The banquet was held in the castle atop the mountain.
All guests arrived by cable car, with strict security checks at each checkpoint, ensuring absolute safety.
Not just children, even Xing Siyun had never seen such an impressive setup.
She nervously shifted her feet, feeling that her attire might not be quite up to par...
This unease made her instinctively look towards Wei Lin.
Wei Lin was talking to Xiao Ya.
"Mr. Jefferson has close ties with the Pentagon, and popular politicians running for election are also promoted through him..."
Wei Lin paused in his introduction, smiling as he bent down to ask, "Do you know what the Pentagon is?"
"No," said Xiao Ya.
Wei Lin's smile immediately grew wider.
"It's your turn to speak," Xiao Ya looked at him.
"Say what?"
"I don't know, so you should tell me what it is."
Xing Siyun had never seen anyone say "I don't know" so confidently!
Most people are ashamed to admit their "ignorance," but not her.
Wei Lin had to patiently explain, "It's the Department of Defense."
"So it's powerful?"
"Yes."
"But he's with Ke Muning."
Wei Lin understood, "Oh, you're worried that Ke Muning might try to harm us here?"
Wei Lin shook his head with a smile, "No, he won't. People like Mr. Jefferson love to demonstrate one thing above all - that even enemies can stay under the same roof under his supervision."
"He won't allow Ke Muning to make a move," Wei Lin said, adjusting his tie with a relaxed tone.
"Lin!" A foreigner called out to Wei Lin, then quickly approached, offering him a glass of champagne.
He looked down at Xiao Ya and asked, "And who's this?"
Wei Lin looked at Xiao Ya and asked, "Can I tell him?"
"Yes."
Wei Lin thought to himself, you nodded, so don't blame me if anything happens.
Wei Lin put his hand on Xiao Ya's shoulder and introduced her, "This is our family's little miss."
"Oh! My! She looks... so young..." the man opposite was amazed.
Xiao Ya nodded at him, and given her limited English skills, she didn't say much more, instead walking directly towards Jefferson and Ke Muning.
Wei Lin was startled and grabbed her hand, "Where are you going?"
"To say hello."
"You..." Are you crazy? Wei Lin swallowed the last two words.
Besides being crazy, Wei Lin couldn't think of any other possibility.
Just because he said Ke Muning wouldn't make a move, doesn't mean she should go right up to him!
Going to say hello now would be like provoking her, doesn't she know that?
Well, maybe she really doesn't know, after all, she's only seven!
While these thoughts flashed through Wei Lin's mind, Xiao Ya had already pulled her hand away.
The foreigner nearby looked bewildered, "What... what is she doing?"
Since when did the Ghost family become so wild?
"Ke Muning? Ke Muning!" On the other side, Mr. Jefferson also had an expression of incomprehension.
Ke Muning slowly withdrew his scrutinizing gaze. Jefferson turned his head and met the coldness in his eyes.
"I'm leaving. I'll have someone leave the gift at the entrance."
"Ke Muning!" Jefferson could only say what he hadn't finished to Ke Muning's back, "The cable car should have stopped by now..."
He turned back a bit helplessly, only to see a bodyguard blocking a little girl.
The little girl wore a golden wig, her eyebrows and eyes painted, giving her a mixed-race appearance at first glance. Upon closer inspection, one could tell she was a child from Hua Country.
"Hello," the little girl greeted him.
"Hello..." Jefferson was about to ask her name.
But the little girl spoke first, pointing in the direction Ke Muning had left, "Excuse me, where did he go?"
"He intends to go down the mountain..."
"Why?" the little girl's face showed confusion.
Probably because he doesn't want to see anyone from your Ghost family. Jefferson put on a polite smile but didn't say it out loud.
At this moment, Xiao Ya took out her phone and started dialing Ke Muning's number.
Seeing that she had no intention of further conversation with him, Jefferson couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
"Calling Ke Muning."
"Oh, calling... You have his number?"
"Yes, I do."
Jefferson sensed something strange.
