Kristino paused and looked up at the woman who was playing peacemaker. Before he could speak, Du Ruoxin added, "Aiden is so well-behaved and so cute, I can't bear for him to be bullied later."
"If you don't want to, I'll hold him up for them to see."
Kristino: "—"
He had been presented with a fait accompli!
However, he found he couldn't refuse as long as she was happy.
He silently withdrew his gaze, continued to grill the beef, and said indifferently, "Whatever you say."
When the meat was ready, he put it into her bowl.
"Eat up quickly." Once she was full, she wouldn't have time to concern herself with other people's affairs.
The two of them had a pleasant breakfast, enjoying the sunrise and beautiful scenery while eating delicious food.
Life, it was nothing more than this.
In a burst of enthusiasm, she suddenly felt the urge to paint, to capture this beauty.
"Do you have a drawing board and paints?"
Du Ruoxin asked.
Kristino didn't say much and immediately called someone to have them delivered.
Du Ruoxin wanted to say, "Don't bother," as she might lose interest by the time the items arrived.
But her elder brother had already hung up the phone.
"Let's go, we haven't reached our destination yet."
Full and satisfied, they continued their journey.
Du Ruoxin missed this morning's sunrise, but it didn't matter; there would be tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that...
This time, Kristino hadn't set a time limit for himself.
As they reached the mountain summit by cable car, it began to rain, making hiking impossible. They could only engage in indoor activities.
Du Ruoxin listened to the pattering rain and felt a bit sleepy.
She hadn't slept enough that morning.
She yawned twice.
Kristino arranged for a room from a friend for her to rest and asked her what she wanted for lunch.
"Meat."
Du Ruoxin's only answer.
Kristino was taken aback by the answer, then smiled and said, "Alright, how about I make you roast suckling pig?"
"Okay," Du Ruoxin had no objections.
As long as there was meat to eat and Er Bao was happy, she was happy.
—
Grace did not escalate the conflict with the mercenaries. Someone pulled her away, preventing a tragedy.
"Sorry, sorry, she has a bit of a temper."
"Come on, let's go prepare lunch, we'll have to sort it out ourselves."
The accompanying woman apologized to the mercenaries while pulling Grace far away.
Once the gun was out of sight, she reprimanded Grace, still shaken, "Are you trying to get yourself killed, arguing with those desperadoes?"
Grace: "..."
She wasn't arguing, she was just—
Relieved that the mercenaries hadn't discovered the secret of the cross, she breathed a sigh of relief.
However, how was she supposed to contact the outside world now?
She wondered if Kristino had sent anyone to follow them? If...
It seemed she could only rely on herself!
Grace shook her head bitterly, thanked the woman, and began to build a fire to cook.
"Grace, wash these vegetables," the woman said, handing her a basket of freshly picked wild vegetables.
Grace replied, "Okay," and walked to the stream.
The stream was crystal clear, flowing gently. There were fish, shrimp, and crabs in the water, completely unpolluted. If she hadn't had a gun pointed at her, she would have thought she was here for camping or a vacation.
Grace thought, trying to find humor in the situation.
She scooped up some cool stream water and tasted it. It was slightly sweet, thirst-quenching, and very delicious. She drank several mouthfuls.
Grace washed her face again, then washed the wild vegetables and prepared to go back to cook. Just then, she heard a rustling sound from the other side of the stream.