Gu Qingyan clutched his injured shoulder in pain, but he couldn't care less about his wound at the moment. Watching Xiao Wanqing being roughly pulled around, Gu Qingyan felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
"Wanqing!" Gu Qingyan struggled desperately to stand up and stop the bodyguards. But before he could even get up, Wei Qiao kicked his injured leg hard again. "Mr. Gu, this is your retribution. You deserve it!"
"Wei Qiao!" Gu Qingyan roared in fury, "What exactly do you want to do? Do you believe me? If you dare to touch Wan Qing, I will take your life when I return to Nancheng!"
"Oh," Wei Qiao replied casually, "Then I'll wait until President Gu returns to Nancheng before we talk about it."
After saying that, Wei Qiao turned to Lin Su and said, "Leave the rest to us. If Mr. Lin wants to come along, you can come with me."
Lin Su didn't say anything, but followed behind the bodyguard and walked in Rong Mo's direction.
"Wei Qiao!" Gu Qingyan shouted angrily, "You just wait! If you dare to hurt Wanqing, I will definitely kill you!"
Gu Qingyan's voice was filled with despair, but Xiao Wanqing's reaction sank his heart even further. Her head hung low, her shoulders slumped limply, like a soulless shell being mechanically dragged forward by two bodyguards like a puppet. She didn't turn around, perhaps not even having the strength to do so, which made Gu Qingyan's heart ache so much he could hardly breathe.
Wei Qiao stepped forward, pointed to a bodyguard standing to the side, and ordered in an unquestionable tone, "You stay here and watch him. A car will come to pick him up and take him to the hospital in a little while. Go with him. Remember, don't let him die." The bodyguard nodded in agreement and immediately turned his gaze to Gu Qingyan, looking ready to be deployed at any moment.
Wei Qiao's gaze fell on Gu Qingyan again, his eyes deep and cold, as if he could see into every corner of Gu Qingyan's heart. He spoke calmly, each word as sharp as an ice blade: "President Gu, I hope you remember, this is the last time I'll let you go. If your parents hadn't traveled all the way from Nancheng, our President Rong would never have let you go. Out of consideration for their relationship, and also because our young lady hasn't been seriously harmed, I'm sparing you. But this is the last time. If we meet again, don't blame me for being ruthless!" With that, Wei Qiao turned and left.
Gu Qingyan slumped to the ground, watching their retreating figures. His eyes blazed with anger and resentment, but even more so with deep helplessness and despair. He knew he was trapped, unable to escape Wei Qiao's control no matter how hard he struggled. His heart was filled with worry and guilt for Xiao Wanqing; if it weren't for him, Xiao Wanqing wouldn't have suffered such pain.
Gu Qingyan's eyes were bloodshot, his face filled with pain and helplessness. He struggled to crawl towards Xiao Wanqing, but his limbs trembled weakly from the excruciating pain. Seeing that he was still struggling, the bodyguard guarding him immediately and mercilessly stomped on his back. The weight made it almost impossible for him to breathe; his back felt like it was about to split open, but he still insisted on standing up, wanting to rush towards Xiao Wanqing, even if it was just to see her for a moment.
The bodyguards intensified their efforts, firmly restraining Gu Qingyan.
"Do you think you're of any use now?" The bodyguard's cold voice rang in his ear. "Let me tell you, Xiao Wanqing is going to die, there's no room for negotiation. I advise you to stay here obediently, or don't blame me for being impolite."
A wave of despair washed over Gu Qingyan. His hands gripped the sand so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. But watching the sand slip through his fingers was like watching Xiao Wanqing helplessly being taken away from him. He endured the pain and shouted, "You heard what I said to Wei Qiao just now. I offered him a hundred million to save Wanqing's life, but he refused. Are you willing? If you're willing to save Wanqing, I'll give you the money!"
The bodyguard hesitated for a second, but quickly shook his head firmly. "It has nothing to do with money. President Rong has been kind to me, and I can't betray him!" As he spoke, he stomped hard on Gu Qingyan's back. "You'd better shut up, or I won't mind continuing to beat you up for Brother Wei!"
"Wanqing!" Gu Qingyan shouted with all his might, feeling a sharp pain spread throughout his body, but his eyes remained firmly fixed on Xiao Wanqing's direction. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground, as if it were the sound of his heart breaking.
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The search and rescue team members returned one after another, their faces etched with exhaustion and disappointment. Shen Zhi Qiu's gaze followed them intently, hoping for a miracle. However, when Captain Liu approached Rong Mo and solemnly announced the search results, her world seemed to collapse.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rong, we've done our best, but we haven't found any evidence that Mr. Lu is still alive." Captain Liu's voice was low, but every word clearly reached Shen Zhi Qiu's ears. Her body trembled violently, as if struck by a heavy blow; her vision went black, and she almost fell to the ground.
With a heavy heart, Rong Mo said to Captain Liu, "Thank you, you've worked hard."
"Mr. Rong, you're too kind. It's what we should do. Just to be on the safe side, I've left two teams to continue the search." After saying this, Captain Liu took his leave.
Rong Mo turned around and looked at Shen Zhi Qiu, only to see her kneeling on the ground in agony, clutching her chest tightly with both hands, enduring immense pain.
"Lu Jia!" Shen Zhi Qiu's voice was heart-wrenching. She staggered towards the sea, wailing, "It's all my fault! If it weren't for saving me, Lu Jia wouldn't have died!" Her tears fell like beads from a broken string, each drop seemingly carrying endless grief and self-blame.
Rong Mo's eyes reddened. He quickly caught up with Shen Zhi Qiu and gently embraced her. His heart was also filled with pain and guilt; he hated himself for not being able to protect Lu Jia and Shen Zhi Qiu.
“Zhi Qiu,” Rong Mo’s voice choked with emotion, “this is not your fault, you are also a victim. Blame your brother, if your brother had insisted on staying on the ship, Lu Jia would not have died.”
Jiang Bei stood to the side, his face pale and his eyes vacant. Hearing Captain Liu's words, the last glimmer of hope in his heart vanished. He couldn't accept this fact, couldn't accept that his dearest friend had left this world. His heart was filled with grief and anger, but he knew that the most important thing now was to comfort Shen Zhi Qiu and Rong Mo.
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