Mr. Zhao's sudden and unexpected attempt to stop them left everyone present stunned, A heavy silence settled over the entire mall hall.
Sensing the unusual tension in the atmosphere the manager hesitantly looked toward Mr. Zhao and whispered in a low voice.
"Secretary Zhao... what... what are you doing?"
Hearing the manager's nervous question, Mr. Zhao slowly turned his gaze toward him.
His expression remained calm, yet the familiar sharpness in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Lowering his voice, he spoke in a cold but firm tone,
"These people helped u... through such a massive crisis... are you really going to let them leave without... showing them even the slightest... respect or appreciation?"
Mr. Zhao's words left the manager speechless for a moment. His sudden change in attitude was beyond anyone's expectations.
The surrounding staff members exchanged puzzled looks, their brows furrowing in confusion.
For a few seconds, everyone remained silent, trying to understand exactly what Mr. Zhao was implying.
Finally, the manager gathered his courage and asked respectfully,
"What exactly do you.. mean, Secretary Zhao?"
Hearing the question, Mr. Zhao let out a slow breath and stepped forward His attention shifted directly toward Fangxi.
For quite some time, Fangxi had been silently observing every word and action of Mr. Zhao with careful scrutiny. Their gazes met for a brief moment.
Mr. Zhao's expression grew even more serious A faint, measured smile appeared on his lips as he spoke in a calm voice,
"What all of you did for..us today is truly..commendable..."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"And as a token of my..appreciation, I would like to give..all of you a.. small gift."
The sudden mention of a gift caught Fangxi slightly off guard. His eyes remained fixed on Mr. Zhao for a moment as he silently considered his words.
However, his face still carried the same composed expression as before.
Fangxi kept his gaze fixed on Mr. Zhao as his asked in his usual calm and expressionless tone,
"What kind of gift are you..planning to give us?"
Hearing the straightforward question, a faint smile appeared on Mr. Zhao's lips Taking a step forward, he replied calmly,
"I want all of you to..be treated as special guests whenever.. you visit this VIP Mall in.. the future."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"Everything here will be... completely free for you. Whatever you wish to.. take, you may do so without..any hesitation."
The moment those words left his mouth, smiles instantly appeared on the faces of Fangxi, Younshu, Alisha, and Sheyaan.
Behind Mr. Zhao, even the manager and the remaining staff couldn't hide their happiness.
It was a sincere gesture of gratitude toward the people who had saved the mall from disaster Unable to contain her excitement, Alisha suddenly exclaimed,
"Really?!"
Her eyes sparkled as she added enthusiastically,
"Wow! That's literally the..perfect gift for girls!"
Alisha's innocent and cheerful reaction brought smiles to everyone's faces.
The atmosphere, which had been filled with fear and tension only moments ago, had finally become warm and relaxed.
Fangxi slowly shook his head and replied in a calm yet dignified tone,
"There's really no..need for any gift... and besides, helping others in times of need is.. simply our responsibility as.. human beings."
Hearing those humble yet prideful words, a trace of admiration appeared in Mr. Zhao's eyes With genuine respect, he said,
"Please, consider it a small token... of our gratitude... don't refuse it."
At that moment, the mall manager stepped forward and spoke respectfully,
"Please, Sir... don't decline.. our offer."
After a brief pause, he continued with a friendly smile,
"And one more thing—whatever items you came.. here to purchase today.."
"we'll make sure they're.. delivered safely to your home by..tomorrow morning. Just provide us with your..address, okay?"
Hearing the manager's sincere and respectful request, Fangxi fell silent for a moment.
In the end, faced with everyone's genuine gratitude, he finally gave a small nod of agreement A faint smile appeared on his lips as he said,
"Okay... if all of you insist, then that's..fine."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fangxi slipped a hand into his pocket and searched for a moment.
A second later, he pulled out a small black leather wallet Opening it, he took out a neat white-and-blue professional card
"This is my..home address. Please have all the items.. delivered there, okay?"
