Chapter 175
The sound of fabric tearing wasn’t loud, but to Chu Lian’s ears, it was more deafening than thunder, causing her movements to cease abruptly. The drunken man behind her noticed his prey had quieted down and became even more brazen in his actions. Just as his lips landed on Chu Lian’s back, she erupted completely, her struggle fiercer than ever before.
“Ahhhh, I’m going to kill you, kill you.”
“Bitch, what’s all the noise?” The drunken man grabbed Chu Lian’s hair and slapped her face hard, using all his strength, causing her face to turn to the side and fall silent, a line of blood trailing from her bean-paste-colored lips.
Watching the entire scene from a hidden corner, Xu Ke maintained a gentle smile on his lips, as if he was witnessing a concert rather than a scene of violence.
At last, when the man tried to completely tear off Chu Lian’s clothes, Xu Ke emerged from the shadows, his face replacing the gentle smile and coldness in his eyes with urgency, as if he had been searching for her for a long time.
“Let her go,” Xu Ke shouted sternly.
The unfamiliar yet familiar voice ignited life and hope in Chu Lian’s eyes. She swiftly turned her head to Xu Ke and shouted loudly, “Save me, save me!”
“Damn, you dare hit me, I’ll kill you,” the man released his hold on Chu Lian, shook his head, and charged at Xu Ke, engaging him in a fight. Meanwhile, Chu Lian stood at the spot, clutching her torn clothes, staring at the drunken man with hatred. “Xu Ke, kill him, don’t let him live, I want him dead!” Chu Lian gritted her teeth and said.
Xu Ke didn’t reply, seemingly focused on the scuffle without being distracted, but his eyes, hidden behind his lenses, showed no panic, instead observing Chu Lian.
After trading a few more blows with the man, Xu Ke, seeing that the timing was almost right, deliberately allowed an opening for the man to hit him once, then extended his foot to kick the man to the ground, delivering a few more hits to knock him out.
Panting dramatically in front of Chu Lian, Xu Ke watched as Chu Lian stepped forcefully on the man’s lower part with her sharp high heels. Xu Ke frowned and walked over to stop Chu Lian from continuing.
“Stop hitting him, we’ve been out here too long, someone will come soon. You should cover up with my clothes first, let’s leave here before anyone sees you like this, it won’t be good for your reputation. What happened today was partly my responsibility too. If you trust me, leave with me first. I’ll personally take him to the Chu Family, then you can do with him as you wish, okay?” Xu Ke said as he took off his coat, covering Chu Lian’s exposed skin and precarious clothing.
“Xu Ke.” Chu Lian lifted her head, showing a tear-streaked little face, “You must hand him over to me, I want him to wish for life but can’t die.” Chu Lian gritted her teeth and said.
“Alright, I’ll definitely hand him over to you, but let’s leave here first. Otherwise, if someone sees you, it won’t be good for your reputation.” Xu Ke lightly placed his hand on Chu Lian’s shoulder, showing a worried expression.
“Take me home, I don’t want to stay here anymore.” Chu Lian tightly clutched Xu Ke’s lapel with her hand, looking up at him pitifully.
“Alright, but I can’t leave right now. I’ll take you to a guest room to stay for a while, and after the banquet is over, I’ll see you off.” Xu Ke said warmly, seemingly having completely forgotten that Chu Lian’s parents were also at the party. Chu Lian didn’t object either, she just nodded and left obediently with Xu Ke, never letting go of her grip on his jacket, appearing very dependent on Xu Ke.
Xu Ke led Chu Lian to the guest room. Though his demeanor reflected nothing but gentility and warmth, the icy coldness in his eyes betrayed some of his frigid emotions.
After bringing her to the guest room, Xu Ke took a robe from the closet, “Go take a shower first. I’ll have my housekeeper bring you clothes and food later. Rest assured and take a break here, no one will harm you here anymore.” Xu Ke placed the robe beside Chu Lian and retreated from the room under her pitiful gaze.
“Housekeeper Zhao, there’s a person at the conservatory for you to catch; when the banquet is over, send them to the Chu Family. Also, get my spare clothes to the master bedroom, and call someone to prepare clothes and food for Chu Lian in the guest room.” Xu Ke said icily, his eyes laced with frost.
“Yes.” Housekeeper Zhao on the other end of the phone replied.
Housekeeper Zhao was quick, shortly arriving with another set of gray suits.
“I wasn’t outside for long, how are things going? I remember Yang Rongrong, who was supposed to be with Chu Lian, also ran out. Has she been found? Nothing else happened, right?” Xu Ke asked, tying a blue tie for himself in front of the mirror.
“Miss Yang is fine. When I came over, she hadn’t given up searching for Miss Chu and is now walking around the banquet, probably seeing if Miss Chu has returned. Others didn’t react much, but Young Master Lian seems to particularly enjoy the company of his female companion and has already introduced her to a lot of connections at the banquet. Chairman Hu was mostly with Xu Corporation’s shareholders, but I noticed he had some eye contact with the Chu Family. I think their relationship is not simple.” Housekeeper Zhao said respectfully, bowing slightly.
“Thank you for your hard work, Housekeeper Zhao. I have a plan in mind; you can go back to your room and rest. I can handle this.” Xu Ke told Housekeeper Zhao, showing a hint of warmth in his usually cold eyes, causing a slight mistiness to appear in the wrinkled corners of Housekeeper Zhao’s eyes.
“I’ve been out for a long time, time to head back to the venue.” Xu Ke patted Housekeeper Zhao’s shoulder, then stepped towards the banquet.
Upon entering the banquet, a wave of warmth enveloped him, in stark contrast to the cold wind outside. Xu Ke’s lips slowly curled up, his face seemed covered with a mask, making it hard for anyone to decipher the emotions in his eyes.