The cars parted ways.

The car Qin Qinxi was in didn’t follow the convoy; it took her straight back to the villa.

Back at Jumeirah, she got out and thanked the driver.

The driver was quite warm-hearted. He smiled at her, walked around to the driver’s seat, and drove off.

Qin Qinxi stood at the gate, watching the car disappear before she finally stepped into the villa.

That Mr. Weiao hadn’t come back tonight.

A week had passed, and that Mr. Weiao still hadn’t returned.

In the entire villa, it was just her and Aunt Maria.

It was also during this week that Qin Qinxi became completely familiar with Maria.

Through her, she learned about Jebel Ali.

It’s Dubai’s largest free zone, home to ports, industrial parks, and logistics centers.

But when asked about Chinese companies, Maria shook her head.

She said she wasn’t sure about hardware—she only knew that there were now over a hundred Chinese firms in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, doing all kinds of business, but she couldn’t tell what each one did.

Qin Qinxi had a rough idea now, but she still didn’t know how to go about finding them.

She had no money, no phone. She dared not ask Aunt Maria for her phone, nor did she dare call her parents.

She knew that person’s status was extraordinary.

With such a presence and such methods, he might well have some extraordinary connections locally.

Her main hope was to wait until that person came back and ask him if she could go out.

After all, Maria had reminded her not to go out without first getting Mr. Weiao’s permission.

Evening. After taking a shower, Qin Qinxi glanced at the wall clock. Eight o’clock.

That person still hadn’t come back.

She figured he wouldn’t be back tonight either.

Qin Qinxi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The weight of not being able to go home and the uncertainty of the unknown pressed down on her heart, making it feel suffocatingly tight.

She lay there with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, her mind wandering aimlessly.

Time ticked by, second by second. Still no sleep.

Just after midnight.

Qin Qinxi heard the sound of a car.

The floor-to-ceiling window by her bed faced the villa’s front gate. A flash of headlights shone through the gap in the curtains, followed by the sound of a car door closing.

She had been drifting off, half-asleep, but the noise jolted her awake. Her body instinctively sat up, and she turned her head to look at the curtain beside her.

Qin Qinxi hurriedly got out of bed barefoot and quietly slipped her fingers under the curtain, peering out.

Three cars were parked at the gate.

Mr. Weiao and the Ice Face were standing outside talking for a bit, then the Ice Face went back to his car.

The man shoved both hands into his pockets, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and shuffled toward the gate in slippers.

For a moment, maybe he sensed she was spying on him, because he looked up.

Qin Qinxi was so startled that she immediately let go, took two steps back, and collapsed onto the bed.

She didn’t even know what to do now.

Should she stand there and wait for him, or pretend to be asleep in bed?

In the end, she chose the former.

If he caught her pretending to sleep, she had no idea what the consequences would be. She didn’t understand men, especially men like this.

Qin Qinxi’s heart was pounding. She stood at the foot of the bed, her heart tightening and relaxing again and again.

Whether it was nerves or something else, she was shaking again.

She felt her mental fortitude wasn’t very strong. It was something she just couldn’t control.

Qin Qinxi was wearing a white silk nightgown, which Aunt Maria had bought for her.

Maria had told her that if she needed anything, she could just ask—Mr. Weiao had instructed that she could have whatever she wanted.

But she wanted a phone. Maria had called over there, but they’d refused.

Why they refused, Maria didn’t know, and Qin Qinxi certainly didn’t either.

She stood there for nearly half an hour. Outside, there was no sign of any movement.

End of Chapter 33: Chapter 33