Fangxi said calmly as he handed the card to the manager The manager accepted it respectfully with both hands. A relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Okay, Sir. And thank you very.. much for giving us this wonderful.. opportunity to show..our gratitude."
As soon as the manager finished speaking, Zavian, who had remained silent and serious for quite some time, suddenly spoke in his cold, firm voice.
"Let's go. I can't stay here..any longer."
There was no anger in his tone, yet the oppressive aura surrounding him was enough to make the manager tense up instinctively.
For a brief moment, the manager felt a chill run down his spine Quickly forcing a smile, he replied,
"OK..Okay! You may leave..now. And please... take care of.. yourselves."
Hearing that, Fangxi, Zavian, Sheyaan, Alisha, and Younshu turned around together A faint smile of relief and victory rested on their faces.
The next moment, they began walking toward the mall's exit. Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance,
but the events they had left behind were something no one present would ever forget.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shinu had also completed her work.
Every injured customer in the mall had received proper first-aid treatment. Closing her medical kit, she slowly stood up.
With a warm and reassuring smile on her face, she looked at everyone and said gently—
" Everyone has been treated...properly now you may all return home.. safely!"
Shinu's gentle and reassuring voice echoed throughout the hall.
The moment her words reached their ears, visible relief spread across the customers' faces.
The fear and tension that had weighed heavily on their hearts finally began to fade away.
Many of them let out deep breaths and exchanged relieved smiles with one another.
At that moment, the elderly woman sitting in the wheelchair looked at Shinu with gratitude and spoke softly,
"Thank you, dear... for taking such good care..of us and treating our.. injuries. We should be.. going now."
Hearing those heartfelt words, a warm smile appeared on Shinu's face The rest of the staff also felt a wave of relief wash over them.
After overcoming such a terrifying crisis, everything was finally returning to normal.
One by one, the customers began making their way toward the exit and leaving the mall.
The entire staff stood behind them, quietly watching them go Even the manager and Mr. Zhao now wore expressions filled with satisfaction and relief.
Meanwhile...
As they stepped out through the mall's grand entrance, Fangxi and Zavian walked forward with their hands tucked into their pockets, carrying an overwhelming presence and effortless confidence.
Their footsteps were calm, yet their aura alone was enough to draw attention.
Walking beside Zavian was Sheyaan, while Alisha stayed close to Fangxi Both girls wore bright smiles filled with relief and happiness.
Alisha and Sheyaan casually flipped their hair as they walked, bright smile of relief visible on their faces.
Beside Alisha, Younshu adjusted the collar of his hoodie and stepped out of the entrance with a confident swagger.
Behind the five of them, the customers slowly began leaving the mall as well Smiles could be seen everywhere.
The fear, panic, and tension that had haunted them for hours had finally been replaced by relief and freedom.
After all, they had just survived a life-threatening crisis together.
As more and more people walked out, the attention of nearby pedestrians was naturally drawn toward them.
Even the shopkeepers from surrounding stores paused their work and stared curiously at the crowd.
At that moment, a passerby looked at the people exiting the mall and asked the man beside him,
"Why are so many... people coming out.. together? And look... some of them seem..injured too."
The other man carefully observed the crowd, his gaze briefly stopping on Fangxi, Zavian, Sheyaan, Alisha, and Younshu. Then he shrugged and replied,
"Who knows? Something big must have..happened inside!"
The first man fell silent after hearing that.
Soon, more people nearby began discussing the same thing. Everyone was making guesses, yet nobody knew what had truly happened inside the mall.
Unaware of all the speculation around them. Fangxi and his friends stepped into the cool night air.
The refreshing breeze and the soft moonlight brought a sense of peace that none of them had felt all day Then Fangxi's eyes suddenly landed on the parking area.
Their car was still there, standing exactly where they had left it—completely unharmed.
