Not even a few minutes later, a police car pulled up right in front of Ling Chen.
The door opened and Xia Mutong rushed out of the vehicle, looking at Nanrong Wanqing, who was being held in Ling Chen's embrace, with a face full of worry.
"Miss Nanrong, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Ling Chen, you can drive. I'll take over the duty of protecting Miss Nanrong."
With that said, Xia Mutong stretched out her arms, wanting to take Nanrong Wanqing from Ling Chen.
However, he deftly avoided her, giving her a wide smile. "Officer Xia, there's no need to trouble yourself, it's better that I take charge of her care. Moreover, I don't even have a driver's license. It'd be illegal for me to drive."
This bastard!
Nanrong Wanqing resentfully glared at him and thought that he was taking this opportunity to take advantage of her. However, as she opened her mouth to rebuke him, Ling Chen leaned down and whispered a few sentences into her ear.
The hot air that he released when he spoke left Nanrong Wanqing feeling an indescribable scorching sensation in her ear. However, after hearing what Ling Chen said, her mouth immediately clammed up, and she stared at Xia Mutong with a strange gaze.
"Officer Xia, then I'll be troubling you to send us back to Hongyu Multinational."
Without waiting for Xia Mutong to reply, Ling Chen directly opened the back car door and carried Nanrong Wanqing onto the seat.
You must be joking! If I hand Nanrong Wanqing over to this deviant, wouldn't that be like delivering a sheep into a wolf's mouth?
Xia Mutong lightly snorted and stared at Ling Chen with belligerent eyes, before huffily sitting down in the driver's seat.
After a drive that lasted for more than twenty minutes, the three arrived at the headquarters of Hongyu Multinational.
The moment they disembarked, Wei Jun, who had long been waiting at the entrance, immediately rushed forward with a wheelchair that had been prepared, along with a large entourage of security guards.
Just now in the car, Nanrong Wanqing had made a call to settle the arrangements for her arrival.
"Big Bro Wei."
Ling Chen called out a greeting, before carrying Nanrong Wanqing out of the car. Looking at his actions, the surrounding security guards all went into a trance.
They had been with Hongyu Multinational for many years and this was the first time they had seen the Chairwoman coming into contact with someone from the opposite gender. Moreover, it was even an intimate kind of touch!
"Hurry up and put me down!"
Sensing the strange looks directed towards her, Nanrong Wanqing felt her cheeks burning up, and she furiously whispered to Ling Chen.
Ling Chen grunted in agreement and gently placed her on the prepared wheelchair. He then took the shawl in Wei Jun's hand and meticulously draped it over her exposed legs.
"Big Bro Wei, please bring the Chairwoman back to her office to rest."
"Alright. The few of you, hurry up and escort the Chairwoman up!"
After sending off Nanrong Wanqing, Wei Jun patted Ling Chen's shoulder, a look of admiration written all over his face.
"Brother, I really have to give it to you."
"I'm just doing my job. Right, what happened to Captain Zhong and the rest?"
"They're currently receiving treatment at the hospital."
Speaking till this point, Wei Jun could not help letting out a melancholic sigh.
"We just received news that there were four casualties among Squad 1 members. One of them was beyond saving, but the other three fortunately escaped with their lives."
Ling Chen immediately wiped the grin off his face, instead replaced by a solemn countenance. One dead and three heavily injured, the operation this time dealt quite a heavy blow to Squad 1. If he had known Nanrong Wanqing's schedule in advance, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.
"Ling Chen."
"Anything else, Officer Xia?"
"I'm going back to HQ to report first. With such a huge turmoil hitting Hongyu Multinational, it's best that you stay here for now. As for the charges against you, we can settle them another day."
"Alright, thank you then."
Ling Chen meant his words of thanks with absolute sincerity. If it was not for the aid of Xia Mutong, he could not have possibly rescued Nanrong Wanqing.
Not long after Xia Mutong left, Liu Kun anxiously rushed to the company with Nanrong Yong and Su Lin in tow.
Ling Chen had only gotten a brief respite in the office before Wei Jun walked in.
"Old pal Ling, Chairwoman is calling for you."
"Understood."
After arriving at the topmost floor, Ling Chen knocked on the door and waited for permission to be granted before entering the office.
In the office, Nanrong Wanqing, Nanrong Hao, Su Lin, Liu Kun, as well as a recovered Zhong Wei were all sitting inside. What caught Ling Chen's attention the most was an elderly man that was dressed in Oriental clothing. Although his features were foreign to Ling Chen, Ling Chen deduced his identity in an instant.
Nanrong Yong.
Liu Kun gestured towards the sofa. "Take a seat."
Ling Chen did not stand on his courtesy, directly taking a seat on the sofa. He had carried Nanrong Wanqing and ran such a considerable distance. Even a man cast from steel would feel fatigued.
"Mr Ling, it's fortunate that you were around this time and prevented Wanqing from coming to harm. As the head of the Nanrong family, I would like to express my gratitude to you."
The one who spoke was Nanrong Yong. Ling Chen did not dare to dally in his reply, hurriedly saying, "No need to be so polite, sir. It's my duty."
"Mr Ling, from what Wanqing had said, it seems like you know about the killer?"
"Snake Lord. The tenth rank killer amongst the top ten killers." Saying that, he then added, "Sir, I know of him, but I'm not acquainted with him personally."
Nanrong Yong nodded his head before casually looking at Zhong Wei. "You've heard of this Snake Lord?"
"There were rumours back when I was still in active service. They say that if Snake Lord lays his eyes on you, then he will not rest until your death is guaranteed."
"So, according to you guys have said, since Snake Lord failed this time, he will definitely find the opportunity to strike again. Wanqing's safety is not guaranteed yet. Mr Ling, I have no interest in asking about your past but since you know about how killers operate, this proves that your background is not simple. I have no other requests, just that you can properly protect Wanqing."
"Rest assured, sir. It is my obligation to do so."
"No no, it seems like you didn't completely grasp what I'm saying. Since the killer is targeting Wanqing, this means that nowhere is safe for her. Be it at home or the company; her safety is not completely guaranteed. Hence, from today onwards, I hope that you can be her 24/7 personal bodyguard and not let any harm come to her."
"24/7 bodyguard?"
Ling Chen froze, before discreetly shifting his gaze to look at Nanrong Wanqing.
Sensing him looking at her, Nanrong Wanqing turned her head towards Nanrong Yong and started to refute him. "Grandpa, there's no need for that. I..."
"There's no need for you to say anything else. This concerns your safety, and you have no right to decide. Mr Ling, as long as you can ensure Wanqing's safety, I will try my best at any requests you might have."
"This… I have no special requests."
"Great, then go pack up your items. Later I will send Liu Kun to fetch you. Zhong Wei, please escort Mr Ling out, I have something to discuss with Wanqing."
"Yes, sir."
After leaving the office, Ling Chen felt like his head was still foggy.
Pack? What am I supposed to pack? Don't tell me... that I have to move to the Nanrong household?!
"Ling Chen."
"Hmm? Captain Zhong, what is it?"
"I'm sorry. I did not seriously heed your warning; I caused this tragedy to happen and robbed our squad member's lives. This was an oversight on my part, and I will accept all responsibility. After ensuring that there is a proper handover procedure, I will tender my resignation to the Chairwoman. The Chairwoman's safety is in your hands now."
"Captain Zhong, you mustn't say that! Snake Lord is no ordinary killer, and those targeted by him would find it nigh impossible to avoid death. The Chairwoman being able to escape from danger was all due to you and your squad's efforts! Furthermore, leaving aside the matter this time, the most important thing to do now is to prevent a future incident from occurring."