Silly Bride

Chapter 265
Winnie thought staying inside the car was boring, so she decided to stay outside for a little longer.She reckoned Xavier would get
out of the car to look for her after sensing she was gone for some time.However, she didn’t expect to hear Xavier and
Christopher’s voices so soon.Therefore, after they were done discussing, she immediately turned around and waved at
Xavier.Although the moon was not visible that night, the lights from the twinkling stars adorning the night sky layered the ground
with a silver glow.As they weren’t very far apart, Xavier could vaguely see Winnie grinning at him in a relaxed and carefree
manner.At that instant, a thought popped into his mind. I’m sure she isn’t cheating on me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be smiling at
me like that.Feeling the heavy burden lifted off his chest, Xavier hastened in her direction.He realized regardless of his state of
mind, whether he was feeling angry, restless, happy, or relaxed, nothing could ever impede him from wanting to be reunited with
her.He strode forward and arrived next to her in no time. Without uttering a word, Xavier pulled Winnie into his embrace.She
rubbed her face affectionately against his chest and looked up at him. “What’s the matter? I notice you like to hug me this way
recently.”“Hm.” He held her tighter. “It’s nothing. I just feel like doing it. Why are you out here enjoying the breeze by yourself
without asking me to accompany you?”“That’s because I know you will come looking for me.” Winnie held his hand as she
smiled. “Come sit with me.”“Okay.” Holding her in his arms, Xavier sat down on the grass. He asked her, “What did you talk
about with Christopher earlier?” Winnie glanced at him.“Why do you ask? Don’t tell me you’re jealous again. I risked my life to
rescue him this time, so he thanked me and asked about how I was doing. We also discussed our subsequent plans, but I told
him we’ll follow your lead.”“Is that so?”“What else do you expect? We are considered very good friends who have experienced
life-and-death situations together. Our friendship has undergone and survived the toughest challenges. Can you quit assuming
there’s something romantic going on between Christopher and me?”“You’re right. You may not have these ideas, and I can also
be magnanimous and heed your advice, but can you guarantee he’s not harboring such thoughts?”Winnie could not help but
frown after listening to Xavier.“It sounds like you’re really overthinking this matter. You’re so petty. I’m already lying in your arms,
so what else do you have to worry about? Once we return, we’ll ask Professor White to concoct the antidote for you.”He shot an
assertive look at her. “I don’t need the antidote. I only want you. Anyway, I forbid you from having further intimate interactions
with Christopher. Otherwise, he will bear the consequences.”“You’re getting jealous too easily.”Winnie sensed he wasn’t kidding,
but she knew she couldn’t persuade him at that moment.If she had told him not to think that way or asked him not to hurt
Christopher, Xavier’s envy would undoubtedly be intensified.Since she couldn’t convince Xavier with her words, Winnie decided
to coax him using another method.Fully utilizing her status as a wounded person, she mercilessly pinned him on the grass and
lay on his chest while appreciating the scenery featuring sparkling stars and fireflies.Sleeping on the grass on such a wonderful
night was, without a doubt, a better experience than resting in the cramped space inside the car.Having said that, Winnie
remained vigilant no matter how much she enjoyed the ambiance.She would wake up even when she heard the slightest
noise.And this time, the source of the disturbance was Xavier talking in his sleep.Initially, she heard him murmuring the word

“Dumbo.”Winnie was amused after hearing that.Sometimes, she even suspected whether the version of her he loved the most
was when she pretended to be a fool instead of her current persona.Nevertheless, both versions are part of me.Then, Xavier
suddenly furrowed his brows and muttered, “Christopher, you’d better stay away from her. She’s mine. I’ll kill you if you look at
her again!”Winnie was rendered speechless. There’s really no end to his jealousy. He wants to kill Christopher even in his
dreams. What a dangerous thought!The sky slowly brightened.After Xavier opened his eyes, he noticed Winnie was already
sitting beside him.He immediately propped himself up as well. “Why did you wake up so early?”Winnie rolled her eyes at him.
