Charlie wade noticed Song Rife’s nervous demeanour and smiled, “Miss Song, you seem much more reserved than when we last met. This is China, you don’t need to be overly tense or formal. No one will harm you here.”
Song Rife, hearing Charlie wade’s magnetic voice and seeing his reassuring smile, nodded flusteredly.
However, she knew Charlie wade had misunderstood her.
Her reserve wasn’t due to anxiety about the unfamiliar environment, but because seeing him again, their roles and her feelings towards him had shifted significantly.
Charlie wade, oblivious to such subtleties, didn’t grasp why she was nervous. Feeling the sensitive location wasn’t suitable for lingering, he said to Song Rife, “Miss Song, let’s get in the car, we can talk on the way.”
Song Rife quickly replied, “Yes, Mr. Wade.”
By then, Charlie wade had already opened the front passenger door for her.
Song Rife’s heart raced like a startled deer, her face flushing as she sat in the car, legs pressed together, hands clasped, still somewhat uneasy.
After Charlie wade got in and started the car, leaving the airport en route to central Shanghai, he asked Song Rife, “Miss Song, is this your first time in China?”
“Yes!” Song Rife nodded emphatically, saying, “I’ve always wanted to visit China, but I’ve never had the chance.”
Charlie wade nodded, “Shanghai is China’s most economically developed city, with the highest GDP. It’s probably also the most fashionable and globally connected city in China. On our way back, you can take in the city’s night views. If there’s nothing pressing tomorrow, I can take you around to experience the charm of China’s largest metropolis.”
Song Rife asked nervously, “Mr. Wade, if I appear on the streets of China, won’t that cause trouble for you?”
“No,” Charlie wade said calmly, “Sometimes, by anticipating our enemy’s moves, we can evade their threats. Wu Fiona might guess a hundred places you could be hiding, but she’d never think of the streets of China.”
Song Rife nodded lightly, then cautiously asked, “Mr. Wade, is the Marquis of Dingyuan in Shanghai at the moment?”
Charlie wade waved a hand, “No, Grace Lowes is in Aurous Hill. I don’t know if you’ve heard of that city. It’s not far from Shanghai, about a three-hour drive.”
Song Rife asked again, “Does Mr. Wade usually reside in Shanghai?”
Charlie wade laughed, “I don’t live here. I actually live in Aurous Hill too.”
Song Rife, touched, said, “Then it must have been quite an effort for Mr. Wade to come to Shanghai just to pick me up. I’m truly flattered…”
“Not really,” Charlie wade said candidly with a smile, “I happened to be working here for a few days, and they arranged for you to fly here, so I came to pick you up.”
He glanced at her and added with a smile, “I’ll be working in Shanghai for a few more days, so you’ll stay with me for now. Once I’m done, we’ll head to Aurous Hill together. I’ll arrange for you to meet Grace Lowes, and if you’re willing, you can live together.”
Song Rife’s beautiful face was filled with astonishment, “Mr. Wade, someone as capable as you, why would you need to work? Is there anyone in the world who could afford to hire you?”
Charlie wade smiled, “I live with two identities. One is the me you see now, who doesn’t need to work for anyone. But in Aurous Hill, I have my family and friends who don’t know my true identity. To them, I’m just a hardworking man earning a living for his family.”
Song Rife asked in surprise, “Mr. Wade, you’re married?”
“Yes,” Charlie wade nodded, “I’m married.”
Song Rife, still astonished, recalled his earlier words and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Mr. Wade, does your wife not know your true identity?”
Charlie wade shook his head, “She doesn’t.”
“Goodness,” Song Rife exclaimed, “Mr. Wade, you hide it so well, just like the men in our Song family.”
Charlie wade, not very familiar with the specific roles the Song family played in the Poqing Society, asked, “What’s with the Song family men?”
Song Rife explained, “To provide the Wu family with safe and reliable wives, Song family men must enter society, conceal their identities, and marry ordinary women. After the women give birth, the men take the children back to the Song family and vanish from their lives. So, those women never know who they truly married.”
