Emma turned and walked towards Su Yiheng. As she approached, she didn't stop, forcing Su Yiheng to step back.
Between this advance and retreat, Su Yiheng found herself cornered against the wall.
Su Yiheng couldn't help but ask angrily, "What do you want to do?"
Emma looked at her and smiled, a smile that was unexpectedly sweet. If it weren't for Su Yiheng being pressed against the wall, she might have thought the atmosphere wasn't bad.
Until Emma's voice, very calmly said, "Miss Su, it seems I need to remind you."
Her voice paused slightly, and her smile grew more brilliant.
"What are you?"
Emma spoke again, her voice suddenly full of momentum. The sweet smile turned into contempt and disdain as the corners of her mouth curled up.
Emma looked at her and said in a stunned voice, "Whether it's announcing our marriage or gaining the recognition of our elders, that's between my husband and me. So, who are you to talk to me?"
Su Yiheng's pupils suddenly tightened, clearly not expecting Emma to be such a character. From her limited interactions with Emma, she wasn't a talkative person.
She subconsciously thought Emma was a character she could manipulate.
That's why she couldn't help but vent the anger she received from Jason on Emma.
But now, the person she thought was a pushover looked down at her with disdain and said another sentence.
"You're not even qualified to be a mistress."
After speaking, Emma turned and left. However, when she was about to reach the door, she turned her head and looked at Su Yiheng, who was still standing in place, and smiled lightly, "Do you want to know why Jason married me?"
"Because he is willing to protect me with his life."
*
Haifa is a port city in northern Israel and the third-largest city in the country. Compared to the holy city of Jerusalem and the internationally recognized capital of Tel Aviv, this city is less famous.
But this doesn't prevent it from being an extremely beautiful city.
The Mediterranean Sea, as blue and gentle as colored glaze, surrounds the city. Haifa is a city built on a mountain, so the view from the mountain is particularly beautiful.
At this moment, their off-road vehicle just entered Haifa city, which is very different from Jerusalem. Jerusalem exudes ancient and heavy historical feelings, while this city is a leisurely pastoral song.
Emma got out of the car, put on her backpack, and took out her wallet from it.
She had asked the car rental person before about the cost of renting such a car and the fuel fee, but she added another 200 because the car was damaged on the road and needed maintenance.
She handed the money to Jason and said softly, "Thank you for being willing to take me here."
She knew the other party had no obligation to take her, but they still came. Even though she had already said thank you, she still thanked him again at this time.
Jason looked at the money in her hand and didn't take it immediately, but said, "Are you sure you want to get off here? I can take you to the hotel you booked."
"No, the hotel I booked is not far from here," Emma said lightly.
Finally, Jason took the money from her hand and got in the car. When he closed the car door, he looked at Emma from the passenger window, who was about to turn around with her backpack.
His gaze fell on her, and somehow, Emma looked up.
Her eyes looked over, and their gazes collided in mid-air.
A few seconds later, Emma nodded slightly, "Goodbye."
This time, she turned around and walked forward without looking back.
But what Jason didn't know was that her ears were always listening to the sound of the car starting and finally driving away slowly.
When she could no longer hear the sound of the car, Emma finally looked back.
A person who happened to travel together for a while in her life would never meet again.
She never thought that such a short journey would make her feel a sense of loss.
Fortunately, she was never a sentimental person and carried her luggage directly to the hotel she booked. Although she brought a lot of money out of the country this time to be prepared for any emergency, Emma didn't dare to waste it.
The hotel was carefully selected by her as cheap and safe.
Fortunately, Israel is not as frequently plagued by conflict as it was often portrayed during Emma's childhood in the news broadcasts. Compared to its neighbor Syria, which is in turmoil, the time she has spent in Israel has been peaceful and serene.
Emma's trip to Haifa is more of a long shot, as she has no concrete information about Ni PingSen's whereabouts. She feels that searching in one more place might increase her chances of finding him. Perhaps her father has merely had an accident that prevents him from returning home and is waiting for her to find him.
