The car drove out of the hillside villa and traveled for two and a half hours.
At first, there were towering skyscrapers and bustling urban streets. Gradually, the view outside the window turned into low - rise bungalows, intertwined tube - shaped buildings, and pajamas fluttering in the wind on the power poles.
Later, there were rivers, factories, chimneys, and the dark, entangled mist in the evening sky.
"Boss, Miss Lu lives in such a remote place!" The driver felt a chill in his heart.
The man sitting in the back row just silently stared at the ring on his index finger.
In the dim light, the man had long and slender fingers and a noble air. The solitary ring on his hand refracted a faint halo.
He remained silent throughout, letting the light outside the car window skim across his side face.
Finally, the car stopped at the remote village entrance.
The driver got out of the car and repeatedly checked the old plaque standing in the mud.
There were four characters on it: Aocun Old Street.
"...... This seems to be the right place, but I don't know which way the main road in the village goes?"
It was desolate all around, and the sky was getting dark. There were faint barks of dogs not far away. The driver squatted on the muddy roadside with his sleeves tucked in for a long time but didn't wait for anyone to ask for directions.
Finally, he made up his mind and randomly chose a road to drive in.
The road conditions were not good, and there were no streetlights on either side. Several times, the car almost plunged into the gully. Fortunately, the roads in the village were all interconnected. After driving around in circles, they finally found a populated area.
"Hey, auntie! Do you know if there's a Miss Lu Xue living here..."
"Do you know this Miss Lu? Yes, her name is Lu Xue..."
"Do you know how to get there? Turn right from here?"
Along the way, the driver asked countless people for directions. Finally, wiping the sweat off his brow, he found Lu Xue's residence.
By the time the car stopped in front of Lu Xue's house, this matte - black Bugatti looked no different from the earth - moving truck parked on the street.
However, when asking for directions, the villagers' expressions were a bit strange.
"Her? What do you want with her?"
"That girl is very strange. She usually doesn't interact with us villagers..."
"Her private life also seems to be a mess. Strange men come in and out of her house every now and then. Last time I even saw an old man go in. He was old enough to be her father."
The driver wiped the sweat off his face and secretly glanced at his boss's expression in the rear - view mirror.
The information from the villagers was really explosive.
"Sir, look, what should we do now..." the driver asked tentatively.
The man in the back row just calmly said two words.
"Get out."
The next moment, they stood in front of the yard gate.
The cold wind whistled, and the night was pitch - black.
The yard in front of them was dilapidated. Half of the mud wall had collapsed, revealing the old red bricks. There was a Spring Festival couplet on the mottled yard gate, and the horizontal scroll read "May You Prosper".
The driver stepped forward first and knocked on the door twice.
After waiting for about five minutes, all they saw was a solitary lamp tied to a power pole flicker, which startled the driver.
A stray dog at the alley entrance poked its head out, eyeing the two strangers warily and growling softly.
"Sir... It seems there's no one inside," the driver said helplessly.
The man looked calm. He paused in front of the mottled door for a moment, then suddenly reached out and pushed.
The old door creaked and opened a crack.
The driver stared in disbelief: It was late at night, and they didn't even lock the door?
They walked in all the way, passed by a dry well and the withered potted plants on both sides, and stopped in front of the inner room.
The driver knocked on the door again with a trembling hand. This time, they finally got a response from the owner.
"Who is it? Do you have an appointment?"
It was a hoarse female voice with a strong nasal tone.
The moment the driver heard her voice, he had an illusion that he could retire with success and be famous through the ages.
"...... Excuse me, is this Miss Lu Xue? We've come here especially to see you."
Saying that, the driver respectfully handed out a business card.
On the business card with gold - embossed patterns, there were only three scrawled characters.
Mu Yuze.
The black ink had a unique charm under the lamp, just like the look in the noble man's eyes.