The next day.
The sun was rapidly setting and Zhao Lifei was growing antsy. She stared out of the window where a full moon could be seen and the night was speckled with nothingness. Thin clouds stretched across the skies, dimming the glow of the moonlight. The pale, lifeless glow emanating from the moon painted the pavement a silvery color, enhancing the eerie and ominous air.
Zhao Lifei hadn"t seen Jiang Zihui after yesterday"s incident. This was always good news to her. Although he hadn"t done anything to her besides lying, she was still doubtful of his intentions towards her. He was a whirlwind of emotions and she couldn"t predict the next one. She didn"t know how long she had been in Leinan for. Regardless of the days, it was time to head home. But how?
Zhao Lifei didn"t have a phone or any means of communication. She could always think of an escape plan, but the entire place was surrounded by forests where the next house was miles away. Without a car, she couldn"t go anywhere.
Earlier in the day, she attempted to wander around in hopes of finding a car, but all of them seemed to be privately and securely stored away. It was as if Jiang Zihui predicted she would escape through her own means.
Growing impatient and annoyed of her environment, Zhao Lifei decided she wasn"t going to play the waiting game anymore. She was going to leave, one way or another. She turned away from the window and marched her way down to Jiang Zihui"s bedroom. The door was flung open.
"You"re supposed to knock." Jiang Zihui"s wide back was turned to her and he seemed to be engrossed in doing something. She didn"t know he was rebandaging his hands. His knees were looked at by a doctor who recommended him to rest and not put any strain on them. The shards didn"t cup deep, so the stubborn General obviously didn"t listen.
Usually, his doors were locked. Anyone that entered without his permission would be severely punished. There were moments in the past where his friends had the guts to invite random women into the mansion but all of them were met with harsh ends. He was a lethal man who spared no mercy to anyone but Zhao Lifei. And because she was under the same roof as him, he kept it unlocked.
"You"re going to take me to Shenbei." Zhao Lifei firmly ordered, standing by the doorway.
"Do you understand the meaning of your actions?" Jiang Zihui murmured, shutting the box and setting it on the nightstand.
Zhao Lifei finally saw the first aid kit but didn"t want to seem concerned for him, so pretended she didn"t see the box. "If you mean entering without permission; I"m technically not entering your room."
"Coming to a man"s room uninvited and at night," He turned around to survey her appearance and unluckily for him, she was modestly dressed. "Barging in without permission… Do you understand what you"re implying?" He should curse whoever gave her that pair of jeans to wear. Although there was nothing promiscuous about her outfit, it did nothing to hide the curves of her body.
"Oh please, get over yourself." Zhao Lifei sighed, running a hand through her hair, not realizing his eyes were following all of her actions. She opened her mouth to say something else but a group of people rushed down the hallways.
"Young Master, we"re surrounded by men bearing the Yang Triad Sigel." Butler Sima had spoken up, appearing calm when the other servants seemed to be thrown into disarray. No one had expected this sudden ambush, nor did anyone see anything approaching from the distance.
Jiang Zihui"s eyes lightened in excitement. Was it time for a face-off? He always knew Yang Feng possessed too many men for good but didn"t expect him to bring an actual private army. Who gave him this much power? To think he deployed them to Leinan all for a woman...
Jiang Zihui was severely outnumbered in terms of men. He was consistently on high-alert knowing that Yang Feng would barge in here one day, but even so, he was still not prepared for it. Apart of him wanted to fight and equally spar it out with the infamous triad leader but this was such a foolish thing considering that they were both grown men with better things to do.
Jiang Zihui tried to ignore the p.r.i.c.k on his heart when he saw Zhao Lifei"s s.h.i.+ft of expression. While conversing with him, she didn"t seem bothered by his presence, although she did seem aggravated. But the mere mention that Yang Feng has arrived, her entire demeanor changed. She even seemed to be fixing her hair for him. He gritted his teeth. Maybe a fight to the death wouldn"t be so bad after all…
His eyes connected with his butler. They shared a silent conversation, "As expected." He walked to the door and without warning, roughly shoved Zhao Lifei into the room, catching her by surprise.
"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d—!"
The door slammed shut, locking her inside.
"How can you be this petty?!" She angrily kicked the door before hugging and running a hand through her hair. Her nostrils flared while she surveyed the room. Idiot. His room was nicely decorated, and there were so many things which she could use to escape. For example, utilizing the bedsheet covers and turning it into a rope.
Zhao Lifei"s lips quirked into a smirk while she began to explore the room in search of supplies and more importantly, a weapon.
In the open clearing behind the house, was a dozen landed helicopters. Men stepped out of the grounded helicopters bearing weapons hidden in their suits. They uniformly lined up in a parallel position, creating a path for their leader.
Slowly, another chopper began to descend into an empty spot. A tall, well-built man stepped out with his hands carelessly relaxing in his pockets. The coat hanging off of his shoulder fluttered, blowing in the wind, adding an eerie touch to his impeccable appearance. He didn"t bother approaching the villa and stood in his spot.
Jiang Zihui would have to go to him.
Jiang Zihui"s men were no match for Yang Feng"s, but even so, they still put up a fight by bearing weapons in hand and equipping themselves with bulletproof vests. Their faces were serious and they behaved like trained fighters. Unfortunately, nothing can compare with Yang Feng"s men who had an untouchable air around them as if their very presence was a weapon in itself.
"You seem to be a fan of extravagant entrances," Jiang Zihui humorously chuckled while stepping out fully dressed with a black glove covering the bandages on his hand. Once their boss was in sight, the men tensed up and were visibly ready for a fight.
No one moved. No one incorrectly breathed. They waited and waited for something to happen.
"Where is my wife?"
"I know you"ve had your men watch over my house. I"ve been in the military for long, it"s easy to spot a sniper from far away. As we speak, he is being captured, and all of your men"s dead bodies will be dragged here. For trespa.s.sing, you will pay for that."
Or so he thought.
All of the men had evacuated when the helicopters began to descend.
"A minute," Yang Feng boredly responded, bending his arm and glancing down at the watch she gave him. It was the very one that ignited their little gift war, which has been consistently ongoing in the background, albeit very discreetly. It was always sneaking gifts into each other"s accessory desks, closets, and so forth. Neither of them seemed to back down, not that their bank statement minded.
Jiang Zihui raised a perfectly-tailored brow. He had a minute to hand over Zhao Lifei, if not…"Well, let the countdown begin." His laidback and carefree composure was a stark contrast to his and Yang Feng"s men. Both leaders seemed to not have a care in the world and were too relaxed for there to be tension in the air.
The clock ticked and with each pa.s.sing second, more and more weapons were being revealed on both sides.
Ten seconds left.
This place would soon turn into a warzone.
Nine, eight, seven, six, five…
"OW!" A voice broke through the clearing, soft and feminine but laced with anger and annoyance. "So many bushes in the garden, but they can"t put more behind the house? Tch, cheap!" She groaned, rubbing her back and standing up to her full height.
She blinked at the tension in the air and the hundreds of pairs of eyes that went her way. Her startled expression s.h.i.+fted and her entire world lit up, "Yang Feng."