Chapter 54: Two people can act better than one.
Chapter 54
The man was surrounded by a group of men dressed identically in black suits who acted as his bodyguards.
They crowded around him in layers, leaving only a clear and spacious area immediately around the man.
It was so conspicuous and eye-catching.
Not only did it catch Qiao Ying's attention, but it also drew the attention of others.
He?
Qin Hanyue.
What is he doing here?
Qiao Ying couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
The Gladiator Competition was about to begin.
The man lowered his eyes indifferently, looking down at the fighting below.
"Young Master, the past few days have just been small skirmishes, nothing worth watching. You've been busy handling things in M Continent these past few days and haven't rested much. Why not go back to headquarters and rest first?" Qin Yan said with concern.
Qin Hanyue didn't respond. He suddenly sensed something and lifted his eyelids slightly, raising his eyes to look at the bottom floor across from him.
Qin Yan noticed where Qin Hanyue was looking and followed his gaze, and then he saw Bai Xiao and the others.
"It's those guys from the Blackwater Mercenary Group." Qin Yan noticed that ever since arriving in M Continent, his way of speaking had been influenced.
He thought to himself that as a genteel and cultivated elite from a big city, he would normally refer to them as "those fellows." But here, he casually called them "those guys."
"I heard the boss of Blackwater came back. How come I don't see her?" Qin Yan looked over Bai Xiao and the others one by one, but didn't see any women among them.
Bai Xiao and the others were also looking in their direction.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Qin Hanyue expressionlessly retracted his gaze.
Bai Xiao asked Qiao Ying, who was hiding behind him, "Do you know them?"
Qiao Ying peeked out from behind Bai Xiao. Seeing that Qin Hanyue was no longer looking over, she replied, "Not very well."
"If you don't know them well, why hide? Judging from the looks of them, they don't seem like ordinary people. Especially the one standing in front, could he be your guardian?" Sack, who was always teased for looking young, finally had a chance to tease someone else about their age.
Sack didn't actually care about what kind of relationship Qiao Ying had with these people. Instead, he noticed something else.
Sack rolled his neck and said in disgust, "They look exactly like those guys from God's Armed Alliance."
"Even their clothes look the same." As he spoke, Sack glanced at the security forces standing in orderly rows at each level, who were people from God's Armed Alliance.
Sack hated these people who dressed and acted so properly.
Qin Hanyue watched two rounds before turning to leave.
Qiao Ying's gaze followed Qin Hanyue for a moment, then she said to Bai Xiao and the others, "I'm going to go take care of some things. I don't know when I'll be back, so call me if anything comes up."
"She really sees herself as our boss now," Sack said with a small pout. But then he added, "It won't be safe here at night. Are you sure you don't want to come back with us?"
"No need. You guys can sleep in the tent. I'll go find a bed somewhere to sleep," Qiao Ying replied before walking away on her own.
"Find a bed to sleep in? There's no place with beds left around here," Sack scoffed.
Qin Hanyue had just walked out of the Gladiator Arena when an extremely conspicuous figure suddenly entered his field of vision.
"Miss Qiao?" Qin Hanyue called out uncertainly.
Qiao Ying turned around, looking surprised. "Mr. Qin."
Qin Yan's eyes widened as he stared at Qiao Ying's unexpected presence. His reaction was as if he had seen a ghost. How did she end up in a place like this?
He blinked hard to make sure it was really Qiao Ying.
The last time they met in the capital, Qiao Ying was quite chubby, but now, just a month later, she had already slimmed down to a slightly plump figure.
After looking her over several times, Qin Yan commented, "She looks so much prettier than when I saw her last time."
Qin Hanyue walked up to her. "Miss Qiao, it really is you. What are you doing here?"
"Sightseeing," Qiao Ying blurted out without thinking twice about the lie.
She didn't expect Qin Hanyue to believe her anyway, so she didn't bother finding a more convincing excuse.
Sure enough, even Qin Yan couldn't hold back, his skepticism written all over his face. Sightseeing in the northwest region of M Continent? And showing up at the Gladiator Arena? Why not just go on vacation in war-torn Syria?
Hearing this, Qin Hanyue couldn't help but smile with amusement at the corners of his mouth. His inadvertently revealed hint of an expression and smile were indescribably sexy and alluring.
Qiao Ying had seen handsome men before, but she had to admit that in her two lifetimes so far, Qin Hanyue's looks were the most pleasing to her eyes.
"What about Mr. Qin?" Qiao Ying asked.
