“Chen Qiao Luo, Brother Xiao Hei asked me to find you. He said your mom fainted and has been rushed to the city hospital,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion.
I knew Auntie He Pei was his Achilles’ heel.
As expected, the moment the words left my mouth, the cue fell from his hand and clattered loudly against the tiled floor. Grabbing my shoulders, he asked urgently, “What happened to my mom? Why did she suddenly faint?”
His grip hurt, but I didn’t care. Looking directly into his eyes, I replied, “I don’t know.”
Hearing that, he released me and turned to leave in a rush.
Just as I was about to follow, someone stepped in front of us, blocking our way. He was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with a sly smile that reeked of trouble.
“Chen Qiao Luo, that’s not cool of you,” the man said, his gaze sweeping over me. “Bringing such a pretty girl here without introducing her to us?”
The mention of me made my brow furrow. Everything about him screamed sleaze.
Chen Qiao Luo glanced at him, his expression dark with irritation at being stopped. “I’m in a hurry. Whatever it is, we can talk later,” he said.
“Fine, go if you’ve got business,” the young man said, lowering the arm that had blocked our way. Then, grabbing me roughly, he added, “But this girl stays behind.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd around us erupted into laughter.
Disgusted, I tried to wrench my arm free and kicked him hard, yelling, “Let go of me!”
Caught off guard by my resistance, the young man stumbled back, clutching his leg in pain. He crouched down with a grimace, clearly not expecting me to fight back.
His companions, however, didn’t take kindly to the scene. Charging forward, they shouted, “How dare you hit one of us? Are you tired of living?”
I gave them a cold, disdainful look and sneered, “Just a bunch of thugs. Do you really think you’re somebody?”
“What did you say? Say it again if you’ve got the guts!” one of them barked, enraged.
I cast another dismissive glance at them but said nothing, my silence only fueling their anger. Furious, they rushed toward me, fists raised.
For a moment, I thought I was doomed. But just as they were about to reach me, Chen Qiao Luo stepped in front of me, shielding me from them. Within seconds, a fight broke out.
Chen Qiao Luo, who was no stranger to brawls, held his ground. The gang didn’t gain the upper hand, but that didn’t ease the growing worry gnawing at me.
As I watched him fight, I didn’t notice the young man I’d kicked earlier sneaking up behind me. Before I could react, he grabbed me roughly. A sharp slap landed across my face, snapping my head to the side. His face twisted with fury as he growled, “You think you can refuse me? Fine, let’s see how you like this!”
My cheek stung, but I couldn’t free myself from his grip.
Noticing the commotion, Chen Qiao Luo turned his head toward me. Distracted, he took a hard punch to the stomach, doubling over in pain.
The young man holding me smirked and shouted at him, “Keep this up, and I’ll make sure your little girlfriend’s pretty face isn’t so pretty anymore!”
At his words, Chen Qiao Luo froze. His gaze fixed on the young man, and he asked, his voice steady but tense, “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” The young man let out a cruel laugh. “You’ve hit my guys so many times—do you think I’ll just let that slide? Here’s the deal: stand there and let them beat you. Once they’ve had their fun, I’ll let you and your girl go. But if you fight back…” He trailed off, his malicious smile deepening. “Let’s just say her face might not be the same after I’m done.”
Hearing this, Chen Qiao Luo stopped resisting. He stood still, allowing the group to rain punches and kicks on him.
Panic surged through me as I shouted, “Chen Qiao Luo!”
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