Emma is not searching aimlessly; she first visits the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Fortunately, the Chinese community is quite热心, and upon hearing that she is looking for her father, they immediately circulate Ni PingSen's photo in their group chat. However, no one claims to know him, not even those who have seen him.
The first day of her search is filled with hope but ends in the usual disappointment. When she returns to her hotel in the afternoon, as the sun sets, she realizes she hasn't eaten all day. She soon finds a fast-food restaurant selling Israeli wraps.
But she is quickly drawn to a place that looks like a bar nearby. Having come to Israel with high hopes, she is disheartened by the lack of any news. So, Emma indulges herself; she goes in and orders a beer.
After one cup, her mood remains gloomy, so she orders another, and another. When she asks the bartender for yet another beer, a man who has been sitting in the corner can't bear to watch any longer.
Jason noticed her when she walked in, but she was seated at the bar and didn't look around. Once seated, she just drank silently, one cup after another, with the clear intention of getting drunk.
Jason recalls from her passport that her registered residence is in Shanghai. He didn't expect her to have such a good tolerance for alcohol.
As he approaches, Emma has just raised the fourth beer to her lips. Before she can take a sip, a hand reaches over and grasps the glass. Emma's gaze follows, and upon seeing the coldly handsome face, her grip loosens.
The man takes the beer from her and, to her surprise, drinks from it himself before saying in a low voice, "You're buying me a drink, right?"
Emma watches as he takes a sip. It's too late to refuse now.
Jason sits down on the stool next to her and asks, "Why are you in Haifa?"
Emma looks into his eyes, and there's something magnetic about him. After a moment of silence, she softly replies, "Looking for my father."
Jason's eyes show a flicker of surprise.
"Not going well?" he inquires.
Emma gives a bitter smile; it's more like despair.
She taps the table to signal the bartender for another beer. Her alcohol tolerance is so good that beer doesn't make her drunk. Finally, she turns to Jason and asks in a low voice, "Can I get drunk?"
In this foreign land, with only him as an acquaintance, can she allow herself to get drunk?
For some reason, she trusts him so much. She was willing to ride in his car when they first met, a journey shared by a man and a woman alone. The second time they met, she doesn't hesitate to get drunk.
Jason's dark eyes rest on her, and after a while, his thin lips part, "You can."
Emma smiles, as if excited, and taps the table again, asking the bartender to bring over spirits. She can't remember how many glasses she had. Her life has been too sober.
Getting drunk is such a luxury because it means not thinking about tomorrow, not worrying about her grandmother's medical expenses, and not pondering whether her father is alive or dead.
On the cobblestone streets, the surroundings are particularly quiet. The nights in this Middle Eastern city do not have the bustling brightness of Shanghai's myriad lights.
Only the street lamps illuminate the cobblestone paths.
When Emma comes out, her face is flushed, but she can still walk on her own. So Jason walks beside her, escorting her back to the hotel.
He already knew where she was staying before she got drunk.
Emma staggered along the roadside, and when she finally reached a streetlight, she looked at her elongated shadow being cast on the ground, and couldn't help but laugh.
She stood still, and her shadow remained motionless as well.
Jason, who had been walking behind her, slowly caught up, and his long shadow intimately snuggled up beside hers.
The more Emma laughed, the happier she became. Suddenly, she turned forcefully to face Jason, almost losing her balance.
Her hand grabbed his arm to steady herself.
When she looked up, her dark eyes suddenly misted over, filled with a watery brightness. She stared at him and whispered, "Come here, I have a secret to tell you."
Jason looked at her drunken state and actually obediently bent down to listen to her so-called secret.
The evening breeze from the Mediterranean Sea gently brushed against them, tender and gentle.
Then, a voice even softer than the wind slowly echoed in his ear as she said softly, "I think Jason is the most handsome man I've ever met."
After speaking, she slightly pulled away, putting a finger to her lips.
"Shh, don't tell him, or I'll be shy."
At that moment, the girl's shyness was written all over her face.