“Thanks to someone, I could not fall back asleep after waking up an hour ago.”He knitted his brows. He knew she was referring
to him when she mentioned “someone.”“What did I do?” He ventured a guess. “Did I snore in my sleep and woke you up?”“Well,
that’s not the case.” She pinched between her brows and said, “You talked in your sleep, and I’m a light sleeper, so I was
awakened.”“Did I?” Xavier pondered briefly. “I don’t remember doing that.”“Normally, people won’t recall anything when they
sleep-talking. What did you dream about last night?” she asked.“I’ve forgotten.” He patted his head. “What did I say last night?”“I
couldn’t fathom your mumbles.” Winnie did not wish to voluntarily speak of Christopher’s name in front of Xavier since the latter
could easily get jealous. “Anyway, you muttered many things, but I couldn’t understand you. What a shame. Not only did I lose
sleep because of you, but I even failed to hear what you said. Come on, let’s go. Greta and the others are awake.”“Okay. Let’s
go.” He got up and walked toward the car while holding her hand.Soon, the few vehicles departed.Approximately an hour later,
they finally reached Salinsburgh.In less than ten minutes, they arrived at the hospital Jacinta and Rachel stayed.Christopher
remained in the car since he was wounded, while Winnie and Xavier led the other mercenaries into the hospital.Before going to
the hospital, Xavier informed Winnie that Rachel’s condition had improved on the second day they had left Salinsburgh.She had
been transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular ward and could now travel in a plane.Jacinta recuperated well from her
injuries too.Now, the only thing left for them to do was to return to their country.Winnie was already getting impatient to meet
Jacinta.However, upon arriving at the ward’s entrance, Winnie suddenly noticed no one was guarding the door.She instinctively
furrowed her brows. “Where are the bodyguards?”Xavier frowned slightly as well. “Maybe they’re inside, or they went to the
toilet.”She nodded and picked up her pace.Unexpectedly, right after she pushed open the door, she was met with the scene of
the bodyguard lying in a pool of blood.At the same time, the two mercenaries behind her were held at gunpoint.The next second,
someone closed the door behind them.After Winnie and Xavier exchanged glances, they shifted their gazes onto the person in
front of the bed.Jacinta, lying on the bed, was bound, and her mouth was sealed with duct tape.Someone sat beside the bed,
and judging by his outfit, that person was undoubtedly a man. However, his face was covered with bandages, leaving only his
eyes, nostrils, and mouth exposed.“Who are you, and what do you want?” Winnie subconsciously questioned that man.That man
let out a long sigh and stood up. “I’m so disappointed. We’ve only parted with one another for a few days, yet you’ve already
forgotten about me.”As soon as that man spoke, Winnie recognized his voice.She knitted her brows instantaneously. “You’re
Harold!”Harold heaved a deep sigh. “Very well. At least you haven’t forgotten about me. Actually, I don’t blame you for not
recognizing me because you’ve completely ruined my face!”Toward the end of his sentence, Harold suddenly grew agitated and

screamed hysterically.“How should I address you? Vivian or Winnie? I heard your granny calls you Winnie, so I suppose that is
your real name?”He touched the bandages on his face. “How should I take revenge against you to vent my anguish and
resentment? You and Chris are a shameless couple. I’ll never let anyone of you go. Now that you’ve shown yourself here, I
assume Chris should be nearby too.”Winnie’s head ached at the sight of Harold. This man is ruthless. I don’t know what he
would do after this.She said with her brows furrowed, “Let go of my granny, Harold. Let’s talk.”“What is there to talk about?”
Harold was beside himself. He booted the stool next to him. “You blew up my laboratory, burned my factored, and snatched away
my subordinate. Do you think you’re qualified to discuss terms with me?”Winnie attempted to comfort him. “Calm down. All you
want is money, right? I can give you a lot of money. Just tell me an amount, and I pay you.”“Ahh!” Harold could not help but
bellow as intense resentment churned within him.He gritted his teeth. “Unfortunately, b*tch, I have never been short of the ability
to generate cash. I don’t want even a cent from you. All I want now is to torture you and flay you alive. No! That’s not sufficient. I
want you to suffer pain worse than death and experience living hell. Can you understand my feeling? I can’t stand to see you all
well and alive. Oh god! Who can understand my feeling right now? Argh!”On the verge of losing his mind, Harold kicked the
bedside table.“No!” He did not feel better even after repeatedly booting the bedside table. His eyes gleamed maliciously as he
stared at Winnie. “I need to kick your granny a few times to feel better. Even kicking you won’t do the trick.”“No! Don’t do that.
Listen to me, Harold.” Winnie wanted to step forward but was held back by Xavier.As a result, she had no choice but to stay
rooted in her spot. “You need to be clear of one thing. This is Salinsburgh, not Lightspring and this is not your territory. Have you
wondered why I dared to let my granny stay in this hospital? That’s because this hospital belongs to General Kane.“Everyone in
Salinsburgh knows this, so no one has ever dared to cause a commotion here. You’ve been here for so many years, so don’t tell
me you aren’t even aware of basic knowledge like this.“You killed my bodyguard, and that means you caused trouble here.
