Reborn in Hollywood

Monica leaned back on the sofa, staring at the light, and remained silent for a long time.

Li Rui stood up and went into the bathroom. As the hot water was running, he heard rustling sounds coming from outside.

When he came out, wrapped in a bath towel, Monica had already changed her clothes—she had probably found them somewhere, probably a spare bathrobe from the ship.

White silk, with a very low neckline.

She sat by the window, the moonlight streaming in through the French windows, casting a silvery glow on her.

"Are you done washing?" she asked.

"Um."

"Then I'll go wash."

She walked past him and went into the bathroom. The door wasn't closed properly, and the sound of running water could be faintly heard.

Li Rui stood by the window, looking at the moonlight on the sea.

Twenty minutes later, Monica came out. She had changed into a different bathrobe, her hair was still wet and draped over her shoulders, and there were still water droplets on her face.

She walked up behind him.

"What are you looking at?"

"The sea."

She followed his gaze. It was pitch black; she couldn't see anything.

"What's so interesting about the ocean?"

"There's nothing to see."

Li Rui laughed and said, "But it's more interesting than watching you."

Monica paused for a moment, then slapped him on the back.

"You have absolutely no manners."

Li Rui turned around and looked at her.

Wet hair, no makeup, and a loosely draped bathrobe.

Under the moonlight, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Aren't you afraid of me anymore?" he asked.

Monica met his gaze.

"Afraid."

She said, "But I still want to know who you really are."

"and then?"

"And then—" she paused, "and then I don't know either."

Li Rui didn't say anything.

Monica took a step forward. The distance between them was less than twenty centimeters.

"Do you know?"

She spoke, her voice lower than before, "I've lived my whole life by the rules. I graduated from police academy, became a police officer, went undercover, and every time I told myself it was the right thing to do, it was what I should do."

"and then?"

"And then tonight..."

She looked at him. "I fucking ran off with a murderer and a wanted criminal!"

Li Rui didn't move.

"Do you know what's the most ridiculous thing?"

Monica continued, "I don't regret it at all! But my gut feeling tells me this is a very abnormal reaction!"

She reached out and placed her fingertips against his chest.

Beneath the bath towel, the outline of a six-pack was visible.

"How did you get this physique?"

"It's a long story."

"Then let's not talk about it."

Her fingers traced his collarbone, slid down to his shoulder, and then stopped.

"What were you thinking when you killed him?"

Li Rui looked down at her.

"I wasn't thinking about anything."

"That's a lie."

"real."

He said, "It's like breathing. You don't need to think about it."

Monica stared into his eyes for a long time.

"So what are you thinking about now?"

Li Rui did not answer.

Monica tiptoed closer.

The kiss was light, carrying the scent of shower gel and the saltiness of the sea breeze.

Her lips were a little cool, but they warmed up quickly.

Li Rui put his arm around her waist.

The sash of the bathrobe came undone and slipped to the floor.

Moonlight shone in and fell on the two bodies.

That night was very long.

The ship sailed on the sea, and outside the window, there was only the sound of waves and the occasional ship's horn.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and fell on the bed.

Monica woke up first.

She lay in Li Rui's arms, her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

One, two, three – steady and powerful, like an engine idling.

She looked up at him.

When he was asleep, his face didn't look so sharp.

The sharpness between his brows had faded, and his lips were slightly pursed, making him look like an ordinary twenty-year-old.

She felt a little hot as she thought about what happened last night.

"What are you looking at?"

Li Rui didn't open his eyes, but he spoke.

Monica was startled.

"You're not asleep?"

"She was asleep. She woke up as soon as you moved."

She snorted and lay back down on his chest.

The two lay there, listening to each other's heartbeats.

After a long silence, Monica finally spoke.

"Where are we going?"

"have no idea."

"have no idea?"

"The ship is heading south," Li Rui said. "Probably to the Caribbean, or maybe South America. It depends on the captain's mood."

"You boarded the ship without even knowing where you were going?"

"Do you know where we're going to do it?"

Monica looked up and glared at him.

"You bastard..."

"What?"

She opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything and just lay back down.

"never mind."

That noon, they ordered room service.

When the waiter pushed the food cart in, his eyes kept wandering over Monica—the sliver of her leg peeking out from under her bathrobe, and the marks on her collarbone.

Li Rui glanced at him.

The waiter shivered, put down the food cart, and ran away.

Monica laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

You scared him.

"He's scaring himself."

Monica paused for a moment, then laughed even harder.

In the afternoon, they sunbathed on the deck.

Monica, dressed in a swimsuit, lay on a lounge chair, holding a cocktail in her hand.

Li Rui, wearing sunglasses, sat to the side, looking at a magazine he had somehow found.

Monica stretched.

"Please apply some sunscreen for me."

