Chapter 361: I'm Not Interested in You
"Sorry, I'm not interested in you."
Jin Mingzhu rejected him outright. "You're not my type."
She gave a faint smile. "You're too weak. I like men with good physiques, preferably an eight-pack."
She had accidentally seen Xiao Ye's body before. Not only did he have an eight-pack, but his muscle definition was also perfect.
As for the man in front of her, while he didn't look terrible, his flesh was soft and sagging. He even had a bit of a paunch. The sight was just disgusting.
The man's expression turned ugly. He snorted, "You really think you're some kind of goddess?"
He sneered, "Don't tell me you're trying to save yourself for the man next to you?"
"Let me tell you, any man who brings you to this club doesn't love you at all!"
"Besides, the two of you don't look like a married couple at all! If you don't hurry up and find a suitable man, he's going to dump you sooner or later!"
With that, the man took his own wife by the hand and quickly walked away.
Jin Mingzhu wasn't angry in the slightest. 'He's just a man who got defensive,' she thought. 'Not worth my time.'
Instead, she looked at Xiao Ye. "He just said we don't look like a married couple..."
Xiao Ye's gaze fell upon the other couples. "We do seem too reserved."
The main reason was that he couldn't let go of his inhibitions. He didn't want to be too intimate with any woman other than Lin Chuyue.
Jin Mingzhu asked tentatively, "Should we... get more into character? If we tip them off, it'll be much harder to find our target next time."
"Besides, we don't have much time. If we can't find him this time, we'll have to leave someone to keep watch inside."
"The weather is so cold right now. We can't have someone stationed at the formation's core indefinitely, with no place to even get warm."
"The slightest misstep could allow them to rebury it, and then we'd have to do this all over again."
Solving the problem with the nation's fate wasn't as simple as just digging something up. It required a ritual to expel the baleful yin energy, or its influence would remain.
Xiao Ye mulled it over for a moment before finally nodding.
'It's just physical contact, anyway,' he thought. 'No hugging or kissing. It's nothing serious.'
Overseas, even regular friends could have this level of contact.
Jin Mingzhu was delighted, but she feigned demureness on the surface. "Then... I'll just get a little closer."
With that, she slowly moved closer to Xiao Ye, leaning her body against his.
Her body heat instantly transferred through their clothes.
Jin Mingzhu longed to just hug Xiao Ye, but she knew some things required a gradual approach; haste makes waste.
If she provoked his disgust, it would be a real problem.
So, she just reached out one hand and wrapped it around Xiao Ye's waist. "This looks a bit more intimate, and more natural."
Xiao Ye nodded without refusing.
The two of them nestled against each other, truly looking like an affectionate married couple.
Xiao Ye's gaze continuously swept across the bar, intent on finding their target.
Just then, another couple walked over.
This time, however, they weren't interested in Jin Mingzhu, but in Xiao Ye.
The woman appeared to be in her thirties, a mature lady who still possessed a captivating charm.
Her eyes traveled down his body, finally landing on his waist.
Even through a simple shirt, one could tell just how powerful those hips were!
"Hey handsome, interested?"
She deliberately flicked her hair. "Why don't we get to know each other? It just so happens my husband is also quite taken with your wife."
Jin Mingzhu's heart sank. She was a very possessive person by nature.
Even though this was just a cover, she was still filled with displeasure. "Sorry, my husband... isn't into your type."
"He likes them thinner, and younger."
The woman's expression changed, but she didn't say anything nasty, simply pulling her partner away.
At that exact moment, Xiao Ye finally spotted a strange person.
He had a woman with him, but both were staring at their phones with no interaction between them. They looked even less like a couple.
Moreover, the man would occasionally look up and glance around, as if waiting for someone.
People like that were common here, some waiting for other women to approach, but this man's gaze was far too vigilant.
Xiao Ye lowered his voice. "Nine o'clock. Second to last booth against the wall. That man."
Jin Mingzhu understood. Leaning in his arms, she casually glanced over. "Something's off about his posture. He's on guard."
"His shoulders and the visible muscles in his arms are all tense."
"And there are traces of makeup on his face. His features are about thirty or forty percent similar to the person we're looking for. He must be in disguise."
Xiao Ye nodded and pulled her up. "Let's move over there."
The other side was better for surveillance.
Just as a few more couples were about to pass, Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu seized the opportunity to change their spot without attracting much attention.
「About half an hour later.」
They had fended off two more couples.
Finally, another woman walked into the club.
Her figure was incredibly seductive; she swayed her hips with every step, the picture of coquettish charm.
Sauntering through the bar under the gazes of many men, she made her way to the booths along the wall.
When the man saw her, his brow furrowed. "Why are you dressed like that again? Don't you know we can't risk exposure right now?"
The woman scoffed. "So according to you, I should just look plain and ordinary? Take a look around at where we are!"
"Look at how the other women are dressed. If you're here to find a partner, you obviously dress up to look as good as possible."
"Besides, the more I'm like this, the less attention I'll attract!"
The man couldn't be bothered to argue with her. "Fine. Give me the thing."
The woman took a black pouch out of her handbag. It was wrapped into a square shape, about the same size as the previous sandalwood box.
"Here."
The man immediately took it and stuffed it inside his jacket. "Alright, I'm leaving. Remember, from this day on, you need to be more careful."
"Stop being so ostentatious. Cut ties with the men you have on the side. If you delay our business because of other men again, like you did today, you'll be signing your own death warrant!"
The woman was completely unfazed. Raising her glass, she said, "I know, I know. Now hurry up and get lost!"
The man said no more. He turned and left, walking so quickly it was as if someone was chasing him.
Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu exchanged a look.
"I'll follow him," Jin Mingzhu suggested. "That's the best plan. You go talk to the woman. Maybe you can find some clues."
"Based on my understanding of people, this woman is exactly what she appears to be."
'A total shameless tramp!'
But Jin Mingzhu didn't say this out loud.
Xiao Ye nodded. "Let's split up!"
"General He's men are outside. If you can't handle it yourself, don't force it. Get help."
"I know." After saying this, Jin Mingzhu followed the man.