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墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, I suddenly realized what Franco had meant. To say that a woman is her own greatest weapon is an understatement. While calling for help, Franco began to tear at my clothes, and I barely had time to react. Since everyone was on the same floor, within ten seconds, someone burst in. I hadn't locked the door when they entered, so they all streamed in.
They saw Franco sitting there in disarray, while I lay on the ground, equally disheveled. Immediately, the businessmen restrained me. Before I could even speak, I felt several blows to my stomach, and someone said, "I thought you were a cop; turns out you're this kind of person."
Franco continued to embellish the story from the side, saying, "I never thought you were such a person. He told me that if I didn't sleep with him, he would say I was a murderer. I refused, and then he forced himself on me. If you hadn't arrived so quickly, I might have..."
It was truly a blatant lie, but at that moment, the angry crowd clearly believed this fragile woman more. Soon after, I heard more footsteps approaching; it seemed that members of Autumn Rain had arrived. It was ironic—having spent years hunting geese only to be pecked in the eye by one.
My standing here was far from enough to convince the crowd. Especially with such a beauty crying like a rain-soaked pear blossom in front of them; any ordinary person would surely think it couldn't possibly be her fault. In no time at all, despite the room's size, it was filled with people.
Zhao Mingkun entered with his group and surveyed the scene before asking, "What’s going on?"
Franco cried out, "He tried to rape me..."
I quickly interjected, "Franco, speak honestly! From the moment I walked in until now, who has been forcing whom? I only came to ask you about something; that businessman knows. Someone saw you with the deceased Anderson!"
Wrapped in a blanket and sobbing like a rain-soaked flower, Franco said, "You’re accusing me of falsehoods just because I didn’t agree to your demands! Everyone must see through this man’s true nature! He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing! A beast in human form!"
I couldn't believe Franco would turn things around like this; people's hearts truly are fickle. I quickly said, "Someone can testify!" Pointing at the businessman who had previously shared this secret with me. Yet under everyone’s gaze, he faltered and shook his head, saying, "I don’t know anything! I don’t know anything at all!"
The angry crowd began to pull me outside when Zhao Mingkun intervened and said, "Everyone, this is my ship. If anyone is going to act out here, it should be me." He prevented them from dragging me away to vent their anger. I felt utterly helpless—was it really true that beauty ruled the world?
Zhao Mingkun looked at me seriously and asked, "Is what Franco said true?"
I shook my head and replied helplessly, "If I say she took off her clothes and threw herself at me, would you believe it? But every word I'm saying is true: Franco met the deceased Anderson days ago and even handed him something—this was told to me by that businessman! You need to tell the truth..."
The businessman glanced between Franco and me as if he had made up his mind to speak up. Just then, a parrot chimed in: "Come on now! I'm so eager!"
We were all taken aback as we listened to the parrot continue: "You don't need to do this; I'm a cop! I'm a cop!"
Everyone fell silent as they listened to the parrot repeatedly shout those two phrases; the atmosphere became incredibly awkward. One businessman rubbed my stomach and said, "Little brother, I knew you weren't that kind of person; it's all a misunderstanding! Just a misunderstanding!"
"Exactly!" another merchant chimed in. "I think he genuinely wants to help the deceased..."
In an instant, voices rose in a cacophony, as if they believed that by saying nice things about me, I would forget that several of them had just beaten me up. However, at least the situation was becoming clearer; I never expected that this parrot would become my witness. I felt an overwhelming urge to take it out of its cage and shower it with affection. It was practically my guardian bird; without it, I could only imagine what my fate would have been.
At that moment, the merchant finally revealed the truth of the matter. According to him, there had been too many people staring at him earlier, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable... Mai Lang was also among the crowd, listening intently, his expression shifting unpredictably, leaving me curious about his inner feelings.
Faced with so many piercing gazes, Franco's act was immediately seen through, and she could no longer pretend. She sat down on the sofa and slowly began to tell us a story.
It turned out that this incident dated back three months. In fact, Franderson was a real couple, and the reason Franco became Mai Lang's girlfriend had deeper implications. Mai Lang and Anderson were both part of a similar type of internet company, and Mai Lang possessed a technology that Anderson's company lacked. To acquire this technology, Anderson sent Franco to get close to Mai Lang.
