MWC – Chapter 185 Riding Together

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

As Lu Ming was walking towards his carriage, he saw the crowd suddenly part, and a group of people hurriedly walked towards him. A high-pitched voice from a girl rang out: “Sorry, everyone, Miss Nicole is about to board the car. Those who haven’t signed in will have other opportunities later. Thank you, thank you!”

Lu Ming knew something was wrong. He quickened his pace, just about to step onto the platform between the carriage and the platform when he clearly heard a crisp, youthful voice calling, “Brother!”

He shook his head, turned around, and saw Nicole walking towards him, surrounded by a group of people.

“It’s really you!” Nicole laughed like a silver bell, her cheerful, childlike laughter ringing out as she quickly took a few steps and stood before Lu Ming.

She was dressed casually in a white leisure sports outfit, large sunglasses covering her face, her waterfall-like golden hair casually tied up at the back of her head, and white sneakers from the new Silent Series by Step Cloud, a brand she represented as its full brand ambassador.

When she reached Lu Ming, she pushed her sunglasses up to her forehead, revealing her deep, aquamarine eyes. Her gaze, as if instinctive, seemed to flow like water, so innocent and pure, contrasting sharply with her voluptuous chest—she was the perfect embodiment of a youthful beauty.

Lu Ming coughed. “Out for some fun?”

“Brother, where are you going?” Nicole asked with curiosity on her face.

“To the Western City-State, a small city-state. You wouldn’t know it if I told you,” Lu Ming casually explained, but then he felt an unfriendly gaze. Looking over, he saw a young man in a suit, handsome with an elegant demeanor, but his eyes held a cold, unfriendly look.

Nicole’s group seemed to have at least ten bodyguards, who blocked the onlookers.

Among those who approached Lu Ming were Nicole’s assistant and two men and one woman.

“Ah? Is it fun over there? I’ve heard it’s pretty chaotic, and I’ve always wanted to go but never dared. Brother, will you take me?” Nicole stepped forward, hooking her arm around Lu Ming’s, and shook it like a spoiled child. “Brother, take me, please!”

“Miss Nicole, I’ve told you, wherever you go, I’ll ensure your safety!” The young man who had been glaring at Lu Ming finally couldn’t help but step forward.

“Ah, Brother, let me introduce you!” Nicole pointed to the other man and woman. “This is my best friend Dami and her boyfriend, Carfit. We three are out together.”

Lu Ming smiled and greeted them, “Hello.”

Dami had a great figure and looked cute, but she had quite a few freckles on her face, which made her look less fair, though it added to her charm.

Carfit had short hair on both sides, with the middle spiked like a rooster’s comb and dyed red. He wore numerous earrings, clearly a bit of a troublemaker.

Nicole introduced, “This is my brother, Lawyer Lu, a very famous lawyer. He seems to have gone into politics now, maybe a congressman? I’m not sure.”

Dami and Carfit politely greeted Lu Ming, but they both seemed a bit confused.

It seemed that Dami had been Nicole’s childhood friend, and both she and Carfit came from humble backgrounds.

“Lawyer Lu, I’m McGaddy!” The young man who had been eyeing Lu Ming but hadn’t been introduced yet stepped forward and extended his hand.

Lu Ming gave Nicole a questioning look, and Nicole whispered, “I don’t know him. He just followed us. I think his father is the mayor here. Without him, I might have been exposed earlier.”

Lu Ming nodded and smiled at McGaddy. “You can go home and tell your father that I came in a hurry, so I won’t be visiting him.”

McGaddy furrowed his brows. “You know my father?” His outstretched hand became awkward and slowly withdrew.

“Boss, on the way back, if Mayor Madison comes to visit, should we arrange a meeting?” A blue-suited administrative officer, holding a notebook, asked. The officers were in other carriages, but would naturally rotate and stay near the boss’s carriage at every stop.

Before Lu Ming could respond to McGaddy, the group could sense from the officer’s words that McGaddy’s father likely held a weaker position in this conversation.

McGaddy’s expression darkened. The way the officer spoke suggested that Lu Ming was on the same level, or even superior to his father, and his current situation was entirely due to his father’s power.

That made it clear that McGaddy couldn’t compare to Lu Ming, and it was completely normal that Lu Ming wouldn’t shake his hand.

He wondered if this guy was just pretending, but seeing Nicole’s behavior, it seemed she was particularly close to this “brother” of hers, which might have its reasons too.

A young person from the Central Continent—if his status was comparable to his father’s, how powerful would his family be?

McGaddy froze for a moment. He couldn’t afford to be overly deferential, yet relying on his local influence could lead to major trouble.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming turned to Nicole and said, “Where are you going? Let me accompany you for a while.” He glanced at the group of about ten bodyguards, “Tell your people in security to sit in another carriage. There are too many people, this carriage won’t fit.”

“Okay!” Nicole agreed, then instructed her assistant to handle the ticket purchases for the bodyguards.

