After breakfast, Qin Qinxi had originally gone into Jebel Ali with her aunt.

All the way, she was pondering how to shake off Maria and go find Uncle on her own.

She knew Maria was kind to her, but after all, Maria was Mr. Mansero’s person.

If she openly inquired about the Huaguo Hardware Store, once Maria reported back, that man would surely know what she was up to.

Qin Qinxi didn’t dare take the risk.

So she wandered around for a while, then pointed to a bubble tea shop by the roadside and said to her aunt it was too hot and she wanted to go inside to sit and enjoy the air conditioning.

Maria didn’t think twice and went in with her.

Qin Qinxi ordered two drinks, coaxed Maria to wait in the shop, and said she’d just stroll around nearby and wouldn’t go far.

Maria hesitated for a moment but finally agreed.

As soon as Qin Qinxi stepped out of the shop, she hurried down the street.

Jebel Ali was huge, filled with warehouses, office buildings, and logistics centers.

Not knowing which way to go, she could only follow the clue that “there were many Chinese companies” and head toward what looked like a trade zone.

It hadn’t been ten minutes when she ran straight into a group of people.

The one leading them, she recognized at a glance.

It was the very humiliating day—on that ship, the perverted old man who had almost bought her.

Qin Qinxi froze in her tracks.

The old man also saw her.

His clouded eyes lit up in an instant. He let go of the person supporting him and strode quickly toward her.

At that speed, he certainly didn’t look like someone in their eighties.

“Darling!” he spread his arms wide. “We’ve met again! It’s Allah’s will that we’re reunited!”

Qin Qinxi turned and ran.

She dashed back to the bubble tea shop and grabbed Maria, ready to leave.

“What’s wrong?” Maria was baffled by being dragged along.

“Nothing, let’s go back,” Qin Qinxi panted. “I don’t want to keep shopping.”

Just as the two of them stepped out of the shop, the group had already blocked the doorway.

The old man stood at the front, smiling warmly at her.

“Darling, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” he said in English, his tone as soothing as if talking to a child. “I truly like you. I regretted not being able to buy you on the ship for so long. Meeting you today is fate.”

Maria instinctively stepped in front of Qin Qinxi.

The old man waved his hand.

A few bodyguards rushed forward, pushed Maria aside, and hoisted Qin Qinxi onto the car.

“Let me go!” Qin Qinxi struggled frantically. “Get away from me!”

No one paid any attention.

The car door slammed shut. The car started.

Maria was left standing there, watching the vehicle disappear around the corner.

Vio was a weapons dealer on the side, but officially a legitimate businessman.

All of the Mansero Group’s businesses in the Middle East were, on paper, perfectly legal—logistics, trade, real estate.

In Dubai alone, he owned seven or eight companies, ranging from warehouses in the free trade zone to office buildings in the city center, all bearing his name.

In April this year, he had just partnered with the government to acquire a stake in the Atlantis Hotel.

The news reported it as “a full acquisition by the Dubai government,” but insiders knew the money had come straight from his account.

Some said that in Dubai, there wasn’t a single business he couldn’t get involved in.

That was an exaggeration, but if you really wanted to find out how deep or shallow any industry was, he definitely had a list in his hands.

On the top floor of the group’s headquarters.

An office.

Vio sat behind his desk in a neat suit.

He stared at the computer screen, spinning a pen in his hand. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window stretched Dubai’s skyline, with the Burj Khalifa gleaming in the distance.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Bali entered with his head hung low, holding a file folder in his hand.

“Boss,” he said, placing the folder on the desk.

“The Mansello family is investigating us.”

Vio’s hand paused mid-spin.

His original surname was Mansello. After being disowned by his family, he changed it to Mansero—a pun, a Russian-sounding name.

But if someone really wanted to dig, they could always find out.

Bali’s voice tightened: “They probably know your business conflicts with theirs. If they figure out it’s you, they’ll definitely try to sabotage you.”

Vio let out a scornful laugh.

“What are we afraid of?” he raised his eyes to Bali.

There was no warmth in Vio’s pale gray eyes. “If they dare come, I can make sure they never leave.”

Bali swallowed hard.

“Boss, after all, they’re your family.”

The air suddenly grew silent, and a chill ran down Bali’s spine.

End of Chapter 35: Chapter 35