Although not many people follow me to the ward at the moment, my men are still waiting for me outside. If I don’t leave after ten
minutes, they will come up here looking for me. By then, the situation will no longer be a simple grudge between us. It will
escalate to a fight between two parties. “Once the circumstances get out of control, General Kane will definitely send his
subordinates over. Your firearms dealings have progressed rapidly in recent years and are even close to surpassing General
Kane’s influence. He has long since thought of you as a thorn in his side.“Now, you’ve foolishly left your turf at Lightspring and
come to General Kane’s hospital to cause trouble to the patients and their family members here. Not to mention, you might even
hurt those innocent people.“Do you know how many doctors and nurses here are General Kane’s relatives? He has seven wives,
so you can imagine how many extended families he has. If you accidentally kill any of them, do you think General Kane will ever
let you off the hook?“Since you managed to survive all the predicaments, why are you so anxious to come here and seek death?
Ask your men to leave and let go of my granny. I’ll give you any amount of money you want. What do you say?”“Argh! Vivian!
Winnie!” Harold closed his eyes and looked up. “You’re indeed an eloquent speaker. It’s no wonder even I was fooled by your
words!”He abruptly fired a shot at the bed as he spoke.Even though his shot did not hit anyone, Jacinta and Winnie were scared
out of their wits.Just as Winnie wanted to move, Harold’s subordinate immediately aimed his gun at her.She gazed at Harold and

uttered anxiously, “Please don’t open fire anymore. I beg you, okay? If you do this, you’ll attract General Kane’s attention and
prompt him to send his men here.”“You’re right.” Harold scratched his head with the gun. “You’re absolutely right. I am indeed
quite afraid of Shaun, and I don’t dare to cause trouble in his territory, so let’s change the venue. We’ll go somewhere no one can
interrupt me.” He paused briefly before adding, “Oh, I’m also bringing Professor White and your friend, that idiot named Rachel,
along. Aren’t all of you in this together? There’s no need for you to be separated anymore. Naturally, I’m not excluding that traitor,
Chris. If I can catch you, he will not stand a chance to escape me!”With that, Harold turned to yell at his subordinates, “What are
you three standing there for? Hurry up and bind them!”Winnie felt extremely dejected while being escorted out of the ward.She
didn’t expect she would end up in Harold’s control again when she was so close to pulling that mission off.Soon, they were
brought to the car, and just as Harold had mentioned, Riley and Rachel had also been seized by them.Winnie was also clueless
about Harold’s plan. While escorting them to the car, those men deliberately separated her and Xavier.Undoubtedly, she wanted
to stay together with Xavier.Before getting into the vehicle, Winnie gave Xavier a knowing look.Simultaneously, he was gazing at
her too.Moreover, he even mouthed a few words at her in silence.He intended to tell her not to worry because he was there to
support her.In the past, Winnie had never trusted anyone besides herself.Caught in that tight spot at the instant, she could not
devise any method to handle Harold. In fact, she did not think Xavier could think of any effective solution too.Nevertheless, she
inexplicably placed her faith in him when she caught sight of his determined gaze.After getting into the vehicle, Winnie realized
that Rachel was in the same car as her. Meanwhile, Harold sat in the passenger seat in front.When Winnie saw Rachel leaning
unmoving against the back of the seat, she could not help but frown. “What did you do to her? Why is she unconscious?”Harold
glared at Winnie in annoyance. “You should mind your own business. It seems like you’re very concerned about this idiot. So tell
me, who do you care about the most? Is it this idiot or your granny? Answer me! Who do you regard with more importance? I’ll
treat them exceptionally well in your stead later!”Winnie gritted her teeth and fell silent for a few moments before saying, “I said
I’ll give you money. Isn’t it better for you to take the money and leave?”Harold sighed. “Stop provoking me, b*tch! As you
mentioned, I don’t want to stir any trouble in Shaun’s territory. If you continue to infuriate me, I don’t mind tossing one of these
people you care about and repeatedly running them over with my car on the road!”She knew he was a lunatic who could do
something as inhumane as that, so she immediately shut her mouth.Winnie was placing all her hopes in Xavier at that moment.