In the attached carriage, Dami and Carfit were in awe of the luxurious interior.

Originally, there were four individual rooms—one for Uncle Sun, two for the four black slave bodyguards—but now, one of the bodyguard rooms was given up, and two empty rooms were made available: one for Dami and Carfit, and the other for Nicole and her assistant.

The observation deck was at the rear of the carriage. If the glass cover was not lowered, it felt like a wooden railing balcony.

The sliding door to the observation deck listed which sections of the route offered scenic views, all of which were beautiful and would be slowed down.

Otherwise, it could be a bit dangerous in the observation area.

At this moment, the train was near the Hot Slave Volcano in Raccoon City, with a faint mist rising from the volcanic scenery under the moonlight, adding an exotic charm.

Lu Ming and Nicole sat in the observation carriage, enjoying tea and chatting while taking in the view.

“I’ve thought of two scripts for you. One is a detective drama where you play a female detective, unafraid of powerful forces, exploring human nature and reflecting on the flaws in the social system. It has great commercial potential, and its thematic depth will elevate your standing in the film industry. The second is a pure horror film, which would also be a great extension of your acting range. I’m considering how to balance the horror atmosphere though, so it’s not too terrifying, as too many people might get scared, and Nadou Film Industry could face too many lawsuits.”

In this day and age, audiences are less experienced. In a previous era, there was a sci-fi television series that didn’t label itself as a TV show. It started with a host reporting an alien invasion, followed by news cameras capturing the aliens killing journalists. This became a widely used plotline, but many viewers believed it to be real, causing mass panic. The TV station ended up facing numerous lawsuits and lost a lot of money.

Looking at the confident Lu Ming, Nicole suddenly asked, “Brother, how many sisters-in-law do I have now?”

Lu Ming sighed. “You’re a big star, you’re supposed to be the subject of gossip, not the one gossiping. I’m talking business, and you’re asking about gossip?”

As they looked out at the Hot Slave Volcano, now barely visible, Lu Ming stood up. “Alright, it’s late. We should rest.”

“Mm, brother, I’m going to use your bathroom to take a shower. The one outside doesn’t have a bathtub.”

Lu Ming nodded, “I don’t need a bathtub. But don’t worry, they disinfected it carefully as soon as we boarded.”

Back in the bedroom, Lu Ming took a quick shower and returned to bed. He turned on the bedside lamp and began flipping through a thick stack of documents on the nightstand.

There were documents about political affairs, legal matters, the law firm, and the company, along with information about Bat City and the customs and traditions of nearby city-states.

During this time, Nicole seemed to have taken a lot of toiletries into the bathroom, but Lu Ming didn’t pay much attention.

Bat City, and its rival White Deer City, had a long history of conflict. Bat City had a population of over 40,000, while White Deer City had over 100,000. White Deer City had constantly oppressed Bat City. Apparently, Liu Laocai’s land contract was not recognized by White Deer City, which had declared the oil fields belonged to them.

The weapons used by both sides were mainly crude firearms and cannons. Both city-states were impoverished, with meager financial resources, and the ruling class squandered most of it. They couldn’t afford to purchase high-quality weapons from the East.

Moreover, there was a weapons embargo system imposed on Western city-states by the Griffini Kingdom to prevent things from getting out of hand.

The guards of these two city-states had combat abilities similar to those of Northern rural militias.

As Lu Ming continued to browse through these materials, he furrowed his brow in thought. Suddenly, the bed on the other side shifted slightly. Lu Ming looked up in surprise, and it was Nicole, sitting on the bed, rubbing some cream on her face. She was wrapped in a snow-white towel, her golden hair tied up with a white towel.

Lu Ming shook his head. She really treated him like a real brother, with no attempt to be modest.

Turning his attention back to the documents, he didn’t notice Nicole starting to rub more cream on her body. Her long, fair legs were placed enticingly on the bed as she carefully applied the cream, her black, jewel-like manicured feet creating a tempting curve.

Lu Ming’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly forced himself to look away. He turned his body to face the opposite direction and continued to look at the materials, but it seemed impossible to focus. The words on the page became almost unreadable.

A few minutes later, the bed shifted again. Lu Ming sensed something was wrong and turned around. He saw Nicole lifting the thin velvet blanket and climbing into bed. Then, her snow-white towel, with its long, alluring nails, was tossed onto the floor.

The velvet blanket on the large bed was, of course, a double-size. Lu Ming was stunned. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to sleep here… it’s comfortable…” Nicole stuck out her tongue.

Lu Ming sighed. After a moment of thought, he realized that it wasn’t quite right to have her and her assistant sleep in such a small room.

Although it was still a high-quality sleeper carriage, a standard for upper-class travel, if not for his added carriage, it was still one of the best accommodations.

“Alright, alright. I’ll sleep on the sofa later. You’re really not worried that I’m a pervert?” Lu Ming smiled wryly, though the way Nicole treated him like a real brother felt kind of nice.

