Gu Yingchuan’s warning came too late.
Qin Wan turned around instinctively, but she was already too late.
She stood there in a daze, watching Chen Long lunge at her. But just as he was about to snatch the knife from her hand, the man raised his long leg and kicked Chen Long squarely in the chest without mercy.
The force of the kick sent Chen Long flying.
“Argh…”
Chen Long collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest and groaning in pain.
Blood poured from the wound on his arm. Before long, his lips had turned several shades paler.
Gu Yingchuan paid no attention to the man writhing on the floor.
Standing tall beside Qin Wan, he asked in a low, gentle voice, “Are you hurt?”
The hand gripping the knife handle was still trembling.
She shook her head, then nodded, still too dazed to take in what had happened.
Gu Yingchuan thought she must be badly shaken.
His handsome brows drew together, and his cold gaze fell on Chen Long, as if he wanted to grind him to dust.
“President Gu! Miss Qin!”
Cao Jun was startled by the scene when he stepped inside.
The overpowering smell of blood was harsh in his nostrils. The man lying in a pool of blood was deathly pale, probably from blood loss, and looked as if he were barely clinging to life.
“Are you both all right?”
Cao Jun asked at once.
Gu Yingchuan shook his head and ordered, his voice carrying an unmistakable edge of ruthlessness, “Call the police.”
“Yes!”
Cao Jun immediately took out his phone and called them.
While Cao Jun was making the call, Gu Yingchuan collected himself. He lowered his eyes and saw that Qin Wan was still clutching the fruit knife as tightly as if it were a lifeline. A glimmer of tenderness seemed to pass through his deep-set eyes.
He reached out and gently took hold of the hand gripping the knife, coaxing her, “Qin Wan, will you give me the knife?”
The warmth of his hand reached her.
Qin Wan looked up into the man’s dark eyes. Somehow, the fear in her heart eased a little, and her grip on the knife gradually loosened.
Gu Yingchuan didn’t care whether his fingerprints would be left on it.
He set the knife back on the dining table, then turned and drew Qin Wan firmly into his arms.
“It’s all right now.”
His low, resonant voice drifted down from above her.
Qin Wan let him hold her and turned her face away, doing her best not to look at the bloodied mess on the floor.
“President Gu, the police will be here in five minutes,” Cao Jun said after making the call.
Gu Yingchuan nodded. “I’ll leave this to you. I’m taking Qin Wan home to rest. If the police have any other questions, tell them to come find me at Runyuan.”
“Understood, President Gu. Leave this to me.”
Seeing Qin Wan’s pale face and how clearly out of sorts she was, Cao Jun couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
They were both used to seeing all kinds of things.
Given the circumstances, it didn’t take much imagination to guess what had happened in the room.
And this was where it had happened…
For all they knew, Qin Wan’s parents had been involved too!
Gu Yingchuan had always trusted Cao Jun to handle things.
He gave a slight nod, then pressed the hand on Qin Wan’s shoulder gently, signaling that she could leave.
But after being tense for so long, her mind knew she should lift her foot, yet her legs gave way beneath her. Without warning, she stumbled into his arms.
Gu Yingchuan caught her by the waist in the nick of time.
“I’m… I’m sorry…”
Qin Wan apologized instinctively.
She braced one hand against his chest and started to straighten up. Then a sudden pressure tightened around her waist, and the world spun. By the time she realized what had happened, he was carrying her in his arms.
Gu Yingchuan held her securely.
Looking down at her, he said softly, “You don’t have to say those three words to me. Do you understand?”
Qin Wan blinked her bright eyes.
Meeting his sincere gaze, she felt a rush of warmth fill her chest.
…
Cao Jun stayed behind at the scene.
Gu Yingchuan carried Qin Wan downstairs. They happened to pass a neighboring couple, and Qin Wan immediately buried her face in his chest, pretending she hadn’t seen them.
A Bentley was conspicuous in a rundown old neighborhood like this.
The couple watched as the man carried Qin Wan into the Bentley’s front passenger seat. He then went over to a white Polo to retrieve her phone and bag before driving away.
“Ah, it’s good to be pretty. A man who can afford a car like that must come from a family with money to spare. Old Xu’s really lucky—his daughter’s married into a family like that, so he’ll probably benefit too. I’m so jealous,” the middle-aged woman said to her husband, gazing enviously at the Bentley’s taillights.
Her husband, however, was unimpressed. “What’s there to envy? Even if Xu Liming married his daughter off to the richest man in B City, that gambling addict would blow through all the money! A gambling addict is a gambling addict. Any man who gets stuck with his daughter would be cursed with the worst luck for eight lifetimes!”
Everyone knew that when a gambling addict got carried away, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
And Xu Liming gambled and visited prostitutes. No matter how much a man had, it would never be enough for Qin Wan’s husband to lose to him.
“You’re right. What a shame… Hey, old man, look! Why are there so many police cars heading for our building?”
“Yeah. Did something serious happen here?”
Several police cars pulled up beneath the building.
The neighbors gradually gathered around. Before long, the area was packed with people eager to see what was going on.
…
The black Bentley moved steadily through traffic.
To help Qin Wan relax, Gu Yingchuan had turned on the stereo before setting off and put on some gentle music.
Neither of them spoke.
After about ten minutes of driving, Gu Yingchuan stopped at a red light, opened a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Qin Wan in the passenger seat.
“Have some water. It might help calm your nerves.”
The man’s low, soothing voice came from beside her.
Qin Wan came back to herself, took the bottle, and sipped from it, but still said nothing.
Gu Yingchuan didn’t press her. He simply looked away in silence and took hold of the steering wheel again.
The light turned green.
The car started moving once more. Qin Wan watched the scenery slide past outside the window, and before she knew it, tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes.
Her mother Shen Wenna’s timid voice seemed to ring in her ears again.
How could her own birth mother have been willing to push her daughter into such an abyss for the sake of a man?
If Gu Yingchuan hadn’t arrived in time, then whether she had been violated or they had died together, either outcome would have been ruinous for her!
Then the image of Gu Yingchuan kicking the door open suddenly surfaced in her mind—
In that instant,
Gu Yingchuan had been like a beam of light shining into her dark life.
He had given her hope, and he had given her strength.
At that thought, Qin Wan suddenly raised a hand and wiped the tears from her cheek.
She turned to look at the man beside her, focused on driving. After a long silence, she drew a light breath and finally asked, “Gu Yingchuan, will you marry me?”