The street was silent for a long time, and finally, the man's voice rang out, saying, "Then do you want to be tempted by my looks?"
That night, Emma slept very soundly, and she didn't know why, but she slept dreamlessly until the next day.
When she woke up, the curtains in the hotel room were tightly closed.
There was also a man sitting on the small sofa next to the curtains.
He was too tall, lying in the sofa with his long legs stretched out on the floor, looking a bit cramped and uncomfortable.
Emma blinked gently, staring at the man on the sofa; it was obvious he didn't sleep comfortably, his head slightly tilted, leaning against the back of the sofa, his brows slightly furrowed.
Just as he squeezed his shoulders further into the sofa, Emma thought he was about to wake up and immediately closed her eyes.
She pretended to be asleep, but the room remained still for a long time.
Emma let out a sigh of relief, thinking he hadn't woken up yet. She didn't know why she felt so shy around Jason at the moment.
Could it be that she did something she shouldn't have done after drinking last night?
Emma tried hard to recall, but apart from a headache, her memory was blank.
She felt a bit headache; she naturally had a good tolerance for alcohol and had even worked part-time in a bar, but she had never experienced such a memory gap. Especially in the bar, although she didn't stay for long, she was extremely vigilant, never drinking any alcohol given to her by others.
She never let her glass out of her sight.
But she didn't expect that she would trust him so much last night, feeling unrestrained in drinking because of him, even if it led to a blank memory the next day.
She still felt at ease.
Emma really found it strange; she was never someone who could easily trust others. During her four years of college, she worked hard to earn money and had seen all kinds of faces.
She had never trusted a man she had only met once before, leaving her safety to him.
At this moment, she suddenly opened her eyes again, her gaze falling on the man on the sofa.
She trusted him, from the bottom of her heart.
This feeling was really strange, wonderfully strange.
Suddenly, the man lying on the sofa slowly opened his eyes, his eyelids slightly lifting, his dark pupils looking over. Unlike the deep profundity of the daytime, his eyes held no emotions at the moment, just a dazed state of having just woken up.
His hair, likely due to a night on the sofa, was tousled from being rubbed back and forth against the sofa back, diminishing the aloof and detached aura that usually surrounded him. Emma couldn't help but smile at the sight.
So this is what he looks like when he first wakes up.
They held each other's gaze for a moment before Jason spoke, "Are you awake?"
Emma was still in bed, her black hair sprawled loosely on the white pillow, with a thin blanket covering her chest, revealing a slender, fair neck.
Surprise flickered across her face, her dark eyes, freshly awakened from sleep, were as bright and transparent as colored glaze.
The next moment, Emma sat up from the bed and looked at him, her first words being, "I'm sorry."
If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have had to spend the night on the tiny sofa in her small room.
Jason slowly straightened his body, clearly feeling the discomfort of the night's sleep, with aches and pains throughout his body.
He looked up at her.
Emma was genuinely embarrassed by his gaze, not for any other reason, but because he had truly watched over her all night, due to her impulsiveness and a single sentence.
She wasn't fond of troubling others, always being strong and independent enough to bear everything on her own.
Yet, meeting him for only the second time, she found herself relying on him...
Jason let out a soft chuckle and said lightly, "I promised you."
Since he had promised, it was his duty to protect her.
He slowly stood up, his shirt, which had been relatively neat, was now wrinkled beyond recognition after the night, signaling his intention to leave.
Watching his movements, Emma said, "Thank you for last night."
She quickly threw off the covers and got out of bed, not finding her slippers, she stood on the cold floor barefoot, urgently saying, "How about I treat you to a meal?"
"Breakfast, is that okay?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Emma had never encountered such a situation before; she was not good at handling emotions. Previously, she hadn't met anyone who stirred her feelings. Now that she had, she realized that the thought of him leaving made her feel anxious.
Moreover, since he had watched over her all night, it wouldn't be inappropriate for her to invite him for breakfast.