Could it be that the Ghost family was already eager to arrange a duel to the death with Ke Muning?
That wouldn't be surprising.
After all, everyone knew that Ke Muning had chased them to an island before...
It would be strange if the Ghost family didn't retaliate.
But... it shouldn't be a little kid delivering the challenge, right?
He had never heard of such a strange custom in Hua Country.
Xiao Ya now put down her phone disappointedly, "He's not answering."
She walked past Jefferson, directly taking the path Ke Muning had left on.
Jefferson was taken aback.
Such boldness?
He immediately signaled a bodyguard, "Follow her, control the situation."
The bodyguard nodded and quickly pursued.
He watched as the little girl went out the door and calmly walked onto the sky bridge.
Below the bridge was a cliff.
This bridge connected the ancient castle on the mountaintop to another mountaintop where the cable car station was located.
The wind howled between the mountains.
Ke Muning spoke in an icy tone, "Why aren't there any staff here?"
His subordinate immediately said, "I'll go find Mr. Jefferson..."
As he spoke, the subordinate turned and caught a glimpse of a small shadow approaching.
"Who's there?" the subordinate shouted vigilantly.
"Ke Muning," a soft voice responded.
The subordinate saw clearly... it was a child.
This subordinate hadn't accompanied Ke Muning abroad before, so he didn't recognize who Xiao Ya was.
He asked, "Who are you?"
Xiao Ya tilted her head in confusion, raising her hand to remove the golden wig, "It's me, don't you recognize me now?"
Ke Muning's lips moved slightly.
The subordinate turned his head to ask, "Is this someone you know, sir?"
Xiao Ya turned on her phone's flashlight, making the surroundings a bit brighter.
She asked, "How about now?"
She was wearing a lavish medieval-style little dress, with layered skirts enveloping her like a doll.
It made him want to pinch her cheeks hard again.
...But at this moment, Ke Muning didn't know what expression to put on, so he could only face her with his usual cold demeanor.
Xiao Ya lowered her head to open a translation app.
Her soft voice was replaced by the AI's cold tone: "Ke Muning, do you have night blindness?"
The subordinate was stunned.
How did this sound like an insult?
But the little girl had a very serious expression: "That's why you didn't recognize me."
At this point, Ke Muning finally spoke: "I know you're the Ghost family's child, I know you were deceiving me, I know you stayed by my side to protect your two uncles."
Xiao Ya nodded, "Oh."
Ke Muning was momentarily stunned.
She didn't feel panicked? Wasn't afraid? Didn't cry and beg for forgiveness?
Ke Muning suddenly felt annoyed instead.
"I've known for a long time that you knew."
"...?"
Ke Muning's voice changed slightly: "You knew? Since when?"
"The day you interrogated President Liu, when you came out after questioning, your expression suddenly became very fierce... I knew then that you knew."
"..." So it turned out he was the only one who thought he was toying with her.
"And you still dared to stay there?" Ke Muning's tone was chilling.
"Yes, because I knew you wouldn't kill me."
Ke Muning crouched down, his tone difficult to discern between cold and warm as he continued, "You're really brave, you're truly a little lunatic..."
Xiao Ya softly responded, "Mm-hmm, the little lunatic is a bit cold now, can the big lunatic lend her his coat?"
But Ke Muning asked, "Why did you follow me out?"
"Because I wanted to see you."
The little girl's tone was always innocent and frank.
"Don't you want to see me, Ke Muning?" Xiao Ya tilted her head and asked.
Ke Muning reached out his hand.
His palm was so large that it seemed he could break her neck with just a slight force. But he only curled his fingers to pinch her cheek, rubbing it hard.
Just as Xiao Ya frowned, he took off his coat and draped it over her, then picked her up.
"Since you followed me out, you're mine now," Ke Muning said.
Xiao Ya: ?
Meanwhile, Jefferson's bodyguard stopped in his tracks at a distance and promptly made a call back, "Sir, the situation doesn't look good... Ke Muning has grabbed the child and seems to be planning to throw her off the sky bridge."
