Chapter 23

Unintentionally, Ning Lan noticed that she was also staring at the figures on the beach below. Meng Zidan kicked her under the table with her high heels and asked, "Lanlan, how long have you known him? Why haven't you mentioned him before?"

"Huh?" Ning Lan turned around and reacted, "We've known each other for two days. What's the problem? Is there any issue?"

"Only two days?" Meng Zidan was taken aback and said, "Only two days, and you two are already so close?"

Ning Lan leaned over and whispered with a smile, "You don't know, this guy is really thick-skinned, he gets close to anyone..."

She wanted to tell Meng Zidan about how Lin Zixian had grabbed her hand on his first day at the company, but Meng Zidan interrupted with a sneer, "Don't try to use his thick skin as an excuse. Don't think I can't see through you... Do you have a crush on him?"

Ning Lan's cheeks immediately turned red, and she said sternly, "What nonsense, it's just because Chairman Qiao values him, so I've had more contact with him and became friends."

"Hey! Your face is already red, and you still won't admit it." Meng Zidan mocked her, coldly saying, "Lanlan, do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? This is the first time you've brought a man to my place for dinner, and you even mentioned keeping him. Others might think you're joking, but can't I see that you're trying to make it real?"

"That's not true." Ning Lan refused to admit it.

"That's good." Meng Zidan sighed with relief, "Actually, I also liked him at first sight, but I was afraid you'd be upset. Since you don't like him, I'll make my move."

Ning Lan's body trembled, and she stared at her straight. Meng Zidan immediately chuckled and pointed at her, saying, "Look at yourself, you're exposed! One test and you're caught, still pretending?"

Ning Lan realized she had been tricked and went wild, "Meng Zidan! Do you want to die!"

"Lower your voice, be careful not to be heard." Meng Zidan smiled and leaned over, studying her for a moment before gently grabbing her hand and sighing, "Who you like is your choice, I don't want to interfere, but there's something I have to remind you. You and he are not a good match."

Ning Lan didn't understand why she said this and couldn't help asking, "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the underground parking lot?" Meng Zidan looked at the figure on the beach and said softly, "When those people with knives and sticks rushed at us, I felt a killing aura from him. I often feel this aura from my brother, who serves in a special forces unit. This kind of aura is forged through taking lives. However, he doesn't have the iron-blooded soldier's aura like my brother. I know soldiers well, and I can be sure he's not a soldier. So where does his killing aura come from? And he didn't want me to call the police, which means his identity is not public. How much do you know about his real identity? Lanlan, this person is from a different world than you, I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

Ning Lan fell silent, hesitated for a moment, and slowly said, "I saw him kill a lot of people with my own eyes!"

"Uh..." Meng Zidan looked incredulous, unable to believe that a city girl like Ning Lan wouldn't be afraid of Lin Zixian after witnessing such a scene. After a long pause, she frowned and said, "You've only known him for two days, and you've already seen him kill a lot of people... He was invited by Qiao Antian... Was he there when Qiao Antian was attacked?"

"He saved us..." Ning Lan said halfway, then immediately shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Zidan, I can't say more about this now, I'll tell you when there's a chance."

Meng Zidan stared at her for a while and sighed, "If that's the case, I won't say anything more. I just see that he doesn't seem to have any interest in you..."

Lin Zixian was sitting by the rising and falling waves, smoking and letting the ash fall on himself, staring at the distant sea, his eyes somewhat lost, not knowing what he was thinking.

Ning Lan, who had come down from the terrace, sat next to him and noticed the harmonica that had slipped out of his pocket. She picked it up and gave it to him, "Your harmonica."

Lin Zixian flicked the cigarette butt into the sea, took the harmonica, and shook it to make sure no sand had gotten inside. Ning Lan looked at him and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

A hint of sorrow flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head, saying nothing. He held the harmonica with both hands and placed it to his lips, blowing a melancholic tune.

The harmonica's sound cut through the waves, light, melodious, and beautiful, but the faint sadness in the tune couldn't be hidden. Even the restless sea seemed to calm down, listening to the heavenly music of the night.

Ning Lan's surprise was evident; she couldn't imagine that a man who seemed like a killing machine could have such a tender side and play such a beautiful tune.

Although she didn't know how to play the harmonica, she had some basic knowledge. The harmonica is a very difficult instrument to master, especially the double-reed harmonica that Lin Zixian was playing, which is even harder to play, let alone play so beautifully.

