The fear of being locked in the rat-infested room surged back, and Chi Mu cried out as she threw herself into Duan Yanxing’s embrace. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his sturdy waist, clinging to him like a drowning person clutching a lifeline, her mind completely overwhelmed.
“Don’t be afraid, Wanwan, it’s okay… I’m here, nothing will happen.” Duan Yanxing gently patted her back, soothing her with tenderness.
At this moment, Chi Mu was left with nothing but helplessness. Apart from relying on him, apart from holding tightly onto the man before her, she could do nothing else.
She could no longer care about shame or the boundaries between men and women; fear had taken over all her thoughts and reason.
She clutched desperately at his shirt, sobbing, “No, no, something is wrong, Mr. Duan… Please, wuwuwu, don’t let me go, okay? I’m so scared, wu… I don’t want to go down.”
Her voice was soft and fragile, as if she might faint at any moment.
Seeing her like this, Duan Yanxing’s heart shattered completely.
“Alright, alright, Wanwan, be good, hold on, hold on.” The man held the little girl even tighter, his strength as if he wanted to embed her into his very body.
Chi Mu’s small face pressed against the man’s broad shoulder, her eyes red and swollen, tears streaming uncontrollably, soaking the fabric of his shirt.
She bit her lip, not making a sound, as if trying her hardest to restrain herself, because she knew that if she opened her mouth, she would surely cry uncontrollably.
Duan Yanxing sighed softly, leaning his head down to rest against her forehead, his voice low as he coaxed the little girl in his arms: “Alright, good girl, Wanwan is the best, the bravest. We’re not afraid, are we? You’re my good baby, right? Holding on means we’re not afraid.”
“No, no, I’m not brave, I’m not, I’m scared, wuwuwu…”
Hearing this, Chi Mu panicked. Afraid that the man would immediately put her down, she hurriedly protested.
Her voice remained choked with sobs, her whole body curled up like an injured rabbit, trembling uncontrollably.
Her small face nuzzled against him, her long eyelashes adorned with glistening teardrops.
“Wu~ Mr. Duan, we need to get out, we need to get out.” She pouted her little mouth, weeping pitifully.
Her intention was to plead for help, but the words she spoke sounded as if she were coquettishly whining to the man, her tone unbearably sweet and charming.
Seeing the little girl in his arms like this, Duan Yanxing’s heart melted completely. How could he bear to let her stay here any longer? He had to think of a way out immediately.
“Alright, we’ll get out right away, Wanwan, don’t be afraid. I’ll hold you.”
While comforting her, he forcefully twisted the iron door handle, but the door was as hard as stone and wouldn’t budge.
“Wu… What do we do?” Chi Mu was utterly miserable. She buried her face low, nestling completely into Duan Yanxing’s embrace as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.
Duan Yanxing pursed his thin lips, a heavy shadow passing over his brow.
It seemed he had no choice but to use the gun, but he was afraid the gunshot would frighten her.
“Wanwan, listen to me. In a moment, hide in my arms. Don’t listen, and don’t look, okay?” Duan Yanxing whispered, coaxing her gently.
He had never been so patient in comforting anyone before. At this moment, he only regretted not having come to his senses sooner.
His baby had suffered so much, and it had left such deep psychological scars on her. Even though she had forgotten everything, the shadows remained.
But now, it was too late.
His Wanwan—he would spare no effort to make it up to her.”Wanwan, be good, lean in, close your eyes. I’ll take you out in a moment,” Duan Yanxing soothed softly while pulling a handgun from his person.
Chi Mu looked up at him, her small face pale, those beautiful cat-like eyes brimming with tears.
“Mr. Duan…”
Duan Yanxing lowered his gaze and spoke gently, “Be good, hide in my arms.”
After saying this, he wrapped one arm around the girl in his embrace, pulling her close to his chest, while his other hand abruptly pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
After several gunshots, Duan Yanxing forcefully kicked the door open with his foot, then quickly carried the little girl in his arms toward the Resting Room.
…
Meanwhile, the trio hiding in the neighboring dressing room, eavesdropping by the wall, were all frozen in place upon hearing the gunshots.
“It’s over, something’s happened!”
The sharp-witted A Jiang immediately sensed something was wrong. He turned and asked Qinglong, “What did you do? Why did Master Duan even fire his gun?”
Hearing this, Qinglong looked bewildered and stammered, “I… I didn’t do much. I just caught a few big rats and rat pups and put them inside. It… it shouldn’t be a big deal, right?”
“Damn it, are you fucking crazy!?” A Jiang, upon hearing this earth-shattering news, jumped up in shock and roared, “You didn’t even ask clearly before doing this!!!”
“Bro… Brother Jiang, wha… what do you mean?” Qinglong was baffled by the scolding, but seeing A Jiang’s state, he felt an inexplicable fear.
“You’re finished!! Even if you don’t die, you’ll be crippled.” A Jiang was furious.
He must have been out of his mind earlier to join their plan. How could this idiot possibly be a real “godly assist”?
Qinglong was utterly confused by A Jiang’s words. He blinked and stared at A Jiang, “Brother Jiang, what did I do… I really… I didn’t know…”
Only then did A Jiang recount in detail the incident Chi Mu had experienced back at the Yuchi family.
Master Duan himself had always been deeply concerned about those past events. If something were to happen to Miss Chi because of this fright, given Master Duan’s temperament, he would definitely kill him.
Although Qinglong had been by Master Duan’s side for some years now, what did a right-hand man matter in the face of his beloved treasure? He wouldn’t be enough even if he died a hundred times.
Upon hearing this, Qinglong’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
“Brother… Brother Jiang, you have to save me. I really didn’t know a few rats would cause such a huge psychological shadow for Madam. I truly didn’t know she had gone through that. If I had known, even with ten times the courage, I wouldn’t have dared… Besides, you all know why I did it. I had absolutely no ill intentions.”
“I thought it would be a godly assist, but who knew it would backfire.” A Jiang was filled with regret. “If I had known this would happen, I would rather not have been involved.”
He truly hadn’t expected the situation to be this serious.
Qinglong was also terrified by A Jiang’s words and stammered, “Brother Jiang, you have to help me.”
“Go and kowtow to Master Duan to apologize!” A Jiang slapped him on the head. “It’s up to him whether he spares your dog life. You’d better pray that Madam is alright.”
“I…” Qinglong’s face turned ashen as he slumped to the ground, muttering, “It’s all over.”
With Master Duan’s temper, if he really loses it, they probably won’t even find the body.”Uncle Qinglong, why didn’t you ask me before doing this? My mother is very timid; she’ll be scared to tears.” At that moment, Xiao Chiyu, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly spoke up.
A Jiang and Qinglong both turned their gazes toward him.
The little boy furrowed his brows, his small face filled with worry, and his pitch-black eyes brimming with anger: “Uncle Qinglong, you’re so foolish, acting on your own like that. I don’t trust you anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Qinglong felt utterly helpless, almost on the verge of tears.
“My little ancestor, please don’t make things worse, alright? I really… I feel like hitting myself a few times.” Qinglong stomped his feet anxiously. “Let’s go and confess our mistake, and see how Madam is doing while we’re at it.”
Xiao Chiyu snorted twice, pursed his lips, and fell silent.
In the end, it was A Jiang who grabbed Chi Yu’s hand, and the three of them finally headed out.