62 Meritorious Service
Zhang Ning reacted instantly and stepped forward to protect Ye Zhenzhen.
She warily watched the shadow behind the pillar, protecting Ye Zhenzhen as they retreated towards the elevator.
At the same time, he called Liu Haibo through the earpiece, asking him to bring people over immediately.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Ye Zhenzhen was startled and gripped the traction rope tightly. She stumbled and was half-carried back to the elevator by Zhang Ning.
Footsteps echoed from behind the pillar, reverberating in the quiet basement and sending a chill down Ye Zhenzhen's spine.
"Woof, woof woof!!" The black panther's barking suddenly grew louder.
The leash snapped taut instantly, the black panther's muscles tensed, and it barked threateningly at the person emerging from behind the pillar.
Zhang Ning took out a tactical flashlight and illuminated a pale, sickly face.
"Ye Zhenzhen, you, you bitch!" The man, wearing an ill-fitting cleaning uniform, shielded his eyes from the glaring light with one hand and held a utility knife in the other, trembling as he pointed at them. "It's all your fault! You caused Xiaoxue to be blacklisted by the company and forced to retire from the entertainment industry to marry the good-for-nothing from the Wang family!"
"You're just relying on your looks! Once I've slashed your face and the Gu family is no longer backing you up, let's see how you'll bully Xiaoxue then!!"
He took a step forward as he spoke, but was startled by the black panther's roar and involuntarily took a step back.
Ye Zhenzhen was protected behind Zhang Ning, waiting for the elevator to come down, and looked confused when she heard what the other party said.
Who did she bully?
Light snow?
Is it snow?
She's been busy with work and life every day and hasn't paid attention to him for a long time.
Has Bai Xue retired from the entertainment industry?
But what does that have to do with me?!
Seeing that Ye Zhenzhen was being protected by a man and a dog, and that he couldn't get close to her, the man gradually became anxious.
He had just seen the bodyguard make a phone call, which made him even more anxious. He had been planning for many days to find an opportunity to sneak in. If he failed this time, he would never have another chance!
"Go to hell!" With that thought, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the utility knife in his hand, and threw it forward with all his might.
"Get down!" Zhang Ning had already grabbed Ye Zhenzhen and lunged to the side before he could even make a move, using his body to protect her.
Before Ye Zhenzhen could react, she was tackled to the ground. As she lost her balance, her grip loosened, and the leash flew off.
"Woof!"
"ah!!!!"
The black panther's roar and the man's scream rang out at the same time.
Liu Haibo and his security guards ran down from the emergency exit just then, and saw Black Panther pounce on the thugs like an arrow released from a bow.
In the air, a dark glint grazed the tip of the black panther's tail and landed at Ye Zhenzhen's feet with a crisp sound.
---
By the time they returned to Mantingfang, it was already past midnight.
Zhang Ning and Liu Haibo went to the police station to cooperate with the investigation; Gao Yuan was driving.
Gu Tingshen put his arm around Ye Zhenzhen and sat in the back seat. He hung up the phone and looked down. Ye Zhenzhen had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
I was sitting in the chair, my big, furry head resting on Ye Zhenzhen's lap, my black grape-like eyes half-closed contentedly.
Gu Tingshen silenced his phone and adjusted his posture to make the person in his arms more comfortable.
Seeing that she was sleeping peacefully, Gu Tingshen's brows relaxed slightly. He rubbed the black panther's head and praised it softly, "Good dog."
The black panther twitched its ears and nudged his hand in response, then quietly lay down.
Gu Tingshen vaguely recalled that when he first found the black leopard, it was tiny and loved to lie sprawled out on Ye Zhenzhen's lap.
He carefully took Ye Zhenzhen's bandaged hand, cupped it in his palm, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to her forehead. The warm touch easily soothed his emotions.
He was in a meeting at the company when he received Zhang Ning's call. He was furious and rushed to Fengming Building.