Jason looked down at her feet, which were directly on the cold floor. Her feet were truly beautiful, with delicate arches and slightly protruding joints, and her toes were white and slender.
At this moment, whether from the cold or for another reason, her big toe curled up slightly.
Jason said in a low voice, "Put on your shoes first."
Emma's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked down at her toes, but the next second she asked again, "So, are you eating?"
Jason suddenly laughed.
He looked up at her, his voice husky, "I'm not leaving."
Emma was taken aback, a smile immediately appearing on her face, but it froze as she looked down at her clothes, still the same as yesterday's, and the smell of alcohol on her.
Emma nodded calmly, her voice as composed as usual, "Wait for me a moment, I'll take a shower."
Jason nodded and sat back down on the small sofa.
Emma gathered her clothes and quietly entered the bathroom, but the moment the bathroom door closed, she let out a soft exclamation, "Emma, you fool."
She was cursing herself through gritted teeth.
Jason, who had already taken out his phone to check messages, looked up, his eyes resting on the closed bathroom door.
For a moment, a smile appeared on his face, shaking his head gently.
Emma took a shower as quickly as possible, but as with all women, just washing her long hair took twenty minutes. By the time she came out, half an hour had passed.
Emma, dressed in a blue shirt and white wide-leg pants, looked particularly fresh and clean. Her trip to Haifa was for finding someone, not for sightseeing, so her suitcase was filled with either trousers or shorts, with the wide-leg pants being the only slightly fashionable item.
When she was ready and left the room, Emma realized it was already past eight in the morning, which was a reasonable time for breakfast. However, she hadn't researched any Haifa food guides and had no idea where to eat.
Jason turned to her and suggested, "How about going to the hotel where I'm staying?"
Emma nodded in agreement. When they arrived, she looked up at the grand and spacious building with its rich Middle Eastern style luxury.
"Do you mind if I go upstairs and change my clothes first?" Jason asked.
Emma remembered he was still wearing the wrinkled shirt from yesterday and quickly shook her head, "You change first, I'll wait downstairs."
"Come on, let's go up together," Jason said.
Emma watched as he pressed the elevator button, and she followed him upstairs.
Upon entering the room, Emma suddenly realized how much discomfort Jason had endured last night. He was staying in a suite with a kitchen and a bar area stocked with various beverages, and an entire wall made of glass offered a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea below.
The sea was as clear and bright as a sapphire, so beautiful it was almost breathtaking.
"I'll take a shower first, just a moment," Jason said softly.
Emma nodded, and after he went into the bedroom, she walked to the glass window and gazed at the deep ocean, almost unable to tear her eyes away. Since setting foot in Israel, she had not considered leisure or sightseeing, but at this moment, she was captivated by the view.
After a while, Jason emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered and changed into new clothes, and saw Emma standing by the window.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Jason went to open the door.
Emma turned to look and saw a waiter pushing a meal cart in, then proceeded to wheel it to the table and set up breakfast.
While Emma looked surprised, Jason said, "The view from this room is better than the restaurant downstairs."
Emma smiled and agreed, "It's really beautiful."
They ate in silence, not exchanging many words until they finished eating.
Suddenly, Emma's phone on the table rang, and her eyes lit up as she looked down at it. She opened the message and read it again.
It was news from the Chinese community group that a Chinese businessman in Israel seemed to remember Ni PingSen, even providing an address.
Emma's heart felt as if it had been plunged into warm water, coming to life instantly. She stood up immediately.
"I have to go," she said softly to Jason.
Jason's gaze fell on her hand, about to speak, but her voice rang out again, "Thank you for your hospitality, Jason."
A single "Jason" made the distance between them feel vast and distant again.
Emma lowered her eyes and left without looking at him, clutching her phone and turning to leave.
When she reached the bottom of the hotel, she looked up at the grand building, her mind filled with the breathtaking view of the ocean in a room upstairs and the handsome, aloof man sitting by the white dining table.
She used to think she was immune to romantic dreams, only to realize now that it was because she hadn't met the right person.
