“No need, just bring her straight to me.” Listening closely, there was even a hint of pleasure in the man’s voice.
Unexpectedly, Shi Sheng’s nature usually so indifferent would allow her to stand up for someone else.
Soon, Shi Sheng noticed that the car ahead was no longer circling her and had clearly slowed down.
But five minutes later, seeing a direction she knew all too well, her expression darkened instantly, a cold smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
When the two cars stopped simultaneously, Shi Sheng first instructed He Bing to stay in the car and not move, then pushed open the door and stepped out.
Seeing He Qiuqiu being held down by two bodyguards in the other car, her gaze instantly turned ice-cold. Without a word, she charged forward in two steps and kicked one of the bodyguards squarely in the chest.
Caught off guard, the bodyguard instinctively raised his arms to block and exchanged blows for two rounds.
When he realized who he was dealing with, he immediately stopped attacking and focused solely on defense.
But Shi Sheng didn’t hold back because of his reaction; she pressed forward relentlessly.
The entire courtyard was silent, broken only by the thuds of fists and feet hitting flesh and the muffled grunts from the bodyguards.
In a short moment, one bodyguard was on the ground, and the other had his neck firmly held as if a single squeeze could snap it.
Shi Sheng glanced at He Qiuqiu, who was standing safely aside, untouched. “Did they hurt you?”
He Qiuqiu shook her head anxiously. “I’m fine.”
She wanted to say more, but seeing the two bodyguards, she pressed her lips together and held her words back.
Hearing the answer, Shi Sheng released her hold on the guard’s neck.
Her face was expressionless as she patted the man’s clothing. “I hope you understand from now on who you can touch and who you can’t. Making money is one thing; there’s no need to risk your own life.”
Then she turned to He Qiuqiu. “Go wait in the car. I’ll be back soon.”
Hearing this, He Qiuqiu could no longer hold back. She stepped forward, grabbed Shi Sheng’s arm, and whispered, her worry evident.
“Are you okay going alone?”
Shi Sheng replied, “I’m fine. You saw how long it took me to deal with two bodyguards. Besides, he went to all this trouble to bring you here it’s only because he wants something from me.”
At this point, all He Qiuqiu could do was watch Shi Sheng leave with a face full of worry.
Since being abandoned by her parents and sent to the welfare center, this was the second time she had hated her own weakness.
She had never thought her lack of physical strength was a flaw, because her hacking skills could completely make up for it.
In her domain, she had been proud.
But now, she truly hated how weak she was.
If she had been stronger, she wouldn’t have been abducted at the hospital entrance, wouldn’t have had to wait for Shengsheng to save her, and wouldn’t have to watch Shi Sheng walk alone into a den of wolves.
But after the regret, she didn’t stay behind to do nothing she quickly got into Shi Sheng’s car.
The first thing she did upon seeing He Bing was to say, “Give me your phone.”
She trusted Shi Sheng’s judgment, but she wanted to make sure everything was foolproof.
Meanwhile, the two bodyguards who had just been beaten swallowed nervously. Seeing He Qiuqiu’s actions, they didn’t interfere at all, not daring to make a sound.
Their boss had sent them to kidnap someone precisely because they were skilled.
Yet in the span of moments, they had both been defeated by a single girl, and even now, their bodies ached from the fight.
The gap was enormous. Even if they had fought back with full force, they wouldn’t have lasted long under her hands.
For a moment, they felt the world had grown surreal.
Are girls nowadays really this strong?
Their recent training hadn’t slackened either.
The two glanced at each other and silently agreed: next time their boss assigned a task, they’d have to study it carefully before deciding whether to go.
At least, they would never volunteer for a mission involving this “female demon” again.
Money is important, but life is more important!
Shi Sheng, unaware of the psychological shadow she had just cast on the bodyguards, walked into the villa. Ignoring the servants’ surprised looks, she made her way to the study on the second floor.
Opening the door, her gaze was cold as she looked at the man behind the desk, her voice laced with an unmistakable chill.
“Mr. Shi, if you went to all this trouble to call me here, just say what you need to say.”
Indeed, it was Shi Mingqian who had sent the bodyguards to abduct He Qiuqiu.
It was a coincidence, really. With the recent chaos at Shi Corporation, she naturally wanted to teach the culprit a lesson like the one who first posted about Yiyan on the forum.
Only, the hacker’s skill was so good that none of his men could trace their identity.
This sparked a certain admiration in him; he wanted to recruit this talent.
But even though he couldn’t uncover the hacker’s identity, he discovered something interesting.
He never expected that his usually solitary adopted daughter would actually have friends friends willing to fight for her in school.
Not to mention that she had been injured at the welfare center just a few days ago.
It was fascinating…
Looking at Shi Sheng, Shi Mingqian’s expression grew increasingly meaningful.
Especially seeing her attitude.
He hadn’t expected that his normally aloof adopted daughter would care so much about another girl.
He smiled gently, his tone warm, as if the conflict at the banquet had never happened. “Shengsheng, I know you’ve never liked making friends. Not even the other daughters from the circles could get close to you. I’m really curious what about this girl caught your attention?”
Shi Sheng stared at Shi Mingqian for a few seconds, then glanced at her watch. “You have four minutes and thirty-two seconds.”
Shi Mingqian didn’t get angry at her words. Instead, he wore an indulgent expression, truly the look of a doting father.
“I know the last banquet upset you…”
Before he could finish, Shi Sheng impatiently interrupted.
“You called me here just to say this nonsense?”
Even though Shi Mingqian was practiced in keeping his temper, Shi Sheng’s repeated defiance provoked a flash of anger.
But thinking of what he had to say next, he quickly suppressed it, speaking in a good-natured tone.
“Fine, fine. If you don’t want to hear it, I won’t say anything.”
He shifted the topic. “I called you here to discuss your engagement. Mr. Shen has been back in the country for several days. Pick a time, and I’ll arrange for you to meet him.”
Shi Sheng couldn’t help but laugh at Shi Mingqian’s shamelessness.
Had the Shi family’s recent good fortune emboldened him to set his sights on her again?
Her lips curved slightly. Unlike last time, she didn’t refuse outright, but said, “Fine. But I’m a bit busy won’t have time until a week from now.”
Surprise flickered in Shi Mingqian’s eyes.
He hadn’t forgotten her previous refusal. Why was she agreeing so easily this time?
He had even prepared to use force.
After a moment, realization crossed his face.
It seemed life outside the Shi family hadn’t been entirely smooth for his adopted daughter.
Perhaps after some hardships, she’d come to understand the importance of money.
Whatever the reason, as long as she agreed, it was fine.
A week was manageable.
Little did he know, just moments ago, the same adopted daughter he had considered using force on had left his two most capable bodyguards with a deep psychological shadow.
“Good, good, I knew Shengsheng was the most sensible.”
Shi Sheng smiled wryly.
If she remembered correctly, the Charity Auction would be held in five days.
She hoped Shi Mingqian would still be smiling by then.