Although Zhang Ning repeatedly assured him that Ye Zhenzhen was fine, only suffering some abrasions on her hands when she fell, he still felt a chill run down his spine.
Especially when reviewing the surveillance footage and seeing the knife flying towards Ye Zhenzhen, Gu Tingshen dared not think too deeply about what terrible consequences would have occurred if Black Panther hadn't been there today.
He simply couldn't bear to face the possibility of almost losing her...
---
Ye Zhenzhen was too busy and tired lately, so she slept soundly in the car. When she got home, Gu Tingshen carried her upstairs. She opened her eyes groggily and wanted to get down and walk by herself, but the man easily coaxed her back to sleep.
Gu Tingshen took off her dirty coat and tucked it into the soft quilt. He then wet a towel and wiped her face and hands clean before quickly washing up, getting into bed, and pulling her into his arms.
The next day, Ye Zhenzhen woke up naturally and rolled around in bed, feeling all the fatigue from the past few days disappear.
She stretched, put on her pajamas, and prepared to go downstairs for dinner.
I was startled as soon as I got down to the first floor.
"Dad, Mom, why are you both here?" She looked at Mr. and Mrs. Gu sitting on the sofa downstairs, and Mr. Ye, who was glaring at her in a suit, and scratched her head as she asked.
As she raised her hand, her sleeve slipped down, revealing the gauze wrapped around the back of her hand.
"What happened to your hand? Are you injured?!" Mr. Ye strode over to her, his voice filled with anxiety as he carefully took her hand to examine it.
Mr. and Mrs. Gu also stood up with worried expressions.
"It's nothing, just a minor scratch." Ye Zhenzhen waved her hand casually, indicating that it was nothing serious. "I told you not to worry about it, but Lao, uh, Ting Shen insisted on bandaging it up for me."
"Put your hands down!" Ye Fengxing was even angrier when he saw her nonchalant attitude. "You're so heartless every day. Such a big thing, and you're acting like nothing happened!"
"Don't talk about the baby, just be safe and sound." Gu's mother stepped forward and pulled her to sit on the sofa. She looked her up and down and only felt relieved after confirming that she was in good spirits.
“It’s really nothing, Dad, Mom,” Ye Zhenzhen said, trying to lighten the mood when she saw their serious expressions. “Yesterday, it was all thanks to Black Panther! Not only was he the first to spot the thug, but he also jumped up and kicked him on the shoulder, subduing him in no time!”
"Why didn't you say anything when that thug threw a knife at you?" Ye Fengxing had been worried that she was frightened, but now he just thought the girl was reckless and didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at all.
"I told you long ago that the entertainment industry is a murky place and not easy to navigate, but you insisted on going!"
Ye Zhenzhen was displeased upon hearing this. "I didn't want to get involved in this mess. I was just working at the company, not bothering or offending anyone. Did I just run into a lunatic? Why are you blaming me?!"
"If you had just listened to me honestly, none of this would have happened!"
"I'm a person with my own ideas, why should I listen to you?!" Ye Zhenzhen's voice rose with anger when she heard those familiar words.
Seeing the father and daughter arguing, Gu Henian and Kong Shuyun quickly stepped forward to separate them.
Hearing the commotion, Gu Tingshen came over from the dining room and said, "Dad, Zhenzhen just woke up and hasn't had breakfast yet."
"Go, go, eat properly," Ye Fengxing waved her hand to hurry up, and then added with concern, "Ting Shen, keep an eye on her, don't let her be picky about food."
Ye Zhenzhen snorted, rolled her eyes at him, and turned to Mr. and Mrs. Gu, saying in a gentle tone, "Mom and Dad, I'm going to eat."
"Oh, go quickly," Mother Gu replied with a smile.
"Brother, look at this!" Ye Fengxing said to Gu's father with a wry smile after she left, "It's all my fault for spoiling her when she was little. Now that she's grown up, she's becoming more and more disobedient!"
