"That was just my period. It's broad daylight, and you're harassing me? Help! Someone is assaulting me!"
Instantly, a few middle-aged women swarmed around Lin Chudong.
"Young man, what are you doing? Don't bully a young girl in broad daylight!"
Lin Chudong frowned.
He scooped the woman up into his arms in a bridal carry.
"It's fine, aunties. My girlfriend is just angry and acting out."
A look of sheer panic flashed across the woman's face.
Because she felt a hard object pressing right against her waist!
Chapter 23
The woman froze, not daring to move an inch, because she knew that was the handgun in Lin Chudong's hand.
Lin Chudong's marksmanship was utterly terrifying. Earlier, she had aimed at him from the window on the eighteenth floor.
He had clearly had his back to her, yet after firing a single shot, he had instantly locked onto her position among all those windows and fired right back.
Though she had reacted quickly enough to dodge, the bullet had ricocheted around the room and struck her thigh.
What terrible luck.
Seeing that the woman had stopped struggling, the middle-aged women minded their own business and dispersed.
Lin Chudong let out a sigh of relief.
Dealing with crowds was indeed troublesome; fortunately, this woman knew when to yield, otherwise he would have had to knock her out and carry her off by force.
Carrying her, he headed into the garage of Qin Wei's house.
He unceremoniously dumped her onto the ground.
Unzipping the guitar case on her back, he found a sniper rifle inside, just as expected.
Pulling out some ropes, he hogtied her completely.
The woman snapped irritably, "If you aren't going to kill me, would you mind helping me stop the bleeding first?"
Lin Chudong said coldly, "Cut the chatter. You're in no position to bargain with me right now!"
He needed to go comfort Qin Wei; he had no time to interrogate this woman just yet.
With practiced efficiency and ruthless force, he bound her hands behind her back and tied them together with her feet, making the woman wince and grimace in pain.
"You really don't know how to treat a lady!"
Lin Chudong let out a cold snort. If she were an ordinary woman, he naturally would have shown some gentleness.
But this bitch was a top-tier assassin; was he supposed to hold back?
Once she was securely tied, he shoved her directly into the car's trunk and gagged her.
Watching her thigh continue to bleed, Lin Chudong applied force with both hands and, with a *rip*, tore her dress right open.
The woman's eyes widened as muffled sounds came from behind the gag.
What was this bastard doing? Why was he tearing her dress?
Lin Chudong saw where she had been hit—the bullet hadn't penetrated her flesh, but had merely grazed her thigh.
Finding some tissues in the car, he hastily bandaged the wound for her.
The woman's thigh was remarkably smooth, and now that her dress was torn open, the only thing covering her was a pair of pink strawberry-patterned panties.
The woman's face flushed crimson as she glared daggers at Lin Chudong, her expression fierce enough to kill.
He had to stop the bleeding to ensure she didn't die—he still needed to interrogate her later.
Lin Chudong said coldly, "What are you glaring at? Consider yourself lucky I'm letting you keep your life!"
Finished with the bandage, Lin Chudong didn't bother fixing her dress, leaving her exposed just like that before slamming the trunk shut.
Taking the elevator up from the garage, he headed for the upper floors.
Qin Wei should be on the third floor.
"Weiwei, I'm back."
No answer.
Lin Chudong frowned.
He had been keeping a close eye on the place; nobody should have been able to get in here.
Pushing open the door to Qin Wei's study, he instantly sensed the presence of someone inside.
Lin Chudong cautiously pulled open the closet door, and suddenly, a kitchen knife came hacking down toward him.
Lin Chudong let out a wry smile, easily dodging the strike as he grabbed Qin Wei by the wrist.
"Weiwei, it's me."
The knife slipped from Qin Wei's hand and clattered to the floor as the crushing tension finally began to drain away.
She threw herself into Lin Chudong's arms and burst into muffled tears.
Lin Chudong wrapped his arms around her soft body, gently stroking her back.
"Don't be afraid. It's over."
The gunshot outside had scared Qin Wei out of her wits.
Though she had weathered plenty of storms in the business world, she had never encountered anything like this.
Why would anyone try to assassinate her?
Holding Qin Wei's body and breathing in the fragrance of her hair, the sensation felt intoxicatingly comfortable.
His hands instinctively slipped beneath her clothes from her waist, touching her smooth, tender skin.