At first, she couldn't tell what tune he was playing, but as the melody deepened, she recognized it as the theme song "With You" from "Castle in the Sky." The harmonica's rendition was unique and heavenly.

Under the dim night sky, Ning Lan watched him play with deep emotion...

Meng Zidan, sitting on the terrace and leaning against the railing, also looked down in surprise. The distance was too great to hear words, but the sound of the harmonica was clear. Listening to the ethereal sound, she couldn't imagine that the guy with no gentlemanly manners could have such a side.

The music was like a voice from the heart, and to play it so movingly, one had to put their feelings into it. Meng Zidan was entranced, her thoughts following the melody.

Qiao Yun, who was walking alone on the beach, suddenly heard the moving melody and couldn't help but follow the sound. When she could hear it clearly, she stopped and saw two people sitting on the beach, one of whom was playing the harmonica.

At that moment, coincidentally, a searchlight from a cargo ship on the sea shone over them, pausing on the two sitting side by side.

Lin Zixian was lost in his playing, ignoring the glaring searchlight.

Ning Lan, looking at him, saw his sad and melancholic eyes in the light and was momentarily stunned.

She couldn't imagine what had happened to this person, but the sadness in his eyes was so moving. From the tune, she could tell that it seemed to be played for a deeply loved woman.

The searchlight only paused briefly before moving on, and the two sitting side by side were once again in the dark, with only the harmonica's sound lingering in the misty night.

Suddenly, the sound of a cargo ship's horn broke the beautiful melody, and Lin Zixian came to his senses, holding the harmonica and lighting another cigarette.

In the flickering light, Ning Lan saw the lazy smile on his lips, as if nothing had happened, and he was smoking.

"Lin Zixian, who are you really?" Ning Lan couldn't help but ask.

"An Earthling." Lin Zixian shrugged nonchalantly.

"I mean your background." Ning Lan explained.

In the flickering light of the cigarette, Lin Zixian turned his head and looked at her, a playful look on his face as he blew smoke at her and said with a light laugh, "To you, I might just be a fleeting passerby in your life. Why do you need to know so much?"

Ning Lan coughed from the smoke but didn't move away, still asking, "Aren't we friends? Shouldn't we have the right to know your background?"

"Friends? Am I not the kept man you mentioned?" Lin Zixian chuckled, then suddenly looked at the distant sea, his voice tinged with沧桑 (沧桑 means '沧桑' in Chinese, which can be translated as 'weathered' or 'world-weary'), "It's better not to know. Knowing won't do you any good. We are from different worlds..."

Ning Lan was taken aback, turned around, and looked at the terrace. In the dim light, Meng Zidan was leaning against the railing. She remembered that Meng Zidan had said they were from different worlds, and now Lin Zixian was saying the same thing.

"Then which world are you from?" Ning Lan sighed, knowing that no matter how much she asked, she wouldn't get an answer.

"A world far removed from your life, the underworld..." Lin Zixian stretched, put his arm behind his head, and lay on the beach, enjoying the sea breeze, the sound of the waves, and the stars in the sky.

Ning Lan stood up and walked back, her steps uneven, and moved a chair to the terrace to lean against Meng Zidan. The two women leaned against each other.

Soon, a loud horn sounded from the sea, and a brightly lit cruise ship slowly approached the coastline, its lights like a rainbow, immediately drawing the attention of everyone on the Ivory Coast.

Perhaps the ship's draft was too deep to approach the shore, and three speedboats raced toward the shore from the direction of the cruise ship, illuminated by the powerful searchlights on the ship.

On the shore, under the lights, a couple, looking like a golden boy and a jade girl, were escorted by a group of bodyguards onto the central speedboat, while their respective bodyguards boarded the other two speedboats.

The couple was none other than Zheng Longqing and Qiao Yun.

Ning Lan stood up abruptly, her eyes full of disbelief, unable to imagine how these two could put on such a show in front of everyone. Meng Zidan, standing next to her, said, "It seems you don't know what's going on either."

Lin Zixian had already run up from below. He knew Qiao Yun but not Zheng Longqing, and he asked, "Who's the man with Qiao Yun?"

"He's the president of Shengqing Group, Zheng Longqing!" Ning Lan frowned in response.