“It’s understandable that the child would throw a little tantrum at you, her father,” Mr. Gu laughed. “I heard from Ting Shen that Zhenzhen handled the aftermath very calmly and well last night. You shouldn’t always treat her like a child and scold her.”
"Stay calm? She's just a reckless fool." Ye Fengxing complained, but his eyes couldn't hide his pride and smugness.
---
At the dining table, Ye Zhenzhen sipped her favorite seafood porridge while listening to Song Chengcheng's report over the phone.
"...I just contacted the police station. They will issue a police report this morning. The legal department has already sent lawyer's letters to the accounts that spread rumors last night. Bai Xue's side hasn't responded yet..."
"Well, it's nothing serious. Just let them keep an eye on it. You should go home and rest today. You went home so late last night."
Ye Zhenzhen hung up the phone, looked at the bright green bok choy in the spoon, then at Gu Tingshen who was feeding it with chopsticks, and asked, "Don't you have to go to work today?"
"No need, I've taken leave to stay home with the wounded." Gu Tingshen smiled and placed another piece of wood ear fungus on her plate.
Ye Zhenzhen ate it with a gulp, her cheeks puffing out like a cute little hamster.
"The wounded need rest the most, you know?" She swallowed the food in her mouth and winked at him towards the living room.
Gu Tingshen smiled and tapped her nose. "Dad was worried about you. He wanted to come over last night, but I heard you were asleep, so I waited until this morning."
“I’m genuinely worried, and I’m genuinely angry with you. Listen to this, can’t you say a nice word?” Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, mimicking Ye Fengxing’s speech as she ate. “Ah, if you had listened to me, none of this would have happened! Didn’t anyone inform him when the Qing Dynasty fell? Does he still think he’s some kind of feudal patriarch!”
Gu Tingshen was amused by her and took out a tissue to wipe her mouth.
Looking at Ye Zhenzhen's bright and cheerful smiling face in the morning light, he slowly curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
It was a strange feeling; she always managed to react in ways he didn't expect.
Before he arrived at Fengming last night, he was extremely anxious. She had been pampered since childhood and had never experienced such a fright before. He was terrified and panicked.
Gu Tingshen got out of the car and ran towards the elevator, but stopped abruptly when he got close.
Ye Zhenzhen stood there calmly, wearing a drab gray down jacket, holding Black Panther's hand with one hand and directing the security guards present to protect the scene with the other.
A thin man dressed as a cleaner was surrounded by several tall and burly security guards, trembling with fear.
This is so different from what he expected...
---
Before leaving, the elders told Ye Zhenzhen to rest well and praised the black leopard in the courtyard.
Ye Fengxing went even further, giving the black panther a good rub and then waving his hand to have the driver bring out several large boxes of high-end dog food, canned food, and dog toys from the trunk. The old man declared that the black panther could eat whichever it wanted and play with whichever it wanted!
The black panther squatted beside the doghouse, head held high, chest puffed out proudly.
Ye Zhenzhen stood to the side, pouting. After they left, she took a picture of Black Panther with the pile of dog food and toys next to it. She then asked Gu Tingshen to take a few more pictures of her and Black Panther and posted them on Weibo.
Caption: Paw Patrol does a great job!
"Waaaaah, TaoTao finally remembered she still has a Weibo account! So touching!!!"
"Black Panther is the coolest dog!! Brave and resourceful in fighting off criminals!"
"I just watched the surveillance video, it was so terrifying! I can't believe there could be such a horrible person! He must be punished!!"
"I knew Bai Xue was up to something the moment she withdrew from the competition. She'd die if she didn't pull some crazy stunt every day!!"
"The police have already issued a statement, let's see how Bai Xue and Xue Fen can pretend to be dead now!"
[Author's Note]
I've been incredibly busy with real-life matters, so updates will be a bit slower lately, but I promise I won't abandon the project!!!
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