Wen Qiao suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at him, "Are you saying I can stay?"
"Temporarily," the man’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I could also temporarily ignore you, let you continue to take your mind off things. But, once I need to find you, you must appear."
"And be ready to leave at any time?" she asked, mustering her courage.
The man’s lips curved in a smirk, but his eyes were devoid of mirth, making his face seem even colder.
"Don’t even think of staying in Manchester for life. Qiao, don’t forget, you’re supposed to return eventually," the man’s voice was cruel. "No matter how high a kite flies, its string is held in someone’s hand. If you want to break free and cut that string, then you won’t be able to fly at all."
Wen Qiao dared not speak further; she sat to the side, head bowed, lost in thought.
The man paid her no more attention as if she were mere air.
He turned to the middle-aged man beside him, "Has that person been found yet?"
"We have yet to locate Bai Youchen," the middle-aged man replied respectfully. "After all, this is Manchester, our available resources are limited. Particularly since you’ve ordered not to disturb Gu Annan. With the current progress, I’m afraid it will be difficult to find his trace in a short period."
"Continue," came the cold voice, which was the last response in the vehicle.
The car stopped in the apartment complex’s parking lot, and Gu Annan turned his head to see her, with her head cocked, still not awake.
Her sleeping visage, lips slightly pursed, a few strands of hair fell on her porcelain-like face, blown by the breeze.
He parked the car and walked over to open the passenger door.
His fingers brushed the hair in front of her forehead to one side, and she stirred.
"Keep sleeping," he said as he reached out to lift her.
Lu Wanwan opened her eyes, comforted by his voice.
She nodded her head, which still tilted, but she could not fall back asleep.
"I can walk on my own," she finally spoke up as they waited for the elevator in the apartment, unable to help herself, her gaze flickering as she looked at him. "There might be people around."
In such a high-end apartment, there are very few residents on each floor, and they seldom encounter many people in the elevator.
But in case someone came up or down, it would be embarrassing to be carried in a princess hold, with neither injury nor illness impairing her ability to walk.
"What’s there to fear if there’s someone around?" Gu Annan saw the elevator door open and continued to carry her inside. "Are you not dressed, or am I not dressed?"
Lu Wanwan couldn’t help but feel bemused, "It’s not a matter of whether we’re dressed."
He glanced down, "What else is the issue? Is it prohibited to hold someone in the elevator?"
"I’m not going to argue with you over this," she said.
Since there was nobody else in the elevator for the time being, she decided to consider it as saving a few steps.
Unexpectedly, just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone started running towards them, "Wait a moment."
A hand pressed the button from outside, and the doors reopened in the nick of time.
Lu Wanwan saw from the corner of her eye that a man and a woman had entered, both looking at them in surprise.
She turned her face away, deciding to bury her head in his chest, and play the ostrich.
After all, getting down now would only make things look worse; she’d rather not let them see her face.
She needed to maintain her dignity in public, especially with people she might run into again, which could be awkward.
Gu Annan remained silent too, his gaze swiftly swept over the two who quickly turned their backs to him, watching the numbers on the elevator ascend.
Her hot breath continuously wafted through her mouth onto his shirt with each exhale, causing his brow to furrow slightly.