Duan Yiheng cupped Lin Xi's face and gently wiped away her tears: "Does your wound hurt?" He hadn't asked when they first met, but now he had.
Lin Xi felt as if her internal organs had shifted. She nodded, a single, painful word escaping her throat: "It hurts." Duan Yiheng blew on her wrist: "Then bear with it." "Let's think of something else."
Lin Xi pleaded with Duan Yiheng, "What will I do if something happens to you?" Duan Yiheng wrapped his arms around the back of her neck, his expression gentle, and said, "You still have Yinfan Technology. You promised me you wouldn't let me down, right?" Lin Xi fell silent.
"Speak." "Am I some kind of jinx?" Lin Xi cried as she asked him, "I lost my parents when I was six, I didn't even get to attend my grandfather's funeral, and now you're going to take a bullet for me? I can't do it, I really can't…" "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Duan Yiheng pulled her into his arms. "These things have nothing to do with you. My decision is based on reason, on the highest probability that all three of us can survive, understand?" Lin Xi deliberately shook her head. Duan Yiheng sighed:
"But your staying won't do me any good." Lin Xi hugged his neck, unable to think of any other way. "Alright." Duan Yiheng patted her back. "Duan Mingxuan has been turned away long enough, give me a kiss."
His words sounded like a dying plea. Lin Xi, tears streaming down her face, leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Lin Xi asked in a hoarse voice, "If I agree to go with Duan Mingxuan, will you promise me I'll come out alive?"
Duan Yiheng didn't answer her, but instead leaned in and gently kissed her. "Ready?" Duan Mingxuan asked listlessly, his tone utterly dejected. Duan Yiheng chuckled, looked intently at Lin Xi, and said, "Ready." Duan Mingxuan scoffed.
Duan Yiheng glanced around and said, "They should be back soon. They're hiding on either side of the door. You and Lin Xi are on the right, I'll be on the left." Duan Mingxuan: "You're going to ambush them?" Duan Yiheng hummed softly:
"We'll talk after we hear a sound, so they don't see our intentions on the security camera." Duan Mingxuan: "Chen Liangyi only has two people, I'm afraid they won't be able to keep track of the security camera. But I have a question, if you're on the left, how can you be sure you're not facing Chen Liangyi?"
"It's a habit," Duan Yiheng said calmly. "I've been observing the whole way, that man has always been standing to Chen Liangyi's right. Let's take a gamble." Duan Mingxuan said, "Actually, we outnumber them, so why did you want me and Lin Xi to leave?"
Lin Xi's eyes lit up. Duan Mingxuan was perfectly capable of handling Chen Liangyi. "The key to a sneak attack is surprise. I don't know the man's exact skill level," Duan Yiheng said. "If I can't stop him, he can shoot whoever he wants. Staying here won't end well." Lin Xi's face turned pale upon hearing this. Just as she was about to speak, Chen Liangyi's voice suddenly came from the monitor:
"At a time like this, you're still in the mood for intimacy? Is this a farewell?" Duan Yiheng immediately turned his head and quickly said, "If Chen Liangyi controls the situation with the monitor, that man will definitely come in with a gun. If the sneak attack fails, Duan Mingxuan, you need to decide when to leave."
Duan Mingxuan stared at the monitor and hummed in agreement. Just as he finished speaking, the garage door opened. Brother Shan came in with a gun, and Duan Yiheng and Duan Mingxuan instinctively blocked Lin Xi.
"I was going to ask you..." Chen Liangyi's voice rang out again, "If I let you two brothers go, would Lin Xi be willing to stay? It seems she isn't." Duan Mingxuan couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "What exactly are you trying to do? Why are you being so mysterious?" Chen Liangyi said, "Then you'll have to ask Lin Xi next to you." Lin Xi looked up at Chen Liangyi and asked, "Ask me what?" "Lin Xi, I'm giving you a chance."
Chen Liangyi said, "Choose between Duan Yiheng and Duan Mingxuan. Whichever you choose, I'll release." Duan Mingxuan frowned: "Don't believe her." Lin Xi naturally didn't believe her and remained silent.
No more sound came from the surveillance camera. A moment later, Chen Liangyi came downstairs. "Well? Have you thought it through?" Chen Liangyi's voice rang out at the garage door. Lin Xi looked at her and said, "I don't believe you'll let them go." Chen Liangyi said:
"I'll only release one. Who will you choose to stay and die with you?" Lin Xi subconsciously looked at Duan Yiheng, then glanced at Duan Mingxuan. "You don't have the right to choose, but I've given you a chance. The worst outcome is death."
Chen Liangyi laughed. "Why not take a gamble? What if I really let you go?" Lin Xi's heart pounded uncontrollably. Duan Yiheng grabbed her hand and said to Chen Liangyi, "Stop talking nonsense. You know in your heart whether you let him go or not."
Lin Xi hooked Duan Yiheng's little finger, her eyes glancing at his suit jacket. Duan Yiheng was silent for two or three seconds, then released her. Lin Xi took a step forward past Duan Yiheng: "Come here, I'll tell you who to choose." Chen Liangyi was about to go over when Shan Ge stopped her:
"Be careful, there might be a trap." Chen Liangyi smiled confidently: "If they try anything funny, don't leave any of them alive." She took a step forward. Lin Xi said, "I choose…" When someone is being coy, everyone subconsciously watches.
In those crucial two seconds, Duan Yiheng moved with lightning speed, grabbing the suit jacket from the chair and violently swinging it upwards. "Bang—" A bullet pierced through the suit jacket. Duan Yiheng punched Shan Ge in the neck. Duan Mingxuan froze for a second, then pulled Lin Xi behind him, forming a standoff with Chen Liangyi.
"Kill them!" Chen Liangyi roared, drawing her dagger. Duan Mingxuan tore off his tie and wrapped it around his fist.
Duan Yiheng and Shan Ge were already locked in combat. The punch sent Shan Ge crashing into the wall. He instinctively raised his gun at Duan Yiheng, but Duan Yiheng seized the opportunity to grab his wrist and twist it sharply. Shan Ge cried out in pain, the gun falling to the ground, which Duan Yiheng stomped on.
In a flash, Shan Ge's knee struck him violently in the abdomen. Duan Yiheng broke out in a cold sweat, hunching over to pick up his gun. Shan Ge raised his knee, striking Duan Yiheng's shoulder again. After Duan Yiheng fell to the ground, Shan Ge picked up the gun. Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat: "Duan Yiheng."
Duan Yiheng immediately stood up, lunging forward and tightly gripping Shan Ge's hands. He turned to Duan Mingxuan and said, "Let's go." Duan Mingxuan gritted his teeth and grabbed Chen Liangyi's dagger. The dagger sliced through her tie, instantly tearing the skin from Duan Mingxuan's palm.
He was numb with pain, and while Chen Liangyi was still stunned, he kicked her in the stomach. Chen Liangyi, being a woman, couldn't withstand Duan Mingxuan's kick and curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach. Shan Ge's neck veins bulged, and he punched Duan Yiheng behind the ear with his other fist.
Duan Mingxuan picked up Lin Xi and started to leave. Lin Xi struggled, saying, "Duan Mingxuan, put me down! We can't leave!" "What are you doing? Big Brother said you're leaving." "But if we leave, Big Brother will be attacked from both sides."
Lin Xi cried, "If we're here, wouldn't our chances of winning be better?" "That's a gun. It shoots wherever it's pointed. Do you think it's some kind of toy?" Just as Lin Xi was about to retort, a police siren suddenly sounded.