Xu Jingyan became increasingly uneasy. "Lu Yanting, you said I could make three requests of you. Listen, I'm going to make you my second request now: I want you to save me first!"

Lu Yanting was already untying the explosives on Qiu Mang when he heard this, and his hand paused slightly.

"Go save her! I can handle it myself!" Qiu Mang said, then bent down and began to remove the bombs from his body.

Seeing that her movements were quite skillful, Lu Yanting turned around and walked towards Xu Jingyan.

Qiu Mang quickly defused the bomb on her body. She glanced at the heavy iron door and then at the window three meters above the ground.

"Lu Yanting, I'm too weak to throw this explosive out the window."

Upon hearing this, Yan Kai wondered when he could reopen the iron gate. The window was too small to escape, so throwing the explosive charge out was a good idea.

Lu Yanting took the explosive charge from Qiu Mang, took a few steps back, aimed carefully, and threw the explosives.

Two seconds later, a loud "bang" rang out, and the three of them finally felt half relieved.

The second explosive charge was quickly defused as well. Just as Lu Yanting threw the second explosive charge out, a gust of wind blew in, and the window glass slammed shut.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. When the explosive charge flew over, it got stuck right in the middle.

"Lie down!" Lu Yanting shouted, and Qiu Mang and Xu Jingyan immediately did as he was told.

A few seconds passed, but the expected explosion did not occur. Lu Yanting opened his eyes and saw that the explosive charge was firmly stuck in the window, and the timer on it was still ticking.

Outside the door, Qiu Hui had already untied himself from the ropes and was now wrestling with Yan Kai.

Lu Haifeng was fiddling with the remote control in his hand. He glanced at the time casually and said leisurely, "Xiao Yan, what should we do? There are only two minutes left. I'm afraid Lu Yanting won't be able to get out!"

As he spoke, he chuckled again, "However, it was the right thing for Lu Yanting to bring you here. Perfect timing, someone can take care of his... corpse!"

Upon hearing the words "collecting the corpse," Yan Kai's anger reached its peak. He punched Qiu Hui in the forehead, and Qiu Hui was stunned by the force, momentarily catching him off guard.

Yan Kai had already snatched the remote control from Lu Haifeng. With a press of the remote, the iron gate opened, and three people ran out.

Inside the room, the explosive charge was still stuck in the window, but the numbers on the timer were still clearly visible.

In the last half minute, Qiu Mang's legs gave way and she almost fell. Lu Yanting picked her up by the waist and rushed out the door. Yan Kai, who had sustained some injuries, also limped after her.

Xu Jingyan's lips were a sickly bluish-purple, and she was extremely weak.

She reached out shakily, trying to grasp Lu Yanting, but her fingertips only touched the cold air. Her throat moved with difficulty, but no sound came out.

The moment the numbers on the explosive charge dropped to zero, Xu Jingyan's heart plunged into an endless abyss of darkness.

She watched helplessly as Lu Yanting carried Qiu Mang further and further away, as if her last breath had been sucked away, and she collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Lu Haifeng quickly stepped forward, picked her up horizontally, and gently placed her on the worn-out sofa.

Xu Jingyan suddenly snapped out of her daze, her trembling finger pointing towards the room, her voice broken: "No...no...no sound!"

Then, she first burst into incredulous laughter, but tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. "It didn't explode! It didn't explode! I'm still alive!"

Lu Haifeng reached out and brushed her messy hair behind her head, then unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to her.

Xu Jingyan grabbed the water bottle, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. The "glug glug" sound of her swallowing was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"Jingyan, do you see clearly now? Lu Yanting is not worth your love at all. In a life-or-death moment, he abandoned you without hesitation and chose Qiu Mang!" Lu Haifeng's tone was tinged with regret and seduction.

Xu Jingyan gripped the water bottle tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She stared intently at the door, the hatred in her eyes spreading like a venomous snake.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she abruptly turned to look at Lu Haifeng and demanded, "How did you end up here? You're the one who tied me up and brought me here, aren't you?"

Lu Haifeng nodded frankly, "That's right. But as you can see, I've already deactivated the bomb on you. I never intended to hurt you; I just wanted you to see Lu Yanting's true colors. I'm just sorry you were frightened."

Outside the door, after Lu Yanting carried Qiu Mang out, Qiu Mang immediately struggled to her feet and anxiously looked around, "Wait! Xu Jingyan doesn't seem to have come out yet!"

Lu Yanting then realized something was wrong and was about to turn back when several men in black blocked his way—the very men who had searched him earlier.

Lu Yanting shielded Qiu Mang behind him and exchanged a glance with Yan Kai.

The two worked in perfect harmony, protecting Qiu Mang like an impenetrable wall.

The man in black who was leading the group stepped forward and threw a punch, but Lu Yanting slightly turned his body and dodged the attack.

Then came a series of sneak attacks by men in black, but Lu Yanting and Yan Kai not only escaped injury, they also defeated the attackers.

However, the other side had a large number of people and they had already used up a lot of energy inside. Lu Yanting and Yan Kai were clearly exhausted.

Just as they were about to give up, several cars roared in. Lu Yanting looked at the familiar black sedan, and his tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

The car stopped, and several men in black suits quickly got out.

The leader said respectfully, "Mr. Lu, we apologize for being late!"

Lu Yanting glanced at the remaining men in black and nodded slightly. "They're yours to handle."

After settling the men in black and Qiu Mang, Lu Yanting and Yan Kai hurriedly returned to the factory, but Xu Jingyan, Lu Haifeng, and Qiu Hui were nowhere to be found in the room.

That evening, in the study on the second floor of the Xu family villa.

"Cough cough cough cough..." A violent cough broke the silence.

"Coughing like that? Are you badly injured today?" Xu Ming crossed his legs and leaned back lazily on the leather sofa, his eyes full of inquiry.

"Mr. Xu, cough cough cough cough cough..." Lu Haifeng had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by coughing again.

"No, it's not that. It's a chronic illness I had as a child that I've never been able to get properly treated. Mr. Xu... you're not blaming me for startling Jingyan, are you?"

Xu Ming waved his hand, his eyes full of admiration, "How could that be? I know you know how to handle things. Since the goal is to make Jingyan give up, this act naturally has to be played out completely."

"I'm glad Mr. Xu doesn't blame me!" Lu Haifeng was both polite and humble in front of Xu Ming.

Xu Ming lit a cigarette and asked, "So what does Jingyan think now? Has her opinion of Lu Yanting changed?"

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Xu Jingyan walked in.