She looked at Mu Liang and innocently said, "You won't be mad about it now, right?"
"Mad about what?" Mu Liang pretended not to know. He didn't fall for her trick.
Mu Lan was ashamed to face him. "About the last night. I didn't mean to trick you but I can't have that every night…"
Mu Liang cut her off. "That won't do. As for punishment, prepare yourself."
Mu Lan couldn't take such bad news as the first thing in the morning. She made a pitiful face.
However, Mu Liang was resolute. "Tell me, what else did you hide from me?"
Mu Lan froze on the spot.
She did hide something from him.
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In Italy, just the day before the party, Mu Lan went out with her friends. After these four friends united in Italy, they couldn't go anywhere.
Florence was the birthplace of High Renaissance art, which lasted from 1450–1527. While Medieval art focused on basic story telling of the Bible, Renaissance art focused on naturalism and human emotion.
Since both Mu Lan and Qi Ying were interested in Renaissance art, they first went to Loggia dei Lanzi, a building on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery.
These places were filled with sculptures and paintings, literature works of Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting; Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio, forefathers of the Renaissance, Ghiberti and the Della Robbias, Filippo Lippi and Angelico; Botticelli, Paolo Uccello and the universal genius of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
In other words, Florence city is the place of legends.
Yan Su wasn't that interested in Florentine arts since it wasn't her first time here, moreover, she was now interested in woods and animals. She was planning on going to Africa after her study ended. She wanted to keep it a secret, since she knew that no one would approve her to do so.
What she didn't know that Mu Liang had a doubt and told Lu Feng about it.
But that's another story.
Xue Lin was looking at the arts in awe. Once she loved painting too. But now it became a history. Once again, she thought that it was a good decision to be friends with the people who loved travelling.
"Let's buy some souvenirs." Yan Su pulled them out of the gallery and took them in the souvenir shop.
Yan Su and Qi Ying bought a lot whether Mu Lan bought a few things and Xue Lin bought nothing.
Xue Lin just said to Yan Su, "Give me the photos you have taken."
Yan Su agreed. "Sure."
The girls went to La Buchetta Food & Wine Restaurant, one of the top restaurants in Florence. The place was warm and cozy. They girls sat in the corner and ordered the food.
Xue Lin thought that they were in heaven.
La Buchetta" appetizer. Prosciutto, salami, finocchiona, two types of cheese, served with homemade marmalade and Acacia honey, a bowl of stracciatella and vegetables under extra virgin olive oil as appetizer; as for first course meal "Special" Pici pasta. Homemade thick spaghetto, Pienza pecorino, black pepper, and truffles, Squid risotto with fava beans cream and pecorino cheese; Sliced grilled chicken breast with Arugula Salad and Parmesan cheese as for main course; as for side dishes Steamed asparagus, Roasted potatoes; as for desserts Hazelnut Jelly custard topped with dark chocolate sauce; and for drink was Brunello di Montalcino Docg Riserva Biondi Santi 1999 (Sangiovese).
Mu Lan was also amazed. "I can die without regrets." She said while rubbing her stomach.
Qi Ying and Yan Su giggled at her action. They took hours to finish the food. After they finished dinner, they walked out of the restaurant with filled stomach.
Mu Lan was the one who was behind of them. She was rampaging through her bag to look for her pendent. It was given by Mu Liang. She was sweating while walking in the street and so took it off that time.
After she found the pendent, she took it out and was about to wear it. At that time, someone collided to her and the pendent fell on the floor.
The person who she was collided to noticed that pendent and bent down to take it.
"Sorry." That person apologized in a low and distant voice and handed the pendent to Mu Lan.
"It's fine. Thank you." Mu Lan smiled and took the pendent. When her hand touched that person's palm, she shivered a little.
The hand was freezing cold. So cold that it could be compared with a dead person. She didn't notice the strange expression of the person in front of her. After taking the pendent and turned around to leave.
"Wait!" That person grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. Mu Lan winced as she looked at him and their eyes met.
He was a tall and strong man. His skin was pale. His eyes were brown. His hair was black. His nose was sharp. His lips were pale and thin. There was a cruel stretch line between his lips. His brown eyes were bewildered and held a bit of madness. His whole body was stiff and rigid. A cold vibe was coming out of his body; it made him very intimidated.
Looking at him, Mu Lan's eyes contracted. Her whole body trembled and a sudden fear made her breathless. Her heart hurt so much that she wanted to take it out. She never felt something like this before even though she saw a man who looked very similar to him.
They just looked at each other for two seconds but it felt like years. Their eyes absorbed each other and their contradictory temperature ran through their blood. Mu Lan felt cold and that person in front of her felt warmth,
Just in two seconds, they forgot where they were, whatever they were doing, why they were there, how long they were looking at each other.