Mingliang was so angry at him that he didn't dare to breathe.
Fortunately, it was over the phone; if it had been face-to-face, he was absolutely certain that Xiao Rong would have shot him dead.
"Mr. Xiao, don't get so angry with me." Mingliang was silent for a long time, then took a deep breath. "In the end, isn't all of this your own doing?"
"What did you say?" Xiao Rong gritted his teeth.
"I've never seen anything like it so damn hard to get a woman!"
"Shut up!"
Xiao Rong roared and slammed the phone against the wall.
The other two looked at each other, carefully retreated, and closed the door.
Xiao Rong was alone in the room. He rarely smoked, but he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
Those past times vividly surfaced in his mind... In the central city, in the Huo family, in Southeast Asia, wherever he was, he was Huo Jiayuan's most loyal knight.
But he knew the gap between them; he could only ever stand at the bottom of the steps, looking up at her and protecting her, but he could never stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
If I dragged her into my world, where she would no longer be that noble princess, would I be able to stay with her forever...?
Xiao Rong puffed on his cigarette, a ferocious and arrogant smile spreading across his face. His laughter grew louder and louder, like rolling dark clouds pressing down from the horizon... Yes, destroy her, strip her of her noble clothes, let others humiliate and trample on her, and then he would piece her shattered pieces back together, one by one.
By then, he will be the only person in her world who is willing to love her!
...
"Let me go!" Huo Jiayuan shouted as she struggled, "What are you trying to do!"
The old man remained unmoved, his withered hand gripping her wrist tightly, and he suddenly turned around to glare at her.
"Don't make a sound!"
Huo Jiayuan gasped, her previously blank mind racing. What should she do? If this old man was going to harm her, how could she escape...?
But she had been to this little convenience store before with Meng Yan, and the old man knew her!
“Grandpa,” Huo Jiayuan lowered her voice, deciding to have a serious talk with him, “I’ve made phone calls from here before, I…”
"arrive."
The old man led her through a maze of turns, through a dimly lit passage, to the door of a room.
Huo Jiayuan had no idea that the small, shabby-looking convenience store actually contained a hidden world inside. She looked around; it resembled an air-raid shelter, and it seemed to be connected to the convenience store.
The old man gestured for her to open the door.
She was nervous, yet forced to remain calm. The moment her trembling hand touched the doorknob, she felt a chill run through her body.
The room behind the door was small, barely big enough for a bed and a cabinet. The moment she stepped inside, Huo Jiayuan couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.
On this very bed lies a person whose fate is unknown, whether dead or alive.
Huo Jiayuan was so frightened that she took several steps back. The murky air and dim light in the room made her feel uncomfortable, and the faint smell of blood in the air made her have terrifying thoughts.
"This is your friend, don't you recognize him?" came the old man's hoarse voice.
Huo Jiayuan was still in shock. Suppressing her pounding heart, she moved step by step, holding onto the wall.
"It's..." she exclaimed in shock for a moment, "It's Peng Zheng!"
In that instant, it was as if a thunderbolt struck, shattering her chaotic mind and leaving it blank.
Is it Peng Zheng, the traitor Xiao Rong mentioned?
Didn't Xiao Rong say that he had already dealt with Peng Zheng?
But……
"water……"
Peng Zheng, lying on the bed, struggled to open his mouth. His eyelids were swollen, squeezing his eyes into slits. It was clear he was trying very hard to open his eyes to see who it was, but after trying for a long time, he still failed.
Now he is unable to move and can only lie in bed, barely surviving on instinct.
Huo Jiayuan looked helplessly at the old man.
The old man, expressionless, walked to the cabinet next to him, poured a glass of water, and then naturally sat on the edge of the bed, lifting Peng Zheng's head and carefully feeding him two sips.
Huo Jiayuan knew how strong he was when he grabbed her wrist earlier.
But when he fed Peng Zheng water, his movements were gentle.
Huo Jiayuan stood there, stunned, the feeling of being in a maze washing over her again. It seemed she had jumped into another maze, and she didn't know whether the old man and Peng Zheng were friend or foe. It felt like she was destined to wander in this maze for the rest of her life.
She clutched her head, tears streaming down her face, and turned to run away. But in that instant, she bumped into someone...
That man's chest was warm, and his eyes were stars she would never forget.
The man stared at her blankly, as if he couldn't believe she would suddenly appear in front of him.
Huo Jiayuan's whole body stiffened.
Sadness and fear, mixed with immense joy, struck her like a snowball. She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally moved her lips, a trembling, thin sound escaping her throat.
“Meng Yan…”
As soon as those two words were uttered, tears streamed down my face.
Meng Yan said nothing, but opened his arms and hugged her tightly as if she were a lost treasure that had been found again.
...
Behind the convenience store is a small courtyard with a large banyan tree in the center, its branches covering the courtyard.
Meng Yan handed her a cup of hot coffee, vanilla flavored. This flavor of coffee beans wasn't available in Yangcheng; it was a flavor she had only come to love after arriving in Biandu.
Huo Jiayuan held the cup in her hands, the warmth seeping into her heart. Sitting next to Meng Yan, she felt as if she had entered a safe haven, feeling incredibly at ease.
“I found him at Fatty’s place,” Meng Yan said in a low voice. “I guess he escaped on his own. He was badly injured at the time and was missing a kidney, so he couldn’t go far and couldn’t even leave Fatty’s territory.”
Huo Jiayuan's heart skipped a beat, "Missing a... kidney?"
“Yes.” Meng Yan looked at her. “The underground organ trade is rampant here. Your friend is in good physical condition, so Fatty naturally won’t let him go.”
Huo Jiayuan gripped the rim of the cup tightly with her fingers.
“When I found him, he was on the verge of death,” Meng Yan continued. “But at that time, my injuries hadn’t healed, so I couldn’t save him. Someone else saved him.”
Who is it?
"Na Bailing".
Meng Yan uttered a completely unfamiliar name.
Huo Jiayuan was taken aback. "Is it a woman?"
Meng Yan smiled and shook her head.
He had never seen what Na Bailing looked like; he only knew that she was the woman of the leader of the most powerful gang in the northern part of Biandu City.
The south and north of the city have always kept to themselves.
“I don’t know why Na Bailing would make a move this time,” Meng Yan said softly, “but there must be a reason why her people sent Peng Zheng here.”
"No matter what, we need to get this guy better first." He looked at her. "Yuan Yuan, what's your relationship with him?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
