An Xiaoni’s heart tightened, her first instinct being that she had suffered a hallucination. Her mind raced at a frantic pace. Her breathing turned shallow and quick, and her movements froze.
She crept toward the door and peered through the peephole. Two tall men wearing black masks stood outside; one was holding a room card, gently wiggling it against the lock.
Fear surged like a tide. Her hands began to tremble. She checked the lock, confirming she had engaged the deadbolt. Then, she scrambled back into the room and flipped off the lights, plunging the space into absolute darkness. With fumbling fingers, she folded the note she had been holding and stuffed it back into her bra.
Her gaze darted to the telephone on the nightstand. The speed-dial button for the front desk, 8888, was pasted right onto the base. She lunged for the phone and dialed. The ringing sound was piercingly loud in the silent room. She waited, but no one answered.
Just then, the lock clicked.
An Xiaoni’s eyes widened in terror; her heart felt as if it had stopped beating. "Pick up! Please, pick up!" she muttered frantically.
She knew the door wouldn't hold for long. Villains always found a way to bypass locks.
"Hello, front desk!"
The call finally connected. Hearing the receptionist’s voice, An Xiaoni’s hands shook as she clutched the receiver. "Hello, this is room 1011. There are intruders in my room—please, hurry!"
But all she got in response was the rhythmic *beep-beep-beep* of a disconnected line.
An Xiaoni’s body trembled violently. She realized then that someone at the front desk might be in league with these men, actively blocking her rescue. Clutching the bag of money Fu Yufei had given her, she crawled into the corner by the bed, curling into a ball. She stared fixedly at the door, not daring to blink. Terrible images flooded her mind—of the men breaking in and what they would do to her. She could practically imagine her own impending death.
Despair washed over her, and tears slid down her cheeks. She prayed silently for a miracle, though it felt impossible. She could only wait in despair for the moment the door was forced open.
The *click-clack* of the lock being tampered with sounded deafening in the silence. She felt as though she couldn't breathe properly; every inhalation was accompanied by uncontrollable shivering. The air around her grew thin and cold.
*Click.*
The door swung open. A sliver of light from the hallway cut through the darkness, and Xiaoni instinctively recoiled. Filled with hopelessness, she braced herself for the end.
Just then, the muffled sounds of a struggle drifted in from the corridor. It wasn't loud, but in the deathly stillness, it was crystal clear. Someone groaned in pain—each sound hitting her tense nerves like a heavy hammer. She shivered, ears straining to catch every detail, her eyes wide with fear and confusion, unable to fathom what was happening outside.
In the hallway, Quan Ying had one hand clamped around a man’s throat like an iron vice. The man’s face was purple and swollen, his feet dangling off the ground as he struggled in vain. Quan Ying’s other foot was pressed heavily onto the thigh of the second intruder; as the bone snapped, the man let out a blood-curdling scream.
The man spoke coldly, his voice like frost: "Go back and tell that Gu fellow: if he doesn't drop this business with the girl, next time it won't be as simple as a broken leg."
The two thugs were deathly pale, their legs turning to jelly. They were so terrified they had wet themselves, their trousers darkening. They nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes—we understand!"
*Tch.* They were already pissing themselves? Useless trash.
The man let out a disgusted snort. "Get lost!"
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the man he had been holding five meters away. The intruder slammed into the ground, a spray of blood erupting from his mouth—internal injuries, most likely. He wouldn't last much longer.
Quan Ying lifted his foot. The man on the floor, dragging his broken leg, could barely crawl away. Quan Ying watched with cold eyes as the two pathetic thugs dragged their bodies down the hallway, howling in agony.
He turned sharply.
The door was kicked open. A harsh beam of light flooded in, stinging An Xiaoni’s eyes. Against the backlight, the tall figure stood in the doorway like a phantom, radiating a chilling, oppressive aura. Even though she couldn't see his face, she felt his gaze, hidden in the shadows, piercing her like two sharpened blades.
The man stepped into the room. Xiaoni looked at him in terror, holding the money bag high with both hands, her voice trembling and choked with tears. "I’ll give you the money. Please, don't kill me."
Quan Ying gave a light laugh.
"Are you coming or not?"
He stood in the doorway, his thin lips parted, his tone icy.
The girl stood frozen, her eyes wide, as if she hadn't processed his words. Only when the man urged her impatiently—"If you're not coming, forget it"—did it feel as if someone had knocked some sense into her. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she finally saw his handsome, cold profile.
She scrambled to her feet and stumbled after him.
The man was tall and long-legged, moving with a fast, heavy gait that quickly widened the distance between them. An Xiaoni jogged to keep up. She clutched the bag of money to her chest with one hand, looking at his broad shoulders; at that moment, it felt as if he could carry the weight of the world. With her other hand, she reached out to grab the corner of his jacket, like a drowning woman grasping at a straw, terrified that he might change his mind and leave her behind.
Quan Ying knit his brows and barked at her with a look of disgust: "Stop pawing at me. Just walk. Anywhere you touch me, I’ll chop off."
An Xiaoni looked up at him. "You wouldn't."
Quan Ying stopped and glared at her with his sharp, lethal gaze.
"Want to test me?"
He made a motion as if to strike her hand. Xiaoni pulled away instantly, frightened by his ferocity.
The man smoothed his clothes and continued forward, expressionless. The girl followed closely, taking two steps for every one of his.
Back in the shadows, the two subordinates who had snuck in to open the door managed to call Gu Yanzu to report: "Brother Zu, my leg is broken, and A-Gou is vomiting blood. God knows how that Quan guy suddenly turned back. He caught us dead to rights."
When Gu Yanzu took the call, he had been expecting good news. Instead, lying in his hospital bed, he felt his lungs might burst with rage. He screamed into the phone: "You useless pieces of garbage! You couldn't even bring her in? Both of you, go die in a ditch; don't bother coming back!"
"Brother Zu, please don't—the guy named Quan told me to give you a message." The subordinate hesitated, wondering if he should speak; he knew it would only ignite more of Brother Zu’s temper.
"Speak!" Gu Yanzu roared.
"He said... if you don't drop this business with the girl, next time it won't be as simple as breaking your leg."
*Bang.*
The subordinate’s ear nearly went deaf.
Gu Yanzu furiously slammed his phone onto the floor, shattering it into pieces that scattered across the room.