Chapter 24
Qin Wei abruptly shoved him away, wiping the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes as she glared at him fiercely.
"What are you doing? Keep your hands to yourself!"
Lin Chudong was left somewhat speechless. "Didn't you throw yourself into my arms? I was just comforting you."
"Is that why you slid your hands inside my clothes?"
Lin Chudong rubbed his nose and said somewhat awkwardly, "It was an impulse... just an impulse..."
Qin Wei hurried over to draw the curtains. "Was there really an assassin?"
Lin Chudong nodded.
"There really was. I'll have Captain Su come handle it."
Lin Chudong sent a WeChat message to Su Momo.
"Three assassins at the intersection outside Emerald Villa District. All dead. You're welcome."
Qin Wei finally let out a breath of relief.
She was a formidable businesswoman after all; if any other young girl had faced such a scene, she probably would have been scared out of her mind.
Yet Qin Wei seemed far less shaken now.
"Weiwei, stay in the room by yourself for a bit. I have some business to attend to."
Hearing this, Qin Wei's expression immediately shifted.
"Can you... stay with me a little longer?"
"All right."
Qin Wei went back to her bedroom, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.
Lin Chudong sat down beside her, staying quietly by her side.
Perhaps due to the extreme nervous tension earlier, Qin Wei drifted off to sleep before long.
Once she was fast asleep, Lin Chudong stepped out of the room and gently closed the door.
He returned to the garage and popped the car's trunk.
The assassin was still bare-legged; as the trunk opened, the blinding light made her instinctively squeeze her eyes shut.
A few seconds later, however, she snapped her eyes open and glared murderously at Lin Chudong.
Pulling the cloth gag out of her mouth, Lin Chudong said coldly, "Don't scream, or you'll regret it."
With the rag removed, the assassin snapped, "Where the hell did you go? Leaving me here like this—if you'd been a minute later, I would have bled to death."
Lin Chudong was utterly speechless.
"Do you have any idea what situation you're in?"
"If I didn't still have use for you, do you think you'd still be breathing?"
The woman snorted. "Since you still need me, treat me properly, otherwise I won't say a word!"
Lin Chudong picked up a pair of large pliers from the garage.
"No problem, you don't have to talk. Let's just see how tough your mouth really is."
Seeing the pliers in Lin Chudong's hand, the woman shrank back in sudden fright.
"Ask whatever you want. I'll tell you everything I know."
Lin Chudong sneered.
"I actually liked that rebellious attitude you had earlier."
"Spill it. What's your name?"
"Chen Jiayu."
"Who is your employer?"
"I don't know."
Lin Chudong lifted the pliers.
Chen Jiayu hurriedly blurted out, "I really don't know! Black Hawk was our boss, and you already killed him."
Lin Chudong let out a cold hum.
"You'd better not lie to me. If I catch you in a lie, I'll make you wish you were dead."
Seeing the fierce look in Lin Chudong's eyes, Chen Jiayu had zero doubt about his ruthlessness.
In the span of barely a minute, this guy had just wiped out three of her teammates; that level of ferocity far surpassed professional assassins.
"A fragile girl like me, how would I dare lie to you?"
"Aside from a bit of looks, I don't have anything else."
"How about this—I use my charms on you, and you let me go?"
Chapter 25
Lin Chudong sneered and looked Chen Jiayu up and down.
There was no faulting this woman's figure and appearance; though she wasn't tall, an air of seductive charm radiated from head to toe.
If she weren't an assassin, she really would be a top-tier beauty.
"Do you think I'd touch a woman like you?"
Chen Jiayu retorted irritably, "Hey, what kind of woman am I supposed to be?"
*Ding-dong.* Her phone chimed.
It was a WeChat message from Su Momo.
"The three assassins have been located and brought back to the police station. Was this your doing?"
Lin Chudong replied, "How could that be? Where would I get the ability to do that?"
"I didn't think you had it in you."
Lin Chudong took out his phone, snapped a photo of Chen Jiayu's face, and sent it straight to Director Deng.
"Run a check on this person."
Director Deng replied with a file almost immediately.
Lin Chudong read through it carefully.
Seeing his actions, Chen Jiayu panicked slightly.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you taking my picture? You're so sleazy!"
Lin Chudong was speechless.
The woman had decent mental fortitude; to still have the heart for jokes in her current state?
"Chen Jiayu, from Happy Welfare Home. If Teacher Hu found out you turned into an assassin, what do you think she'd say?"
