Ma Liu fled to the first floor.
The fire alarm blared, people scattered in panic, and the once lively ballroom was now in complete chaos.
"Why is it such a mess? Where’s Daqing? How is he managing things for me?"
Ma Liu cursed furiously.
At such a critical moment, an unexpected mishap occurred. If the plan went awry, how could he explain it to Mr. Gao?
There’s no such thing as coincidence—could someone have found out about the plan ahead of time?
Ma Liu suddenly turned around and attempted to run upstairs.
At that moment, Tian Wei’s horrified voice rang out behind him, "Liu... Mrs. Liu?"
Ma Liu thought he was hallucinating and abruptly snapped back to his senses.
While everyone was rushing toward the exit, two bodyguards in black pushed through the panicked crowd, escorting a woman who briskly walked inside.
The woman carried an aura of elegance, but her expression was urgent, her steps hurried, and two more bodyguards followed behind her to secure the area.
There was no way Ma Liu could forget that face—the notoriously prominent Mrs. Liu.
At this moment, Ma Liu’s mind could only repeat this thought.
Mrs. Liu had arrived so quickly.
Instinctively, Ma Liu tried to rush back upstairs, but someone was faster—two sharp kicks sent Ma Liu’s bodyguards flying sideways. In the next moment, Ma Liu froze in place and hurriedly raised his hands.
His temple felt the icy press of a gun barrel.
Tian Wei, upon seeing the firearm, was terrified speechless and cowered in a corner trembling.
Helian Yu strode forward, snatched Sun Wei’s gun, and pressed it against Ma Liu’s forehead, fiercely demanding, "Where’s Xixi? If you don’t speak, I’ll blow your brains out right now."
Ma Liu shook uncontrollably from fear.
Helian Yu had no patience. He shifted the gun’s aim toward Tian Wei in the corner: "Speak."
Overwhelmed by fear, Tian Wei blurted, "On the west end of the second floor, the last room! Mrs. Liu, I’ve told you everything! Please don’t kill me—it’s all Ma Liu forcing me...!"
Helian Yu’s figure had already disappeared into the hallway toward the second floor.
Sun Wei glanced at the two individuals behind him and ordered, "Keep an eye on them for me."
With that, he spun around and quickly followed suit.
"Xixi!" Helian Yu kicked the door open.
When he saw Liu Runxi unharmed, Helian Yu finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
Liu Runxi, however, was oddly calm as his eyes met hers.
"Where’s Shen You’an?"
Helian Yu, momentarily shaken by emotion, regained her composure, but hearing Shen You’an’s name immediately reignited the ache in her chest.
The humiliation she endured on her way here swelled up, and her fury made her want to cut that girl into a thousand pieces.
"She’s perfectly fine. Before worrying about her, perhaps you should worry about yourself first."
Helian Yu quipped irritably.
Liu Runxi narrowed his eyes slightly, studied Helian Yu carefully, and seemed to believe her words.
It appeared An’an was indeed safe, and Liu Runxi finally let out a long breath.
As the tension left him, his body suddenly swayed, knocking over a nearby vase.
"Xixi," Helian Yu rushed forward, trying to support Liu Runxi, only to have her assistance subtly declined.
"I’m fine. It’s just the scent—after breathing it in for too long, I feel a bit unwell."
Helian Yu approached the incense burner, inspected it, and pinched some ash to sniff. Her expression darkened instantly.
"Aphrodisiac incense."
Helian Yu spun around abruptly and stared at Lin Chuchu, who was huddled in the corner.
From the moment Helian Yu entered, Lin Chuchu had remained silent, trying her best to minimize her presence.
Fortunately, she had foreseen this as a trap and refrained from acting against Liu Runxi.
The next moment, Helian Yu’s gun was aimed at her forehead. Lin Chuchu was paralyzed with fear, completely frozen.
"You dared plot against Xixi—I’ll kill you!"
"Enough." A slender hand clasped the barrel of the gun.
Lin Chuchu looked at Liu Runxi with eyes full of hope and pleaded, "Mr. Liu, I was really forced... You must save me...!"
"She has nothing to do with this. Don’t kill indiscriminately."
Liu Runxi said indifferently.
Helian Yu scoffed coldly, withdrawing her gun and glaring at Liu Runxi with frustration.
"You’re too softhearted. Haven’t today’s lessons been enough for you?"
"This doesn’t justify you killing indiscriminately."
Though her face burned with rage, Helian Yu found herself helpless against him. She shot a venomous glare at Lin Chuchu and said, "For Xixi’s sake, I’ll spare you this time. Get lost."
"Thank you, Mr. Liu. Mrs. Liu, I’m leaving now." Lin Chuchu fled hastily, stumbling as she went.
Helian Yu discreetly glanced at Sun Wei, who subtly nodded. Google seaʀᴄh Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Only then did Helian Yu curl her lips into a faint smile and turn to Liu Runxi, "Let’s get you to the hospital first."
Liu Runxi raised his sleeve and coughed lightly into it, saying, "I’m fine. I dragged Shen You’an into trouble. I want to see her and make sure she’s safe."
Helian Yu sneered with a hint of sarcasm, "She’s perfectly fine—so fine that she couldn’t be better. You need to go to the hospital for a checkup first."
At that moment, Sun Wei approached and reported, "Mrs. Liu, Wen Zhou has arrived and taken down Ma Liu’s entire group in one fell swoop."
Helian Yu’s eyes gleamed with intrigue, "So that was her plan all along..."
"What are you talking about?" Liu Runxi glanced at her flippantly.
Helian Yu smirked and said, "Nothing. Let’s head downstairs—the mastermind is about to be exposed."
In the first-floor ballroom, all unrelated people had been cleared out, and the brightly lit space glowed like daylight.
Police officers sealed off every inch of the venue, and Ma Liu’s gang, hands clasped behind their heads, crouched on the ground. Wen Zhou stood before Ma Liu, interrogating him.
Hearing footsteps from upstairs, Wen Zhou turned around and looked upward.
The distinguished Mrs. Liu gracefully descended from the second floor, accompanied by the poised and radiant young Mr. Liu.
Wen Zhou stepped forward and respectfully greeted, "Mrs. Liu, Mr. Liu."