Lin Xi's spirits lifted, and she looked at Duan Mingxuan: "The police are here." "They sound quite far away." Duan Mingxuan didn't dare stop. "I'll take you out first." "The police are here, what am I afraid of?"
Seeing he wouldn't let her go, Lin Xi threw herself to the ground. Duan Mingxuan gritted his teeth in anger: "If you go back now, Duan Yiheng's efforts will have been in vain." "If he really dies, I won't live either," Lin Xi shouted at him. Duan Mingxuan's face was extremely ugly:
"I understand, you never intended to come with me from the beginning, did you?" "That's right," Lin Xi said. "Didn't my brother say that if something happened to him, the company would be yours? I don't want anything, I only want him."
"Calm down—bang—" Before Duan Mingxuan could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out behind them. Lin Xi's scalp tingled, and she pushed Duan Mingxuan away, scrambling back. Duan Mingxuan cursed and immediately turned to chase after her.
Lin Xi was filled with grief and dismay, forgetting the pain in her body. She silently called Duan Yiheng's name a thousand times over. About ten meters from the villa's garage, Lin Xi's vision was mostly blocked by vegetation. A dead branch brushed against her face, leaving a bloody mark.
Ignoring it, she continued running, finally catching sight of a glimmer of light in the darkness. One glance, and she nearly lost her footing. Duan Yiheng sat on the ground, a patch of blood staining his shoulder. A gun was pressed against his head, a smile playing on his lips, showing no fear.
Lin Xi's mind went blank. She immediately knelt down and picked up two stones. Duan Mingxuan caught up at that moment, snatching the stones from her: "I'll do it. You're too weak, you won't hit them." Lin Xi was on the verge of collapse, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Duan Mingxuan cautiously took two steps forward, decisively throwing the stones and shouting, "The police are here!" to attract attention. Duan Yiheng's face hardened; he hadn't expected Duan Mingxuan to return. The only reason he was back was: Lin Xi had returned too.
Ignoring his shoulder pain, Duan Yiheng seized the opportunity as Shan Ge dodged the second stone, grabbing him tightly and gripping his hand. Duan Yiheng had a chance to win in a one-on-one fight, but Chen Jingyi's sneak attack from behind gave Shan Ge the upper hand.
Both figures crashed to the ground. Chen Jingyi, wielding a dagger, tried to retaliate, but Lin Xi, who had caught up, grabbed her hair from behind. Chen Jingyi cried out in pain and lunged at Lin Xi, but Duan Mingxuan intercepted and kicked her away. "The police are here!" Lin Xi shouted. "You can't escape!" Duan Yiheng punched Shan Ge hard in the neck, knocking him unconscious for a moment, his blinking slowing.
Duan Mingxuan was even more formidable against Chen Jingyi. He grabbed her arm and twisted it in the opposite direction, causing Chen Jingyi to scream in pain as the dagger fell to the ground. Lin Xi saw this and immediately picked up the dagger. Out of the corner of his eye, Shan Ge saw that Chen Jingyi had already been subdued by Duan Mingxuan.
And the sirens were getting louder and louder. He surrendered, releasing his strength, and said to Duan Yiheng, "I give up. Here's the gun, let her go." Duan Mingxuan said, "Put down the gun first." Shan Ge slightly opened his hand, and Duan Yiheng reached for his gun.
Suddenly, Shan Ge exerted force, using his knee to push Duan Yiheng away, gripping the gun tightly and aiming it at him. "Bang—" The entire garage fell silent for a moment as Duan Yiheng was struck on the nose by Lin Xi, who lunged at him. "Xiao Xi!"
Duan Mingxuan, his eyes bloodshot, ran over and pulled Lin Xi from Duan Yiheng's arms. Duan Yiheng mechanically stood up, his fist slamming into Shan Ge. Shan Ge's head swayed, his face contorted in pain as he slammed into the wall. Duan Yiheng snatched the gun from him.
"Bang bang—" Two gunshots rang out, and Duan Yiheng had pierced both of Shan Ge's knees. Blood gushed out. "Xiao Xi, how are you? Don't sleep, hold on a little longer." Duan Mingxuan patted Lin Xi's face. Lin Xi looked at Duan Yiheng and said,
"I'm back, and I've made a difference." Duan Yiheng threw down his gun and squatted down beside her. His trembling hand touched Lin Xi's face: "Didn't I tell you not to come back?" Lin Xi sensed Duan Yiheng was about to cry, and she smiled: "Big brother, it hurts so much."
Duan Yiheng was in even more pain, his sharp mind blank, only able to plead: "Hold on a little longer, the police are coming, Lin Xi, you can't sleep, you can't leave me!"
Seeing the blood gushing from Lin Xi's wound, Duan Mingxuan's vision blurred. He struggled to stay upright, choking back a sob: "You motherfucker… you're happy only after getting shot. I told you not to look back, but you wouldn't listen, and now look what happened."
"Lin Xi, if you die, I'll kill Duan Yiheng and join you." Duan Yiheng heard this without feeling anything, even thinking it was a good outcome. Lin Xi used her last ounce of strength to grip Duan Mingxuan's wrist:
"You...you can't..." The sirens were blaring, and less than half a minute later, heavily armed SWAT officers stormed in. Duan Mingxuan roared, "Damn it, why are you so late? Where's the ambulance?"
Fortunately, the head bodyguard explained the situation. Upon learning that the criminals had guns, Uncle Deng and the police immediately arranged for an ambulance to arrive. "Doctor, over here!" Duan Mingxuan shouted, seeing a flash of white.
Everyone made way for the paramedics, and Lin Xi was lifted onto a stretcher. Duan Yiheng struggled to his feet, his gaze following the stretcher, but his vision grew increasingly blurry.
His shoulder was still bleeding, and Duan Yiheng's face was deathly pale. He collapsed suddenly only after Lin Xi was put into the ambulance. Duan Mingxuan followed Lin Xi into the ambulance, his eyes fixed on the cardiac monitor.
Paramedics were giving Lin Xi emergency treatment; the bullet hole that pierced her back and chest seemed impossible to close, the white gauze instantly stained a glaring red. Police had cordoned off the abandoned villa area.
On the wall of the back room, police found Ke Yu, her eyes open. Duan Zheng slipped and collapsed to the ground in disbelief. He cried out in anguish. Duan Zheng's only consolation was that he hadn't brought An Qi with him.
But how would he explain this to An Qi later? Duan Yiheng fainted, startling Uncle Deng. Such a terrible thing had happened so soon after the old man's burial; it was his incompetence. They put Duan Yiheng in an ambulance, and the group followed to the hospital.
Duan Yiheng and Lin Xi were taken to different emergency rooms. Duan Mingxuan was frantic outside the operating room, his long fingers digging into his short hair, anxiety crawling all over him like countless ants. He couldn't imagine what he would do if something happened to Lin Xi. In an instant, Duan Mingxuan's mind was filled with countless memories of his childhood and his relationship with Lin Xi. Large tears fell to the ground. Chen Baiwei, having heard the news, rushed over and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him.
Duan Mingxuan couldn't hear his mother's questions. His eyes were red as he turned towards the operating room, wondering why Lin Xi hadn't come out yet. When Duan Yiheng's surgery was successful and he was transferred to the intensive care unit for observation and care, Lin Xi still hadn't emerged.
The surgery was performed overnight. From dusk till dawn, a full seven hours passed before the operating room lights… finally went out.