A faint smile appeared on his lips Stopping for a moment, he pointed toward it and said,
"There it is—our car. Come on, everyone."
Hearing him, Sheyaan, Alisha, Younshu, and Zavian followed his gaze.
The next moment, they began walking toward the vehicle one after another, following behind Fangxi.
The cool night breeze accompanied them as they moved forward, while the mall behind them slowly faded into the background—
becoming nothing more than a memory they would likely never forget.
As soon as they reached the car, Sheyaan let out a cheerful laugh and side in a voice filled with relief.
"It feels so good.. to finally be outside... seriously!"
As she spoke, her bright eyes wandered across the beautiful open surroundings.
The cool night breeze gently brushed against her hair, and a relaxed smile spread across her face,
as if all the pressure weighing on her heart had finally disappeared.
At that moment, Younshu, who was completely exhausted from the day's chaos and constant running around, stretched both his arms outward and let out a long yawn.
"Aaahhh..."
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he complained dramatically,
"I'm seriously dying of sleep..right now! I just want to get home and... throw myself onto.. my bed. This whole situation has.. completely worn all of.. us out!"**
The moment he finished speaking, Alisha couldn't hold herself back anymore. She stepped forward and playfully slapped him on the back.
"You're so lazy, Younshu!"
The sudden slap made Younshu straighten up instantly Narrowing his eyes, he puffed up his cheeks and protested,
"i'm not lazy, okay?! I'm just a.. little tired!"
Then he snapped his fingers dramatically and proudly puffed out his chest.
"Yo... you! With just one..snap, I can still handle ten.. tasks at the same.. time!"**
His overconfident declaration almost made Alisha burst into laughter.
She was about to fire back with a sharp reply when Fangxi's calm yet firm voice interrupted them.
"If you can still handle.. ten tasks so easily..."
Fangxi said while fixing his deep gaze on Younshu.
"then don't forget to..finish the assignment I gave you this..morning the office files that..need to be rechecked."
The confidence on Younshu's face vanished instantly However, Fangxi wasn't finished yet.
With the same professional and serious tone, he continued,
"And yes... I want all those rechecked files on..my desk by exactly ten o'clock tomorrow.. morning. No excuses. Understood?"
The moment those words landed, Younshu's expression became priceless.
The moment Fangxi mentioned those pending files and tomorrow morning's deadline, Younshu's face instantly froze in shock.
The confident swagger he had been showing off just moments ago vanished into thin air.
Seeing his miserable expression, a sly grin appeared on Alisha's face. Beside her, Sheyaan couldn't help but smile softly as well.
For a brief moment, the heavy atmosphere was replaced by laughter and relief Then Fangxi calmly said,
"Come on, Sheyaan. Let's go..home now."
As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly turned his gaze toward Zavian.
Zavian was still standing there in complete silence, as calm and unreadable as ever.
Fangxi looked at him for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice.
"Zayan... you should head.. home too."
However, after saying that, his tone suddenly changed The smile on his face gradually disappeared His eyes became deeper.
More serious.
Then, looking directly into Zavian's eyes, Fangxi continued in a solemn voice,
"And... about everything that..happened inside the mall today..."we're definitely going to talk... about it tomorrow."
The moment those words reached his ears, a flicker of surprise appeared in Zavian's eyes.
His expression barely changed, but the subtle reaction in his gaze did not escape Fangxi's notice.
Because Zavian understood exactly what Fangxi meant He wasn't talking about the bombs.
Nor was he talking about Youlang He was talking about him. A strange weight suddenly settled deep inside his heart.
A feeling that was unfamiliar even to him For the first time in a very long while, Zavian felt a deep and unsettling fear growing within him.
He was afraid that if Fangxi discovered the truth.Everything might change..
And that single thought filled his heart with an unfamiliar sense of unease.
The cool night breeze drifted quietly around them. Yet beneath that silence, A new conversation, A hidden truth, and perhaps even a future
Confrontation, was already waiting in the shadows.