After becoming Mai Lang's girlfriend, Franco stole this technology from him with the intention of handing it over to Anderson on the ship. This led to the scene we witnessed on the basketball court. If it hadn't been for that merchant who had nothing better to do at the time, everything might have gone off without a hitch.
When the ship docked, Anderson returned to America while Franco, feeling tired of Italy, broke up with Mai Lang. At that point, Mai Lang would never suspect that his company's secrets had already been stolen. During this time, Anderson could utilize this technology to grow his company and perhaps even eliminate Mai Lang's business altogether.
Franco said, "But I truly don't know why Anderson died; I didn't dare ask too much. I was afraid you would link this incident back to me, so I chose to remain silent in hopes that it would just pass by. I was Anderson's girlfriend; he died, and I'm more heartbroken than anyone else. But I can't show it..." As she spoke, tears streamed down Franco's face.
However, as the saying goes: "If you want to keep something secret, you must not do it." Unbeknownst to her, a bored merchant had caught onto this detail. At this moment, Mai Lang was utterly devastated and could never have imagined that his girlfriend of several months was actually a corporate spy targeting his company.
Although Franco admitted her guilt as a corporate spy and faced potential imprisonment, she vehemently denied killing anyone. Logically speaking, if Franco had gone through all this trouble just to steal Mai Lang's company secrets for Anderson, how could she possibly have killed Anderson?
If Franco didn't kill him, then who did?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind. Since the merchant had witnessed the events between Franderson, it wouldn't be surprising if others had seen them too. I pressed my fingers against my temples and said, "Let's keep an eye on Franco for now; as for who the killer is, we still need to investigate further. However, I have a feeling that the truth is right in front of us."
As Franco was taken away, she glanced back at Mai Lang. He smiled faintly and asked her, "I want to know during these past few months together—did you ever truly love me? Even if just for a moment?"
Though Mai Lang wore a smile on his face, I could clearly see tears glistening in his eyes. It seemed that this Italian Handsome Guy was genuinely moved; it evoked an indescribable feeling in those around him. Everyone fell silent as they awaited Franco's response.
After a long pause, Franco finally spoke slowly: "I don't want to lie to you; you're a good person. All I can say is that I've enjoyed our time together very much, but I don't love you. My heart has belonged elsewhere for a long time now. Although Anderson is gone, perhaps in a few years I might fall in love again—maybe with you or maybe not..."
While Franco's words were delicately phrased, the underlying truth was clear. The crowd dispersed quietly as Mai Lang rubbed his eyes to hold back his tears. I wanted to comfort him but didn't know how to express it because my mind was already racing with clues and shadows; now all I needed was evidence.
I looked seriously at Mai Lang and said, "I'll give you a chance to express your true feelings."
Mai Lang nodded and sat down. The Golden Retriever obediently leaned against him as he petted the dog and said to me, "Actually, I used to be a playboy, of course, that was before I met Franco. I had many relationships and slept with many women, but when I first saw Franco, I felt something different."
"I think liking someone means wanting to sleep with them, while loving someone means you see her and can't even think about sleeping with her." Mai Lang closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "This feeling is very different; it's the first time I've ever felt this way. Can you understand what I'm feeling?"
I shook my head; I truly couldn't understand this because I've only been in two relationships in my life. The first was in college, where the most we did was hold hands. The second was with Juan Juan, which has lasted until now. She is my first woman and will be my last.
For an Italian man like Mai Lang, who is skilled in matters of the heart, I really couldn't grasp this kind of emotion. Seeing me shake my head, Mai Lang let out a self-deprecating laugh and said, "If you don't understand, then so be it. Love is something only one can comprehend, but now everything feels like a bubble."
I sighed and patted Mai Lang on the shoulder, then said, "If you really like her, go after her. I can't guarantee she will fall for you, but at least I can assure you won't regret it. Have you ever done something you regretted? Or is there anything else you want to say?"
Mai Lang shook his head and replied, "If she doesn't feel the same way about me, then it's useless. Once we disembark, it's best if we never see each other again. By the way, there's a saying in China that describes this kind of love; I just can't recall it at the moment. Do you know it?"
"There are too many sayings like that in China," I said as we walked outside. "I'll let you know when I think of one."
On my first voyage at sea, I encountered the renowned Bengal Aid Worker—young and impulsive—but because I was too poor, I never really made a move until the First Mate told me that a bag of instant noodles could get me through the night with a group of women...
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