Chapter 173: Chapter 173

"I’m telling you, Qi Longbing, not only am I going to make you pay me back for a leg today, but I’m also going to make sure you never have descendants! I’m going to turn you into a living eunuch! Hahaha!" Brother Lan cackled madly.

Then, lifting his knife, he swung it violently toward Qi Longbing.

But even faster, BANG! A large object flew from somewhere, smashing toward him.

Brother Lan was taken aback. He had to stop his knife and step back. Fixing his gaze, he saw it was a handbag.

At that moment, seizing the opponent’s momentary distraction, a graceful figure leaped forward and grabbed Qi Longbing’s elbow. "Let’s get out of here! Quick!"

"Xiao Mo!!" Qi Longbing looked at her, utterly surprised. He truly hadn’t even dreamed that at this critical, bizarre moment, she would appear by his side again!

Qi Longbing’s eyes were completely filled with her reflection, and his heart pounded uncontrollably. Instinctively, the hand she had grabbed reached back and grasped hers.

Hua Xiaomo glanced at him. The various expressions in his eyes were quickly interpreted by her as something else.

Hua Xiaomo’s expression hardened slightly. "President Qi, get out of here! Leave him to me!" She then quickly pushed him toward the door.

"Thinking of leaving? Not so easy!" Brother Lan roared, blocking their escape at the door. Spotting the suddenly appearing Hua Xiaomo, he snarled, "I remember you, you damn woman! I won’t let you go! I’ll beat you to a pulp to vent my anger!"

"F*ck off!" Hua Xiaomo cursed back angrily, grabbing a bedsheet and flinging it at the man.

Brother Lan swung his knife, aiming for Hua Xiaomo. Her bedsheet caught the blade precisely.

But, in an instant, WHOOSH! The knife sliced through the sheet, its sharp edge once again swinging toward them.

Hua Xiaomo shielded Qi Longbing behind her, pulling him along to dodge the opponent’s strike. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other thug holding Jiang Shuying captive. She quickly lunged. While the thug was still stunned, she exploited an opening and landed a punch on his head.

The thug immediately saw stars.

CLANG! His knife, knocked loose, clattered to the ground. Hua Xiaomo quickly flicked it up with the tip of her foot and caught it.

Now armed, she no longer feared Brother Lan’s long knife.

"Want to play? I’ll play with you! Let’s see whose knife is faster!" Hua Xiaomo sneered, and their blades clashed—CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!—as they began to fight.

Meanwhile, Qi Longbing quickly got to his feet and incapacitated the thug. He then looked at Jiang Shuying, who was scared into a stupor by the scene.

"Don’t just stand there, hit the alarm button!" Qi Longbing shouted.

"Oh! Oh!" Realizing what he meant, Jiang Shuying rushed to the bedside and pressed the alarm button on the wall.

A long, piercing alarm sounded. Only then did Brother Lan and his lackeys begin to panic.

Brother Lan watched Hua Xiaomo. He’d long suspected this woman would be difficult to handle.

After dueling with her for a while, Brother Lan had gained no advantage. He spat viciously and cursed, "You little bitch! You do have some skill! But one day, I’ll crush you!"

"Motherf*cker! Damn it, go to hell!" Hua Xiaomo also exploded with curses. At this point, who cared about appearances? With this kind of person, there was no need for reason. Knife against knife, gun against gun—that was the only way!

"Boss, we need to get out of here! Security will be here soon," one of the thugs said, worriedly.

"Go!" Brother Lan sneered, his gaze suddenly shifting to Qi Longbing. "President Qi, she’s your woman, isn’t she? Then I’ll let you watch her die!"

Quickly, Brother Lan pulled a black pistol from his front pocket. BANG! He fired a shot at Hua Xiaomo.

Everyone froze. Qi Longbing’s handsome face turned deathly pale.

But in that instant, while everyone was caught off guard, Hua Xiaomo miraculously dodged the bullet.

"Damn it! You bitch! I’d like to see just how much luck you have!" Brother Lan fired at her again. BANG! BANG! BANG! He shot three times in rapid succession, but Hua Xiaomo unbelievably dodged them all. It was as if Brother Lan had become addicted to shooting.

Having missed so many times, Brother Lan was now hell-bent on hitting Hua Xiaomo. By this point, she was cornered.

"Hmph, you bitch! Let’s see you dodge this!" Brother Lan sneered, aimed, and fired again.

BANG! But a graceful purple figure moved even faster, stepping in front of Hua Xiaomo to shield her. The bullet struck him squarely in the shoulder blade.

Brother Lan was stunned. He hadn’t expected Qi Longbing to step forward and take a bullet for the woman. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵

"Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish!" Brother Lan aimed at Qi Longbing again, but the gun just CLICKED. It was out of bullets.

Just then, a whistle and the sound of urgent footsteps echoed from the hallway outside the room.

Without sparing a glance to see if Qi Longbing was dead or alive, Brother Lan and his men quickly fled through the door.

The room fell quiet, the air thick with tension.

Hua Xiaomo supported Qi Longbing, her eyes filled with sudden concern. "President Qi!!"

Qi Longbing looked at her as he collapsed against her, a faint smile on his face. "Xiao Mo... you... you’re okay... That’s good..."

The pain from the gunshot wound in his back seared through his nerves, threatening to overwhelm his consciousness.

"President Qi, why did you jump in front of me? Don’t you realize how dangerous that was?!" Hua Xiaomo suddenly exclaimed, a note of annoyance in her voice. Seeing his pained expression, she felt a pang of unease.

He had taken a bullet for her, something she had never, ever anticipated.

Yet, she didn’t need him to do this at all!

"Dangerous... Precisely because it was dangerous... I couldn’t just watch you... Ugh..." Before he could finish, the pain nearly made Qi Longbing faint.

Hua Xiaomo frowned and immediately looked at Jiang Shuying, who was on the verge of tears from shock. "Miss Jiang, call a doctor! Call an ambulance!"

"Okay... Okay! I’ll call right now!" Jiang Shuying finally snapped to her senses, grabbed the phone, and started dialing.

Hua Xiaomo looked at the semi-conscious man, gently propped him against the foot of the bed. Then, an idea struck her, and she reached into his suit pocket...

Her fingertips quickly brushed against a hard object. A surge of joy filled her heart. But before she could withdraw her hand, another hand shot up and clutched her slender one.

"Xiao Mo... don’t leave me..." Qi Longbing murmured, his eyes barely open.

Hua Xiaomo paused, looking at him. His face was growing paler by the second. For some reason, she, too, felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.

Yet, she said nothing. She didn’t want to utter words now that would deceive both herself and him. That would be irresponsible to herself.