“I’m used to sleeping naked… it’s comfortable…” Nicole chuckled lightly as she wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, only her delicate face showing.

“By the way, where do you plan to get off?” During their earlier chat on the observation deck, it seemed like Nicole didn’t have a fixed destination, just wandering around.

“I’m going to the Western Region too…” Nicole exhaled deeply. “I’ve always wanted to go, but I’ve been worried about safety. Now that you’re here to protect me, I’ll go…”

Lu Ming nodded and sat up, about to get out of bed, but Nicole widened her clear, green eyes in surprise. “You’re really leaving? Not feeling perverted?” The last part she muttered quietly, but Lu Ming could still hear it.

Lu Ming rolled his eyes, but then, recalling their first encounter in the death carriage, his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

It seemed like he had been suppressing his feelings for too long, and though he was still in his prime, recently, he had felt little impulse and had no thoughts of attraction between men and women.

He was even starting to worry about his health, feeling a bit off physically.

But now, a strange warmth spread through him.

After all, he wasn’t cultivating immortality, Lu Ming sighed inwardly.

Helplessly, he looked at Nicole. “If you know I’m perverted, why come to my bed?”

“Brother, can I be your lover?” Nicole’s words were shocking, her bright green eyes blinking as she stared at him.

Lu Ming froze for a moment, then waved his hand. “Forget it, I’m exhausted…” Jennifer still didn’t know how to explain things to her family.

Besides, Nicole was the type who clearly had her own concerns.

“I’m not asking for your affection or money, and no one will know about it…,” Nicole said, as her hand reached out from beneath the blanket and gently touched one of Lu Ming’s fingers, her long, beautiful nails brushing against his skin.

“What’s been going on recently?” Lu Ming asked seriously, gazing at her intently.

Nicole lowered her head. “Nothing much, just that… these years have been so tiring. I just want to find a shoulder to lean on. I know I can never have a normal family life. The people I know don’t have pure intentions toward me. If I make one wrong move, it could end in disaster.”

Lu Ming was taken aback. “Why be so pessimistic? Although there are many bad examples of actresses getting married, don’t you see your predecessor, Catherine? She’s doing just fine. If you feel tired, you could retire from acting and find someone who loves you deeply. You’d live a very happy life.”

Nicole shook her head. “I love acting, especially after moving to Nado. I feel like I was born to act. Also, I don’t want to marry someone I don’t like. The thought of being close to them is disgusting to me.”

“Then why do you want to be my lover? Do you like me?” Lu Ming asked with a laugh.

“I don’t know…” Nicole looked up at him, her watery green eyes locking onto his. “But if I need a lover, I think you’re the perfect one. You’re incredible—nothing is impossible for you. Money and power mean nothing to you. And amazingly, even as a director, you’d be the best one. You have this magical power. Even a B-list actress could be made into a huge star if you wanted to. You’re an unbelievable person, mysterious. It makes me want to know what the real you is like.”

“If I become your lover, maybe I’ll get the answer.”

“Also, I’ve been thinking a lot lately—what will the audience think of me in ten or twenty years? Like you said, what will my status in the film industry be?”

“Then I realized, it’s all because of you, brother, that my horizons have expanded so much.”

“If I had to have a lover, I think you would be the perfect one. Originally, I might only have met someone like you in my dreams.”

“Actually, when I woke up yesterday, I thought to myself, if I ever see you again, I’d definitely give myself to you. I didn’t expect to meet you tonight… maybe it’s because God heard my wish.”

“When we’re intimate, will you take off all your masks? Will the real you show then?”

“I really want to see the real you… what are you like when you’re… bullying me?”

Nicole’s deep green eyes began to grow slightly hazy.

Lu Ming listened to her bold words, bitterly smiling inside. The way female artists think was indeed different. Although Nicole was conservative at her core, her views on men and women weren’t as traditional as other women in Zhongzhou. She didn’t see it as shameful or sinful; when she found someone she liked, she was willing to be open.

And here she was, a dream lover of every man in the empire, an incredibly sexy superstar, with no clothes on, lying under the same blanket as him, speaking such seductive words…

Even the strongest of men couldn’t help but feel parched and unable to control themselves.

Lu Ming’s thoughts were a whirlwind. He coughed lightly. “From what I’m hearing, it seems like you don’t really like me, you’re just a bit in awe of me, and you’re putting me on too high a pedestal…”

Nicole was silent for a moment, then muttered softly, “What’s so great about it… I’m not unaware of how perverted you are…”

Lu Ming’s eyes widened. “Last time, it really wasn’t my fault, okay?”

Nicole smiled and didn’t say anything else. However, the outline of her body beneath the blanket shifted closer to him.

Lu Ming froze for a moment, his heart suddenly racing. It felt like Nicole’s delicate foot, with its beautifully manicured black gemstone-like nails, had gently brushed against his calf.