Chapter 11: An Unexpected Event
Li Xin couldn"t make sense of what just happened and shook her head. She"d been looking forward to some drama. Ignoring Xiu Shui, who was currently deep in conversation with Wu Sen, she turned around, got into her car, and left.
She could care less about criminal syndicates and business enterprises. At that very moment, her only concern was catching up on sleep.
~~~
Two days later, Li Xin found herself sitting across from Jun Qi on a private jet. The easygoing smile on his face made her scowl. She had no idea what his problem was. The last two days, he"d been constantly hanging around her — her sarcasm had been unable to repel his presence. If she ignored him, he talked to himself. He"d watch TV whenever she slept; during meals, he"d pile food onto her plate; he joined her every time she decided to go out. He was like a puppy that was impossible to get rid of.
And yet, she could find no legitimate reason to lose her temper at him. The whole situation p.i.s.sed her off. The only reason she was even sitting on this plane to Washington was because Xiu Shui lured her on with enticing food recipes.
~~~
"Li Xin, you"re going the wrong way. Over here." Jun Qi reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from Xiu Shui and towards him.
Li Xin raised her eyebrows at his ever-smiling face and narrowed her eyes. Jun Qi hadn"t spent all his time around women for nothing. He let go of her hand with an insurmountable level of grace and smiled apologetically. "They"re going to get Xiao Yun"s race car. They have some things to take care of. You"ll be safer with me."
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Li Xin had figured some things out from Jun Qi in the last couple days. Wu Sen was from the reigning gang in San Francisco, which also happened to be one of the highest-ranking gangs in the United States. The Qi Clan had a lot of power, but consequently, also a lot of enemies. The t.i.tle of King Racer was apparently extremely sought after due to the significance of the position, and every partic.i.p.ating gang had its eyes on the prize. Xiao Yun would be safer with Wu Sen, who was familiar with the way the underworld worked.
Jun Qi"s words convinced Li Xin to follow him. Life, of course, was precious. Li Xin had no intentions of joining them in battle. After all, she had just recently gained her freedom.
~~~
The sky had begun to darken by the time the others finished whatever things they had to take care of. Originally, Xiao Yun, Wu Sen, and the rest had intended on staying indoors for safety reasons, but when Li Xin decided she couldn"t stay cooped up anymore, they ended up following her out.
They were currently in Chinatown — or, according to Li Xin, "anywhere where Chinese people live."
"Delicious," Li Xin exclaimed as she grabbed a dumpling that was just served to them in the restaurant they were in. The arrival of food made her grin.
Jun Qi laughed while putting more freshly made dumplings on Li Xin"s plate. "Your sense of smell is like a dog"s. It astounds me that you smelled this restaurant from so far away."
Li Xin had ended up at this place after strolling through Chinatown. The Chinese decorations and vibes the area exuded filled her with a kind of happiness that made her grin from ear to ear. Her excitement prompted Jun Qi to join her amus.e.m.e.nt, occasionally tossing out interesting information like a tour guide. He seemed more aware of Chinese history despite having been born in the States, as opposed to Li Xin, who had been born in China.
Xiao Yun ate two dumplings and said with a grimace, "This tastes awful."
Li Xin rolled her eyes at him. White boy, she thought. Don"t eat it if you don"t like it, but don"t talk smack about Chinese food.
Xiu Shui laughed. "Keep your opinions to yourself," she warned him, "otherwise Li Xin will kill you."
Xiao Yun had never witnessed Li Xin flipping out over food, but Jun Qi had. "Shut up, man," he joked. "Asians are in the majority over here."
Xiao Yun scrunched his face, mumbling. "I can"t p.i.s.s y"all off, but I can hide."
Everyone started laughing.
"Don"t tease him," Wu Sen chortled. "These dumplings really aren"t as good as Xiu Shui"s."
Xiu Shui and Jun Qi smiled, but said nothing. Li Xin"s taste was really something. The dumplings were quite authentic, but truly could not even begin to compare with Xiu Shui"s. The fact that Li Xin was able to eat to such satisfaction was the source of everyone"s bemus.e.m.e.nt.
She was, however, well aware that the reason she loved the dumplings was because of their strong, authentic taste. They possessed the same aroma as Xiu Shui"s dumplings. Li Xin was not a picky eater; all she sought was this taste of home.
After everyone had eaten to their hearts" content, the group got up to leave. However, the moment Wun Sen and Xiao Yun stepped foot outside the restaurant, a gunshot sounded.
Li Xin"s body moved to the side instinctually, but Jun Qi was faster. In a flash, she found herself pressed against the restaurant"s door. Immediately, another round of shots sounded out, followed by screaming. Li Xin furrowed her brows and shuffled her body in an attempt to peer through the door crack.
"Don"t be afraid, everything is okay," a low voice breathed in her ear. Li Xin felt Jun Qi"s arms tighten around her, making it impossible for her to move. She paused for a moment, startled.
This was the first time someone had protected her.
After a seemingly long while, she grit her teeth. "Let go of me," she demanded. "I"m fine. Let me go see."
Jun Qi heard no shake in her voice, nor was there any trace of fear. He couldn"t help turning his head to look at her. The woman in his arms stared back at him with calm, clear eyes that carried a hint of curiosity. He scrunched his eyebrows.
Feeling Jun Qi"s hold loosen, Li Xin turned around immediately and peered through the door crack. She could see people screaming all around, crouching or crawling towards safety. Two cars raced down the street and its occupants were exchanging round after round of fire. Clearly, this was some gang shooting.
Li Xin grimaced. Running into a gang war… could her luck get any worse?
The incident ended as soon as it began. In just a few seconds, the fight had left the scene. Li Xin tapped Jun Qi, who was still holding her, and the two of them stood up. Almost immediately, they saw Wu Sen protecting Xiu Shui next to the door, and Xiao Yun hiding nearby on the side.
"Well, that was unfortunate. I can"t believe that just happened," Jun Qi said with his brows creased, watching Wu Sun and Xiu Shui get up.
Xiu Shui was scared out of her wits. Wu Sen comforted her while eyeing Xiao Yun, who was also getting up slowly, in his peripheral vision. The man looked slightly unsteady. "Are you okay?" Wu Sen asked him. He had shoved Xiao Yun to safety the moment he heard the first gunshot, but he had to be sure.
Xiao Yun laughed humorlessly and walked over, clutching his right leg. "A bullet grazed me."
Jun Qi and Wu Sen both paled upon hearing that and rushed over to check Xiao Yun"s wound. A bullet had grazed past his lower leg — although the injury was not deep, blood was still steadily trickling down. It wasn"t a major wound, but his ability to partic.i.p.ate in the next day"s race was compromised.
"Why didn"t anyone listen to orders and stay indoors?" A voice cut in. It belonged to the golden-haired man that appeared two days ago. He threw the group a reproachful glance.