but still acted so casually.

But she didn't dare, knowing very well what the appearance of immigration officials meant. So she finally lowered her head and asked, "What... what do you plan to do to Charlie?"

However, his response made her even angrier, "Who is Charlie?"