Top Grade Pure Beauty CEO

"Long time no see, Li," the woman said in familiar American English, her waist twisting as she sat down beside Li Xiaoyao and scooted closer to him.

Li Xiaoyao's mouth twitched a few times before he exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Hey, Lisa, what a coincidence to bump into you here."

Lisa, the woman in the purple dress, also had another name, the Purple Rose.

She had once been a comrade-in-arms during Li Xiaoyao's mercenary days, they had shared bonds forged in life and death.

Those days were unbearable to remember~~~

Back then, Li Xiaoyao had grown tired of the mercenary life and longed to escape from that place filled with daily fighting, blood, and corpses.

But every time Li Xiaoyao thought about leaving, he couldn't bring himself to speak the words as he looked at his comrades' determined faces and unwavering eyes.

So, in the end, Li Xiaoyao had chosen to slip away silently.

"That was the act of a coward!" Lisa's eyes narrowed into slits as she glowered at Li Xiaoyao and scolded.

Li Xiaoyao avoided her gaze while Ren Li observed the pair for a long time before finally understanding from their conversation that not only did they know each other, but they were also quite familiar.

Ren Li, being very sensible, quickly turned and walked away.

"So, uh, what brings you here?" Li Xiaoyao regretted not having changed his appearance, knowing things wouldn't have turned this awkward if he had.

Staring at Li Xiaoyao, Lisa's ample chest heaved with barely contained emotion, and after a long silence, she finally huffed, "Mission."

"Who are you killing?"

Lisa rolled her eyes and said, "Need them alive."

"Oh," Li Xiaoyao said, somewhat embarrassed as he touched his nose and asked, "Need any help from me?"

"Don't need it," Lisa replied curtly, suddenly asking, "If I hadn't run into you here, were you really planning never to contact us again?"

"That... I..."

"Enough, don't speak. I don't want to hear lies," Lisa interrupted him, "Give me your contact info, I'll be telling Susan about today's incident."

"Hey, come on," Li Xiaoyao said with a bitter smile upon hearing that name.

Lisa glared at him and demanded, "Give it to me!"

Li Xiaoyao helplessly handed over his number.

After saving the number, Lisa stood up, feigning severity, "Li, I'm warning you, if you dare to change your number, we will never forgive you in this lifetime!"

Having said that, Lisa executed a perfect turn and her figure gradually receded.

Li Xiaoyao sighed, feeling as if he had just been wronged like a damsel in distress.

Not far away, Lisa's male companion stood beside a long table, cigar in his left hand, and red wine in his right, his eyes fixed on Li Xiaoyao, who had been talking with Lisa.

"Young Master Zeng, there's been a little problem," a servant approached and whispered in the man's ear.

Just then, Lisa walked by, and Young Master Zeng gave her a slight smile saying, "Wait for me a sec," then followed the servant toward the exit.

Lisa didn't care about her male companion, the eldest son of the Zeng family from Zhu Island City, who was merely a shield for her to attend the Huo family's annual gathering.

Having known him for just a few days, Lisa had successfully hooked the smitten Young Master Zeng, who was at her beck and call, and had smoothly entered the Huo family's annual event.

Zeng and the servant reached the deck, where the sea breeze was refreshing and invigorating.

"What's the matter?"

The servant presented a piece of paper, which Zeng Shao took. Just as he was about to examine it closely, the servant's voice rang out.

"Lisa, biracial, member of the Yun Country Knights' mercenary corps, codename Purple Rose."

Zeng Shao's hand holding the document trembled slightly, and his brows twisted as he said, "She is a mercenary?"

"From the moment she first made contact with Zeng Shao, we have been covertly investigating her identity. There is no mistake about this information," the servant stated with certainty.

Zeng Shao closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them to reveal a face transformed by fury. He scrunched the piece of paper in his hand and exhaled a murky breath before asking, "What's her purpose in approaching me?"

"It's likely targeting the Huo Family's third young master."

"The Huo Family's third son?" Zeng Shao's mouth twisted into a cold smirk as he said, "This time, the third younger Huo owes me his life."

"Give me the gun."

The servant handed over a pistol. Zeng Shao disengaged the safety and tucked it at his waist before turning around with a stony face and walking towards the hall.

Seeing Zeng Shao return, Lisa greeted him with a seductive smile, pressing herself forward, "Where have you been?"

"It's nothing." Zeng Shao's expression remained unchanged as he pointed to the white lacquered piano in the center of the hall, "I remember you told me that you could play the piano?"

Lisa was taken aback for a second, then nodded, "Yes, I've learned a little."

Zeng Shao said, "Play a piece for me."

Lisa didn't understand what had gotten into Zeng Shao. She shook her head with an apologetic smile, "I don't feel very well, maybe another day."

"But, I want to listen now." Zeng Shao's hand moved up from his waist, suddenly grasped her long hair, and pulled, exposing her pale neck as he snapped menacingly, "I said, I want to listen now. Do you understand?"

"Let go of me!" Lisa reflexively tried to knee him in the chin but suddenly felt the cold barrel of a gun against her waist.

Years of familiarity with firearms let Lisa know that this was a real gun.

A feeling of panic and confusion spread quickly. Lisa didn't know where she had slipped up, how had Zeng Shao found out?

"Now, do you understand? Get up there and play a song. Believe me, if you dare try to escape, I will make you die here!" Zeng Shao released her hair, caressed her fair, delicate cheek bit by bit with his hand, then pinched her firm chin, greed glinting in his eyes, "I haven't properly enjoyed this body of yours yet. Don't force me to kill you."

Zeng Shao gave her a push on the back, and Lisa stumbled a few steps forward. She quickly sorted out her tumultuous emotions and brushed her disheveled hair back from her forehead. With heavy steps, she walked towards the piano in the center of the hall.

Zeng Shao stood still and snapped his fingers; immediately, someone approached him.

"Go check out who that kid is," Zeng Shao said, nodding towards Li Xiaoyao, who was feigning sleep with his eyes closed.

"Yes, Zeng Shao."

As Lisa walked towards the piano, she continuously glanced at Li Xiaoyao with a pleading look, but he kept his eyes closed from start to finish, never seeing her silent cry for help.

As she sat in front of the piano, she began to despair and then scoffed at herself.

In this situation, even if Li Xiaoyao sensed something was wrong, what could he possibly do?

All of a sudden, she felt regret, regretting having met Li Xiaoyao. It was supposed to be her personal calamity, and with her identity exposed, Zeng Shao was surely on guard against Li Xiaoyao as well.

Zeng Shao was the kind of person who would rather kill mistakenly than let someone go.

Filled with a sense of despair, she closed her eyes; then slowly, she reopened them, her eyelids drooping as she looked down at the black and white keys before her. Lisa extended her pale, delicate hands, and the tune that emerged in her mind was none other than "Una Mattina."

As she recalled the piano piece, the memories that were almost buried deep in her heart surfaced as well.