"They're coming out!"
"That's Laila!"
"Get out of Hollywood!"
As Laila walked out of the filming location on her way to the parking lot, someone from the previously quiet group of protesters suddenly began shouting. Then, like pouring cold water into a hot pan, the situation spiraled out of control in an instant!
Even some of the protesters themselves were caught off guard by the sudden change. They saw individuals from their group rushing towards Laila, armed with tomatoes, eggs, bricks, and even baseball bats and iron chains.
"Protect Miss!" The well-trained bodyguards didn't panic. Two of them escorted Laila towards the parking lot, while the others stayed behind to fend off the attackers.
Sounds of "splats" could be heard as eggs and other objects hit the bodyguards.
They didn't draw their guns. At least not until their lives were in danger. They didn't believe that ordinary citizens could pose any real threat to them. Despite the thickness of baseball bats, getting hit by one felt more like a massage to them. They were the top-notch bodyguards in the world, after all.
However, these underestimated bodyguards had misjudged the determination of the people with malicious intentions among the crowd. While some of them were dealing with one group of attackers, others had surrounded Laila and her group, who were about to enter the parking lot.
"Be careful." Roy punched a man swinging a bat towards him, knocking him aside and successfully grabbing another person's baseball bat. With a weapon in hand, the training he had undergone began to shine.
Although he didn't fight as ruthlessly as the bodyguards, his agility and martial arts training were sufficient to protect Laila from the attacks of four or five people.
"Don't linger, get into the car!" One of the bodyguards, seeing Roy's combat skills, handed Laila over to him, allowing them to return to the safety of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
"OK!" Roy, who had been in his fair share of fights before, knew when to fight and when to run. He could tell that the individuals charging out of the crowd weren't genuine protesters. Otherwise, how could the peaceful protesters have suddenly produced so many weapons?
As Laila was being pulled away, her mind was racing.
What on earth had just happened?
The situation had spiraled out of her control, far beyond anything she had ever encountered in her past or present life. Her mind was blank at the moment, and all she knew was that she was running alongside the person who had grabbed her. But where they were running to and who this person was, she couldn't figure out.
It was only at this moment that she realized how powerless she was, and she discovered that her intelligence was worthless in the face of such savagery.
"Laila!" A voice seemed to pierce through the protective barrier surrounding her, breaking into her consciousness.
"Roy..." She lifted her head, and the confusion in her eyes dissipated when she saw him. However, she didn't get a chance to speak. She saw, behind him, someone raising an iron rod high...
She seemed to see the menacing smile on the person's face and even heard the whooshing sound of the iron rod in the chaos.
"Watch out!" With a jolt, she pushed Roy to the side. However, in doing so, she exposed herself to the iron rod, which was about to strike her. The iron rod, accompanied by the rush of wind, made anyone who heard it not doubt the force behind it.
Just when Laila thought there was no way to dodge it, Roy took the initiative, grabbing a baseball bat he had wrested away earlier and swinging it hard at the attacker's shin. The man screamed in pain, tumbling to the side, and his iron rod dropped to the ground due to the loss of support.
"Get going!" Roy knocked another attacker to the ground and pulled her forward.
As they were about to reach the car, three more people caught up with them.
"Who sent you?" Roy knew he couldn't show any fear at this moment. If he displayed even a hint of apprehension, he would be torn to pieces in the next moment.
The three individuals exchanged glances, spreading out to encircle both Laila and Roy. They didn't respond to Roy's question, gripping their bats and moving in to attack Laila.
"Damn it!" Roy kicked one of them aside, knocked down another, and took a hard blow to his own back, which sent a sharp pain radiating through him.
"Get in the car, they're after you," he said, enduring the pain, and opened the car door for Laila. The fact that all three attackers had focused their assault on her just moments ago convinced him that their target was Laila. And if he wasn't mistaken, they had been aiming for her head during the attack!
How much hatred did it take to target such a vulnerable part? If all three blows had landed, even three Lailas wouldn't have survived. These people were out for blood!
Laila was pushed into the car by Roy, but he didn't get in. More people had already caught up with them, and he needed to stay outside to hold them off until the bodyguards arrived.
Listening to the loud thuds on the car and the muffled groans and screams from the blows, Laila clenched her fists tightly. Her teeth were gritted in anger.
She swore that no matter who had orchestrated this incident, she would use every means at her disposal to strike back! In just over ten minutes, from leaving the filming location to sitting in the car, she felt like she had experienced several centuries. It wasn't until the wailing sirens of police cars pierced the night sky that she finally breathed deeply, as though she had come back to life.
"Laila, it's okay," Roy's slightly tired voice accompanied the sound of knocking on the car window.
She tried to open the car door but found that her hands were trembling. After several attempts, she finally managed to open the door.
She despised herself for appearing so disheveled, so pathetic, and so unworthy of being seen in this state.
She got out of the car and saw Roy smiling at her. However, the bloodstains on his body were too distracting, and she couldn't see anything else.
"How are you?" She reached out and cradled his head, checking his condition.
Roy chuckled awkwardly and removed her hand from his face. "Don't worry, my face is fine. The blood is from someone else. You said my face mustn't be harmed, and I'm your most obedient employee!"
He joked, but Laila couldn't find it in herself to laugh. Despite his casual tone, she could tell he had been injured, and some of those injuries had been sustained protecting her.
If only she could be more useful! If only she could be stronger! If only...
"Laila, I'm really okay." Sensing her distraction, Roy hopped a few times in place to demonstrate that he was completely unharmed.
A/N: A life without challenges is too dull. Let little Laila experience some storms~