Unfortunately, even if she had met him, it seemed like nothing more than a gorgeous and romantic dream in a foreign land.
Just like her desire to drink last night, sometimes being too sober is truly pitiful.
Emma returned to her simple hotel, took off her bright and beautiful clothes, and changed back into a T-shirt and jeans.
The girl in the mirror had a resolute expression, her face devoid of the shy and lovely look from earlier.
She put her backpack on again and went downstairs, ready to find a car rental place because the location was not in Haifa city, but in a town an hour away from Haifa.
As Emma descended the stairs, she saw a man standing at the cramped front desk of the hotel. Hearing the creaky sound of footsteps from above, he slowly turned his head. Jason looked up at her quietly and asked, "Where are you going?"
Emma was taken aback but after a moment, she replied with a place name: "Losa Town."
"Coincidentally, I'm heading there too. Let's go together," Jason said with a nonchalant expression.
Emma: "..."
Before she could say anything, he had already stepped forward and taken her backpack.
*
However, things did not go smoothly. When they arrived at the small town, the boss was not at home, reportedly having gone to Tel Aviv and would only return in two days. So Emma had no choice but to return to Haifa.
She was about to rush straight to Tel Aviv to find the person, but Jason stopped her, advising her not to be in such a hurry, in case the person came back on the way.
On the third day, as dawn broke, Emma once again slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked to the hotel entrance.
The familiar red off-road vehicle was still parked at the door. Jason, standing by the car, looked up at her.
Emma looked at him and asked first, "Is it a coincidence this time too?"
Jason nodded indifferently, "The scenery there is quite nice."
Emma listened to his blatant lie. Israel, a country where most of the land is desert, may have cities like Haifa that are close to the sea and can be considered pleasant. But the surrounding small towns, when looked at, are a sea of earthy yellow.
When they arrived at the small town, Emma finally met the businessman. He looked at the photo in Emma's hand, a family portrait taken before Ni PingSen left the country, with her and her grandmother.
The man nodded, "I do have an impression. He was an accountant, right?"
"Yes, that's correct." Emma's voice was almost trembling. This was the first clue she had after so many days.
Ni PingSen was originally sent abroad, but after his accident, the company quickly went bankrupt, and some employees were stranded here, eventually arranged to return to China by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, Emma didn't have any of this information, and the person in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had told her.
Her father's disappearance was a sudden incident. He was supposed to be resting in the dormitory on his day off. But when others didn't see Ni PingSen for a day, and he was still not there the next day at work, they realized something had happened. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately issued a notice, searching for him throughout Israel.
"I remember your father's accident caused quite a stir at the time, but Israel is different from our country. There's not much surveillance here. We don't know where your father went."
The man's words plunged Emma's heart into despair.
She left the shop in a daze, as if in a trance. From beginning to end, she held onto the firm belief that her father was still alive. Some people said she was too foolish and stubborn, not accepting reality.
But must one who hasn't seen a corpse be declared dead, is that accepting reality?
The sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight was scorching.
Jason stood a few meters away, quietly watching her. He knew that at this moment, she didn't need any verbal comfort, just some quiet time.
The surroundings were very quiet, so when a loud noise exploded around them, it felt like the end of the world.
Not far away, a house that was still intact suddenly exploded, the roof was lifted off, the walls were broken in half, and it instantly became ruins.
Emma was also shocked by the loud noise and looked back.
As she stood there in a daze, Jason rushed over, grabbed Emma's hand, and ran forward.
Just as they left, a shell really fell where Emma had been standing, and the same scene happened again, the house was once again shattered.
But this explosion was too close, and the debris from the explosion flew through the air, wildly hitting the surroundings.
The surroundings had turned into a living hell, with cries, shouts, and even the cries of children interwoven.
Until another huge shockwave exploded behind them, at this moment, her mind was blank.
Only the hand beside her was always tightly holding her.
When she was knocked forward by the shockwave, the person beside her suddenly pulled her into his arms, and they both fell forward together.
Debris and tiles fell madly around them.