"Half sightseeing, half business," he replied.
"What a coincidence," Qiao Ying said.
Qin Yan thought to himself: These two are equally skilled at acting.
"Has Miss Qiao gone inside to watch?" Qin Hanyue asked.
"I wanted to go in, but didn't quite dare to. Mr. Qin just came out from inside? Was it interesting in there? It sounded really lively from out here."
"Not quite suitable for young ladies to watch," Qin Hanyue said.
"What a pity," Qiao Ying said regretfully.
"Where is Miss Qiao headed next?"
"I just arrived today and haven't found a place to stay yet. I was planning to go farther away to see if I could find a hotel."
Qin Hanyue: "Miss Qiao came too late. This whole area probably doesn't have any vacancies left. The hotel I'm staying at might still have open rooms. If Miss Qiao needs, I can help make arrangements for you?"
Qin Yan looked at Qin Hanyue as if to say with his eyes: Since when have you been staying at a hotel? How come I don't know about this?
Qiao Ying: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Mr. Qin?"
Qin Hanyue: "No trouble at all."
Qiao Ying: "Then thank you."
She really wasn't being polite.
Qin Hanyue gentlemanly gestured toward the luxury cars parked not far away: "Shall we go then?"
After Qiao Ying had walked a few steps away, Qin Hanyue turned his head and instructed Qin Yan: "Arrange a family hotel."
"Are you planning to accompany Miss Qiao and stay at a hotel instead of going back to headquarters?" Qin Yan boldly asked.
Qin Hanyue didn't respond but simply followed after Qiao Ying.
The car drove away from the Gladiator Arena.
Inside the car, Qin Hanyue started probing: "What made Miss Qiao think of coming sightseeing in M Continent? It's not really suitable for tourism here."
As soon as she got in the car and secured a place to stay, Qiao Ying's enthusiasm disappeared. Her tone instantly cooled several degrees as she reverted to her usual headstrong demeanor.
She shot back: "If it's not suitable for tourism, then what about Mr. Qin?"
"The family has some business interests here, so I come frequently."
"So Mr. Qin is also here on business this time?"
Obviously trying to draw information from her, yet she adeptly turned it around to interrogate him blatantly instead.
Qin Hanyue: "About half business, half tourism."
Qiao Ying: "I see."
"What about Miss Qiao?" Qin Hanyue had no intention of letting her get away with being vague.
He realized that whenever he was dealing with Qiao Ying, he turned into an undignified, overinquisitive hypocrite.
"I've always been very curious about the gladiator fights in ancient Rome. I happened to see online that gladiator competitions were being held here, so I came to see for myself."
"I'm curious what kind of websites Miss Qiao goes on that she was able to find information about the gladiator competitions here. I come here frequently and know a bit about M Continent and these competitions. They are much crueler than gladiator fights. The participants are all people. Normal websites wouldn't dare post related information."
"Oh, is that so?" Qiao Ying didn't take his bait.
Qin Hanyue saw her reaction and thought she would say next: If I had known it was so dangerous, I wouldn't have come here.
But instead she said, "Then I definitely have to go in and watch tomorrow."
Qin Hanyue smiled silently to himself: Miss Qiao really is quite bold. He still hadn't asked, "Did Miss Qiao come alone?"
Qiao Ying: "Yes, alone. Fortunately I met you, Mr. Qin. Otherwise I probably would have encountered danger."
"It really is unsafe for a girl to come here alone. Does Miss Qiao plan on staying a few days? If you don't mind, we could go together."
Qiao Ying readily agreed: "That sounds good."
The scenery outside the car window sped by rapidly, but the brightly lit God's Armed Alliance headquarters still remained in Qiao Ying's field of vision the entire time.
The headquarters of God's Armed Alliance really were massive. No matter where one was in M Continent, even from a great distance, as long as they were high enough, they could see it.
"That place looks so beautiful, is it a scenic area? It would be great if we could go in and take a look."
Hearing Qiao Ying's words, the driver Qin Yan turned his head to follow her line of sight. When he saw the expanse of golden lights in the distance, he couldn't hold back a "Cough, cough, cough..."
Calling it a scenic area? She really dared say that.
She also really dared to casually pick places to visit.
Qin Hanyue's gaze looked past Qiao Ying's round little head, then settled back on her as he said with a hint of a smile, "Yes, it's a scenic spot. If Miss Qiao wants to visit, I can accompany you there."
In the back seat, Qin Yan silently criticized them - between the two of them, they had at least eight hundred tricks up their sleeves.