She believed him because he told her he had a plan.However, nothing she had hoped to happen occurred even after they left
the city.She could not stop herself from glancing backward at the car behind them. Xavier is inside that car. I want to know the
plan he has in mind, or was he merely trying to comfort me? But I don’t need this kind of unconstructive and meaningless
consolation.After the momentary dismay, Winnie began racking her brain, thinking about what else she could use to bargain with
Harold.While her mind raced, the car suddenly swerved onto a bumpy dirt road, causing the vehicle to move unsteadily and
shake violently.A hint of excitement laced Harold’s voice. “Great. We’re very close to leaving Salinsburgh. No one is capable of
restraining me soon.”However, as soon as he finished his sentence, the car came to an abrupt halt.Due to inertia, Winnie lurched
forward and slammed into the back of the front seat.After the car went completely still, she hastily sat upright and instinctively

glanced ahead.Instantaneously, the scene before her eyes shocked her because a tank was blocking their vehicle from moving
forward.That was not all. Parked behind the tank were two amphibious fighting vehicles. The polished surfaces of artilleries on
the vehicles gleamed under the sunlight, giving them a dominant and powerful vibe.Harold subconsciously turned his head
around to look at Winnie. “Are they yours?”Winnie hesitated in silence for a split second before nodding calmly.“That’s right. And
that’s why I suggest you let us go at once. Otherwise, all of you will die here today. How do you intend to put up a fight against us
with your puny guns?”He narrowed his eyes at her and sized her up. “Who exactly are you?”She glanced at him. “Why are you
asking the obvious? I’m someone you can’t afford to mess with.”Harold took a deep breath and tried his best to contain his
burning rage.At that moment, someone got out of the tank ahead, and he was holding a megaphone.Winnie widened her eyes in
disbelief when she saw that person’s face. That man was none other than Josiah.Clarity washed over her as she finally
understood Xavier’s “plan” referred to Josiah. But how did Josiah manage to lay his hands on these combat vehicles?Having
said that, Winnie could not be bothered with the details at that instant. Since Josiah was the one blocking their way, she had
nothing to worry about now.She gazed at Harold and sneered. “I suppose you didn’t anticipate this, right?”Indeed, Harold didn’t
expect that to happen.Josiah started to speak as well. “Harold, I’ll give you one minute to get out of the cars with your men.
Otherwise, do not blame me for not showing mercy.”Winnie shot Harold a look. “Why aren’t you doing as he says?”Clearly,
Harold’s desire to live was too strong, or else he would truly want to kill Winnie. Worse come to worst, he could’ve chosen to
perish with her, but he wanted to live very badly.He suppressed his boiling fury and reluctantly got out of the car.As soon as he
did that, his subordinates followed suit.After they gathered around, Harold asked Josiah, “Can you let us leave now?”Josiah
roared, “Put down your weapons!”Harold and his men had no choice but to concede and do as Josiah instructed.Josiah lifted his
hand after sensing that Harold was no longer a threat.When the men behind Josiah noticed his gesture, they immediately pulled
the trigger, firing consecutive shots at the ground near Harold and his subordinates’ feet, causing them to flee quickly into the
jungle.After that, Josiah jumped down from the tank to untie Winnie, Xavier, and the others.Xavier hugged Josiah and said with a
smile, “You’ll be picking up our dead bodies if you show up a few minutes later.”“How can I let that happen?” Josiah grinned. “I
don’t like to do something like that.”Then, he sized up Winnie. “What happened to you? You look so pathetic with your arm in a
sling.”Winnie guffawed. “What other choice do I have? This is what happens when the great Dr. Houghton is not around us. How
did you acquire these vehicles? You gave me a huge fright earlier.”Josiah adjusted his glasses. “I saved someone, and because
of my extraordinary looks, she was determined to marry me to repay the favor. I thought that repayment was more than I could
handle, so I requested for her to express her gratitude in another way.”“Who is that amazing person you saved?”“General Kane’s
precious daughter.” Josiah pointed at the tank behind him. “That belongs to their family. However, she told me I could only use
the vehicles to intimidate others but not in a battle. Therefore, we should leave immediately. I saw you engaged in a lengthy
conversation with that man wrapped in bandages. Did you lie to him?”“Yes. He asked me if the tank is mine, and I said yes.”“It
won’t be long before he sees through your deception because all of General Kane’s combat vehicles bear similar logos. Still,
Harold and his men won’t be able to come back here so quickly after we chased them away without their weapons. However,

once they regain their strength, things will only get messier when they try to settle all the cores with us. Hence, we need to leave
this place at once.”Winnie nodded. “My hand is not fully functional, so you and Xavier should drive a vehicle each.”Then, she
turned to look at Xavier. “Also, we’ll have to establish contact with Greta to get an update on Christopher and the others’
situation.”“All right. Leave that matter to me.”“Let’s hurry up and leave then. I’ll check on Rachel. I don’t know what’s wrong with
her. Josiah, you should come with me and take a look. After all, you’re a professional in this field.”“Okay. I’ll drive this car later.
Xavier, you’ll drive in front of us and lead the way.” With that, Josiah and Winnie got into the car Rachel was in.Initially, Xavier
wanted to sit in the same car as Winnie, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on such a trivial issue.He hastily strode toward the car
behind and drove the vehicle carrying Riley and Jacinta to the front.