Li Rui threw the magazine at his feet.

"It's my pleasure, ma'am."

Monica smiled.

That evening, she became more proactive.

The next few days passed like that.

Wake up, eat, sunbathe, play cards, sleep.

Repeated cycle.

Monica found herself becoming more and more accustomed to this lifestyle.

On the fifth night, the two stood on the ship's railing, watching the sunset over the sea.

Monica leaned on his shoulder.

"I thought I would regret it."

"Regret what?"

"I'll go with you."

Li Rui didn't say anything.

"But I don't regret it."

Monica continued, "Not at all."

She turned her head and looked at him.

"Did you do something to me?"

Li Rui met her gaze and thought to himself that this woman was quite clever; it seemed she had guessed something.

"you guess."

Monica stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.

"I can't guess, and I don't want to guess."

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

"It's already like this anyway."

The sun sank below the horizon, leaving only a dark red glow on the horizon. The ship continued south, heading towards some unknown destination.

More than two weeks later, the "Seagull" slowly sailed into Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro.

Li Rui stood on the ship's railing, watching the outline of the Bread Mountain appear and disappear in the morning mist, with the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the City of God with outstretched arms.

Monica came up from behind and took his arm.

Rio.

She asked, "Have you been here before?"

"no."

"Me too."

Monica paused for a moment, then added, "I heard it's quite chaotic here."

Li Rui smiled.

"Chaos is good; the more chaotic a place is, the easier it is to hide."

Monica glanced at him sideways.

"You're quite optimistic."

When the ship docked, the captain personally came to see it off.

The overweight white man in his fifties had a broad smile on his face, as if he were saying goodbye to two old friends he had known for many years—he had no recollection of what happened that night, only that the two VIPs had given him a large sum of money.

"Mr. O'Connor, Miss Fuentes—"

He enthusiastically handed over two business cards. "This is my old friend's phone number. He's been doing 'business' in Rio for over thirty years. Documents, houses, cars—anything you need, just contact him. Give him my name, and he'll give you the fairest price."

Li Rui took the business card and glanced at it.

Thanks.

"Don't mention it! Next time you come to the Caribbean, take my boat again!"

Monica suppressed a laugh as she took Li Rui's arm and walked down the gangway.

"He really is..."

Monica couldn't help but whisper, "They're so enthusiastic."

"Enthusiasm is good, and it saves trouble."

-----------------

An hour later, Li Rui drove his modified car with Monica to Copacabana Beach, where a chubby Brazilian man in a floral shirt had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing the business card in Li Rui's hand, he immediately approached him with a professional smile on his face.

"Mr. Li! Ms. Fuentes! Old George has already called me, and I'll take you to see the best houses in Rio!"

Three days later, Li Rui and Monica moved into a mansion in the Santa Teresa district.

The three-story building has white exterior walls and blue window frames; you can see the Christ the Redeemer statue as soon as you open the window.

The yard is planted with palm trees and has a swimming pool that is neither too big nor too small.

Most importantly, it offers excellent privacy, surrounded by high walls and equipped with state-of-the-art security systems on the iron gates.

Monica stood on the second-floor terrace, the sea breeze blowing through her long hair.

"How much does this house cost?"

Li Rui leaned against the door frame, holding a cup of coffee in his hand.

"unimportant."

"What do you mean?"

"It means you don't need to worry about it."

Monica turned around and stared at him for a few seconds.

"How do you plan to spend that twenty million?"

"It's already been spent."

Li Rui's tone was very calm, as if the twenty million was not an eight-figure sum, but two hundred dollars. "This building, including the documents, the car, and the people we hired, cost almost two million."

"What about the rest?"

"Keep it."

"Where should I store it?"

"Several different accounts."

Li Rui walked over and stood beside her. "It's safer to spread out the people from Rio, the Cayman Islands, and Switzerland."

Monica blinked.

"You can do this too?"

"No, but that Brazilian named Jose Lavie will. He'll introduce someone, and all I need to do is pay him."

Monica looked at Li Rui with a complicated expression.

"You've considered everything so thoroughly, can I assume... you planned to do this from the very beginning?"

"You can think of it that way."

Monica couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Life went on like this.

Monica wakes up naturally every day, does yoga in the yard, and Li Rui reads the newspaper on the terrace.

Have a quick lunch, then sunbathe at Ipanema Beach in the afternoon or take a walk on the boardwalk in Copacabana.

In the evening, we ate at a small restaurant recommended by a local. Afterwards, we soaked in the pool, looked at the stars, and did some things that young men and women enjoy.

Monica found herself becoming more and more accustomed to this lifestyle.

I'm used to waking up in his arms every morning, used to his occasional sharp tongue, and used to his body that never gets tired no matter how much he does.