Chapter 105: Reinforcements Descend from the Heavens

At first, when those men burst into the Hall of Preserving Goodness, Xie Qingtang had thought they were nothing more than a gang of brutes with no brains. But after what had happened, she realized that the man before her, who seemed so rough and careless, Boss Gu, was far from as simple as she had imagined.

Boss Gu waved a hand idly, and the men under him immediately stepped back. Then he changed his expression; a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth, and on that ferocious face the smile looked even more sinister.

He came up to Xie Qingtang, lifted her chin with his fingers, and could not help showing a look of relish. "Youth is wonderful. Even your skin is so smooth. Rather than let you become an asset to Shao Siming, why not follow me instead? I can keep your Hall of Preserving Goodness safe from all sides, and all you need to pay is a small price: you will only treat me and my people, and obey my orders."

The situation turned sharply. Zhou Jinfan had thought that once the man lying in bed woke up, everything would be settled, but he had never expected something like this to happen.

In an instant, the Hall of Preserving Goodness fell into an icy silence. Xie Qingtang's face turned cold as she said, stern and unyielding, "Xie Qingtang was born with pride. I will not submit to anyone, and do not even think of making me obey anyone's orders."

"Good. You do have backbone. But that is exactly what I like about people like you, because I will break that backbone piece by piece, then make you crawl before me like a dog and beg for mercy. By then, we'll see whether that so-called backbone can do you any good." Boss Gu snapped, then violently shoved Xie Qingtang away.

He had his men seize her and prepare to leave the Hall of Preserving Goodness. Just as they reached the doorway, the hall door was kicked open with a heavy crash.

At once, a throwing knife flashed with cold light and hurtled straight toward the man in front.

Too slow to dodge, the man at the front let out a miserable howl. The knife stabbed directly into his arm; before he could even react, another knife struck his other arm, and then his thigh.

"Who is it?" Boss Gu hurriedly raised a hand to stop his men, then stepped back and said, "Shao Siming, you've watched the show long enough from outside the Gu Family Hospital. Are you finally willing to show yourself? Looks like your daughter really isn't favored by you. Aren't you afraid of what I might do to her during this time?"

At the mention of Shao Siming's name, Xie Qingtang, who had been slung over a shoulder, let a glint of cold light enter her eyes. Her hand moved toward the silver needles at her waist. She was not the sort to be easily bullied, nor some princess trapped in a tower, waiting only for someone else to save her.

"Who is Shao Siming? He is nothing," came a disdainful laugh from the man striding in against the light. He was tall, and a throwing knife twirled nimbly between his fingers like a fluttering butterfly.

The moment Xie Qingtang heard that familiar voice, her hand froze. Then she struggled to lift her head and look toward the doorway.

Against the light, Gu Xiujin walked in. Under the gentle daylight, it seemed as though a halo had been cast around him, that warmth illuminating the oppressive chill of the Hall of Preserving Goodness.

"Gu Xiujin!" Boss Gu clearly knew him as well. His expression changed at once, becoming strange, and he even ordered his men to stand still and not move.

"You have three seconds to leave the Hall of Preserving Goodness. Otherwise, you won't be leaving at all." Gu Xiujin's voice was cold.

One of the henchmen standing behind Boss Gu immediately shouted rudely, "Who the hell do you think you are, talking to our boss like that? Boss, let us go up there and beat that arrogant brat senseless."

But before he could finish, Boss Gu turned around and kicked him hard in the chest, snarling, "Shut your mouth, you blind fool. Don't you recognize that this is President Gu of the Gu Group?"

When those words fell, the kicked henchman froze for a moment. His lips moved for a long while, but in the end he said nothing. That kind of intimidation made Xie Qingtang, still slung over their shoulder, feel utterly exasperated.

"President Gu, I didn't know you were so familiar with the owner of the Hall of Preserving Goodness. I will leave at once. I hope President Gu will not be offended." Boss Gu was also the sort who could bend or straighten as needed. He immediately had Xie Qingtang put down, then quickly led his men away.

But in the next second, a cold smile appeared on Gu Xiujin's lips. "The three seconds are already up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhao suddenly rushed in with a group of people, and together they forced Boss Gu and his gang to the ground and beat them like weak chickens, leaving them crying out for mercy.

At first, the men under Boss Gu still tried to resist, but after Boss Gu barked at them, they could only take the blows and did not dare strike back again.

Seeing this, Xie Qingtang's gaze became very complicated. At that moment Gu Xiujin walked over to her side, examined her from head to toe, and, finding that she was unharmed, finally let out a slow breath.

"Someone caused trouble at the Hall of Preserving Goodness. Why didn't you call me?" Gu Xiujin said, his brows slightly furrowed, as if displeased about something.

Xie Qingtang blinked, then said, "I didn't have time. They barged in and took control of me right away. I couldn't exactly call you under their watch, and summoning reinforcements so openly would have been a bit too blatant."

"Besides, even if you hadn't come, I could have handled this little trouble myself. Don't think I'm weak."

As if to prove something, she even clenched her fist. Seeing her little display of stubborn bravado, Gu Xiujin somehow laughed aloud.

"What are you laughing at? You don't believe me? I really could have dealt with this little trouble." His laughter only made Xie Qingtang's expression turn sour.

The two of them talked among themselves, while over at Li Zhao's side there was no idleness either. He had beaten Boss Gu's men savagely, without the slightest courtesy, and the contrast between the two sides was striking.

"Brother Zhou, what am I seeing?" Song Qing stared in stunned disbelief at the scene that had been so tense only moments ago, now transformed into a one-sided and overwhelming victory.