Translator: TYZ Editor: Book_Hoarder
Ren Baqian and the empress were walking across Charles Bridge. The empress had activated her glowing bracelet again. Bone-piercing chilliness exuded from her body. Everyone around her subconsciously kept half a meter away from her. This was an instinctive action, but most people couldn't sense it.
Even though there was a multitude of people on the bridge, it wasn't really cramped. Therefore, not many people realized there was a gap between them and the empress.
On the bridge, Ren Baqian and the empress saw the source of music and drumbeats they'd heard just now. A guy sitting on the side of the bridge was beating a hand drum while blowing a 1.5-meter-long pipe at the same time. The pipe gave off a hollow and distant tune while the drumbeat added a primitive twist to it.
After watching the guy perform for a while, they walked past him.
There were 30 statues mounted to the balustrade of Charles Bridge. Every statue had its own story.
Walking along the bridge, Ren Baqian was narrating the story of a stature to the empress. Actually, he was merely reciting the story from his phone. He simply failed as a tour guide. Furthermore, he wasn't conscientious. After narrating one story, he became bored and put his phone away inside his pocket.
The empress did not know the classical stories behind these statues, so she, therefore, could not understand their deep cultural importance. She simply did not care whether or not Ren Baqian told her the stories.
Of course, Ren Baqian also couldn't sense this.
The scenery of the riverbank from the bridge was very beautiful, especially the historical district on the other end of the bridge. The spaces were filled with alternating red and white houses and tall gothic-style towers. These foreign and graceful structures were much interesting to look at than the statues.
Taking out his old phone and activating the phone camera, Ren Baqian appeared beside the empress and said, "Zixiao, give me a smile!"
On the picture, one person had a brilliant smile on his face while the other person cast a gorgeous and exquisite gaze into the distance.
Their background contained a sea of people and the statues mounted on Charles Bridge.
"It's such good weather but there are so many people!" After Ren Baqian uploaded a Moment on WeChat, he switched off his phone.
Papa Ren, "..."
Mama Ren, "..."
Ren Wannian, "..."
Chen Qing, "..."
A particular department, "..."
Everyone was speechless. They had never seen anyone that was on the run behave like this before.
When Papa Ren and Mama Ren saw this picture, they looked at each other and remained speechless. Ren Baqian looked lively, cheerful and lighthearted. They could not tell that he was a wanted man.
Neither of them knew whether they should heave a sigh of relief or continue worrying for him.
At least Ren Baqian looked like he was leading a good life now. However, he couldn't be on the run forever. After all, he already had a foot in jail. Papa Ren and Mama Ren held great reverence for the nation.
"Who is this? This girl is really beautiful, she is even more beautiful than movie stars." Ren Wannian was looking at his phone in his dormitory. He had a bright look of amazement on his face. When his constipated-looking roommate saw his facial expression, he immediately rushed over and peeked at the picture on the phone. Following which, he turned dumbstruck.
"It's my brother and his girlfriend," Ren Wannian guessed. He realized that this girl kept on appearing in Ren Baqian's recent Moments.
"He's too godly. You have to let me take a look at your sister-in-law personally one day. I want to see if she looks different from the photo or not," Ren Wannian's roommate proclaimed as slapped his shoulder.
"..." Ren Wannian did not know whether to laugh or cry.
He simply did not know what to say.
Should he say that his brother was on the run because he was wanted by the entire country? But how could a wanted man like him smile so brightly? And why would he be in the mood to upload Moments on WeChat?
Ren Wannian felt that he had worried for his brother for nothing.
...
In the middle of the bridge, a handsome man was leaning against the balustrade. His gaze scanned the crowd. Occasionally, he would exchange looks with a gorgeous girl that walked past him, smile at them, and then rejected their requests to get his number when they asked for it.
This had occurred five to six times just now.
"Such a beautiful girl!" he suddenly exclaimed in amazement as his gaze landed upon a girl wearing a straw hat.
Given his experience in dating girls, he concluded that this girl was top-notch. The indifference on her face made him want to conquer her even more.
Then, he realized the girl looked somewhat familiar. Following which, a glint flashed across his eyes. "It's her! They are here!"
His phone rang at this moment as well. After a slight hesitation, he picked up the call.
"Shen Du, they are on Charles Bridge!"
"I have already seen them!" Shen Du gave a fast reply and hung up. At the same time, he said to another two persons beside him, "The targets have appeared, they are right in front of me."
Then, he walked up to Ren Baqian and the empress and blocked their way, "Hey, can we have a chat? I'm not a bad guy!"
Shen Du said spreading his hands.
He had wanted to encounter them in secluded area as it would easier for them to talk. However, now he felt that it was better to run into them in a crowded place like this one. At least they wouldn't kill him on the spot in such a bustling and cramped place. Furthermore, this kind of place also made it harder for them to escape.
"I'm not interested!" Ren Baqian loathed Shen Du the moment he saw his face.
How can a man have a face like this? I hate this kind of pretty-faced boy the most in my life.
"I won't take too much of your time and this chat will be beneficial to you. Don't you want to return home?" Shen Du smiled and said. His voice was very calm and magnetic, completely devoid of hostility.
Obviously, he was trying to get into their good books.
No one would loathe this kind of person.
Except for Ren Baqian.
"I'm not here for myself! I'm not the one that wants to talk you, it's the nation that wants to talk to you," Shen Du smiled at the empress as he continued.
One had to admit that Shen Du was extremely good at communication. Firstly, he made it clear that he wasn't their enemy. Then, he indicated that he knew their identities but did not point it out bluntly. This would prevent them from reacting rashly. Finally, he brought out the ultimate weapon by mentioning the nation. His words were able to make one's imagination run wild and continue hearing him out.
He felt that this tactic would work exceptionally well against these two fugitives.
Ren Baqian's brain operated swiftly, trying to guess what the other party was talking about.
So he represents the nation? The nation wants to talk to us? Talk about what? What does the nation want to know?
"You look like someone I hate!" the empress suddenly said.
The smile on Shen Du's face froze.
"That's not important. I'm not really the person you hate. Most importantly, the nation wants a chat with you. There's so much to gain and nothing to lose."
"What a coincidence! I hate him too!" Ren Baqian turned around and said to the empress with his eyebrows knitted. He really hated this man.
Ren Baqian hated this man because he looked too handsome.
To his surprise, the empress expressed her hatred for this man before he did.
Shen Du's smile had completely frozen. He did not know what he did to offend these two.
The next second, Shen Du flew off the bridge and fell into the river.
"Chief!" A man who had just squeezed through the crowd yelled when he saw this scene.
Following which, he flew off the bridge and fell into the river as well.
Everyone on the bridge was shocked by this scene.
However, very few people saw that it was the lady in a straw hat that threw them off the bridge. Most people were still trying to figure out what was going on.
"I'm your brother, I'm not going to stand here and watch both of you get married. It's truly an embarrassment for two men to get married. Both of you should cool down!" Ren Baqian leaned against balustrade and yelled towards the river.
Those who understood what Ren Baqian's words flocked to the balustrade of the bridge.
Those Chinese tourists who spoke good English translated Ren Baqian's words for those who did not understand him.
Previously, everyone was still worrying for the two men in the river. Now, they broke out into rapturous applause while wishing them well.
Shen Du's head had just emerged from the water. When he heard Ren Baqian's words and the applause from the onlookers, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.