Chen Jiayu's expression shifted drastically.
The joking demeanor vanished completely.
Replaced by a look as cold as frost.
She struggled fiercely against her bonds, hissing viciously, "If you dare tell them, I'll take your life!"
Lin Chudong sneered. It seemed this woman wasn't completely fearless after all—she still had a weak spot.
"If you cooperate with me obediently, naturally I won't tell them."
"I've already gotten hold of your entire file."
"If I sense even a hint of a threat from you, I promise I'll make your life a living hell."
Lin Chudong was no saint; using underhanded tactics to threaten enemies didn't give him the slightest psychological burden.
He understood deeply that in this world, showing mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself.
Realizing that Lin Chudong had her dossier, Chen Jiayu became noticeably much more compliant.
"All right, talk. Why were you hunting Qin Wei?"
Chen Jiayu bit her lip and said, "We just wanted to grab something."
"What thing?"
"I don't know. The boss said that if we just terrified her enough, she'd hand it over obediently."
Lin Chudong furrowed his brows.
"You don't even know?"
Chen Jiayu nodded.
"I'm really not lying to you. I honestly don't know what it is, but the employer made it very clear that Qin Wei knows what it is."
"She's just an ordinary woman; give her a little scare and she'll probably spill it. If all else fails, we snatch her and let the employer interrogate her personally."
Lin Chudong nodded. "That's not a bad idea."
"And your figure is somewhat similar to Qin Wei's, just a bit shorter. Put on some high heels and nobody would even notice."
Catching the look in Lin Chudong's eyes, Chen Jiayu's face changed.
"What do you mean?"
"I think your idea is great. How about we dress you up as Qin Wei and send you to the employer? Then wouldn't I find out who's behind all this?"
Chen Jiayu glared at him. "You can't do that! If I do that, my life will be in mortal danger!"
Lin Chudong sneered.
He reached out and grabbed Chen Jiayu by her slender, porcelain neck.
"Your life is already in mortal danger while you're in my hands."
Chen Jiayu's face flushed a deep red. After Lin Chudong let go, she gasped heavily for air.
This man had zero sympathy or gentleness in him; if she incurred his displeasure in the slightest, he really might kill her.
Chapter 26
"That's a good method, but let's save it for next time. We'll let them off easy today—just a couple of beatings to the back of the head will do."
That hardly sounded letting them off easy...
"Fine, fine, I get it."
Completely unaware that danger was rapidly approaching, the mother and daughter stood right outside the gates of the Luo family's luxurious villa.
They checked each other over. "How is it, Mom? Is my outfit presentable?"
"Very presentable! My daughter is the prettiest girl in the world!"
Su Huan covered her mouth and giggled, more than half of her previous gloom vanishing instantly.
"Mom, you only ever praise me!"
"Of course! You're my daughter. If I don't praise you, who else am I going to praise?"
*Cough, cough, cough!*
Just as Zhang Yingying finished speaking, the villa's heavy gates swung open.
A burst of coughing accompanied the motion.
The two of them immediately looked up, meeting Su Ling's gaze, which was brimming with disgust and hatred.
"Ling'er?"
Su Ling closed her eyes briefly, burying the intense emotions deep within her heart.
"Come on in. Auntie has been waiting for a long time."
Hearing such a cold tone, Su Huan felt her anger flare up instantly.
"We just went through some awful things, and you're still putting on this impatient attitude for who to see?"
"Does it have anything to do with me? Did I cause the things you went through?"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing!" Zhang Yingying sighed quietly. "We're at the Luo family residence now, don't give outsiders a show to laugh at!"
"Hmph, good thing you know! Please, come in!" Su Ling sneered.
Su Huan clenched her back molars, a raging fire burning in her chest.
Damn white lotus! Just you wait!
Once the three of them entered the villa, from some distance away they spotted a middle-aged woman accompanying a little girl in play.
"Is this my future son-in-law's aunt?"
Son-in-law?
Su Ling took a deep breath. "Please watch your words! Wang Li and I aren't married yet!"
"Soon, aren't you? How many days left? Ten-odd days! It'll pass in the blink of an eye!" Su Huan mocked. "You two must have had a wonderful time spending these past couple of days alone together, right?"
"Shut up! Stop gloating at my expense!"
Did Su Huan think she was going to have a good ending?
Once she married into the Wang family, she'd make Su Huan understand just how vast the gap between them truly was!
"Oh my, Sister Zhang, hello." Zhang Yingying hurried over with small steps, grasping the woman's hand. "We're practically family!"
"That's true. If we went back a few hundred years, who knows, maybe we really were family!" Zhang Shuqin withdrew her hand without a trace, smiling politely. "And this must be the eldest Miss Su, Su Huan? Truly as beautiful as a flower."
Who doesn't like being complimented?
Su Huan smiled coyly. "You flatter me, Auntie. Your own daughter's looks—now *that* is top-tier beauty!"
"Haha, well, that's true. Our little Hui is definitely going to be a great beauty when she grows up." Zhang Shuqin affectionately ruffled the little girl's hair, then turned to a servant. "Take the young miss to play somewhere else. Be careful, and don't let her get hurt."
"Yes, Madam."
Once they left, she made a gesture of invitation. "Please, sit."
"Thank you for the trouble."
After they sat down, an oppressive silence settled over the room.
Chapter 27
Chen Jiayu shuddered all over, her face flushing a deep, fiery red.
"You bastard, just kill me already!"
With her flushed face, Chen Jiayu's looks were even more striking than before.
The girl had a great figure and face; it was just a pity she was a dangerous individual.
"Right, your wound hasn't been treated yet. Rest for now, I'll come take care of it in a bit."
"No other weapons on you, are there?"
"Let me search you."
Lin Chudong's hands started feeling their way down from her neck.
Chen Jiayu instantly began struggling, pushing against his arms with her hands.
"Don't touch me!"
Alas, Chen Jiayu's hands were weak and powerless, and her shoving looked more like playing hard to get.
Lin Chudong's large hands roamed uninhibitedly over her body, and within moments, he had felt her all over.
Chen Jiayu bit her lip, overcome with humiliation, wishing she could chop Lin Chudong into a thousand pieces.
*Clang, clang.*
Two razor blades were tossed onto the floor by Lin Chudong.
"It's not like I'm trying to take advantage of you—tell me, shouldn't I have searched you?"
Chen Jiayu let out a huff and turned her head away.
Those were the only two life-saving items she had hidden on her, and he'd found them anyway. Now she really had zero chances left.
Lin Chudong gently patted her thigh.
"I have to say, your figure is really nice, and your skin is great too—so soft and smooth. I'm starting to feel a bit reluctant to send you out to be used as cannon fodder."
Chen Jiayu gritted her teeth in rage.
"Bullying me like this, you'll come to a bad end!"
Lin Chudong snorted. "You should have expected this day when you chose to be an assassin. Alright, get some rest."
With that, Lin Chudong slammed the trunk shut.
Returning to the room, he found Qin Wei still asleep.
He stripped off his shirt and pants and slipped under Qin Wei's blanket.
They had already shared a bed once at the hot springs hotel; what was one more time?
Besides, Qin Wei had been frightened earlier, so this could also count as comforting her.
Lying beside Qin Wei, she seemed to sense an aura of safety and instinctively shifted closer to him.
A few minutes later, Qin Wei's head rested on his arm.
Lin Chudong gently pulled her into his arms, the soothing fragrance refreshing his mind.
At that moment, he suddenly thought that after retirement, having a wife like this wouldn't be half bad.
Aside from being a bit cold and having a bit of a temper, she didn't seem to have any other flaws.
After a long while, Qin Wei opened her eyes.
Realizing she was actually lying in Lin Chudong's arms, her face flushed red in an instant.
She initially wanted to push him away, but noticed that Lin Chudong's eyes were closed and he seemed to be fast asleep.
After a moment of hesitation, Qin Wei decided not to wake him; waking up right now would just be far too awkward.
When had this bastard crawled into bed and hugged her?
How dare he sneak into her room and get into her bed?
He was getting more and more out of line!
Qin Wei gritted her teeth, but moved very gently as she carefully lifted his arm away, then tiptoed out of the room.
The moment Qin Wei left, Lin Chudong opened his eyes. He had actually been awake for a while, but to avoid awkwardness, he had chosen to fake sleep a bit longer.
Ten minutes later, Lin Chudong walked out of the room.
Qin Wei was already sitting upright in the living room.
"Weiwei, why did you wake up so early?"
Qin Wei said coldly, "Who gave you permission to enter my room?"