Wen Changling thought she was safe and was about to re-fasten her seatbelt when Xie Shang suddenly yanked her, and then she heard a bang, as a bullet nearly grazed her ear. If Xie Shang had reacted just a second slower, she would probably be dead by now.
The robber wasn't alone; there was another accomplice hiding in the bushes nearby.
"Stay down, don't get up."
It was in the language of the Empire, it was Xie Shang's voice, so reassuring.
Wen Changling didn't see what happened next; she only heard the sound of Xie Shang opening the car door. Before getting in, Wen Changling noticed there was a gun in the car, a shotgun, likely belonging to the manor's owner. It was not illegal for Lileitu to possess a shotgun.
Still, Wen Changling couldn't help herself and stealthily peeked her head out the car window.
She saw Xie Shang proficiently chamber a round, aim at the bushes, and fire without hesitation. By then, one person was already lying on the ground, with blood sprayed far away.
She was stunned.
"Didn't I tell you not to get up?" Xie Shang stood in front of the SUV, looking at Wen Changling through the front windshield.
Looking directly from Wen Changling's angle, the cracks in the glass, small to large and randomly spread, just obscured half of Xie Shang's eye. At this moment, he seemed to be split open, with devastation and beauty colliding, strangely merging within him at two extremes.
Wen Changling was silent for a moment, waiting until her emotions settled, "Do you know how to shoot?"
"Does a shotgun count?"
He hunted and had experience with outdoor hunting grounds.
Wen Changling refuted him, "But they are people."
"Oh," Xie Shang replied calmly, not the least bit flustered, "Is there a difference between them and animals?"
There was no difference.
But in the eyes of the law, an animal clad in human skin is recognized as a human life.
"If we don't shoot, both you and I are going to die here."
Those two wanted more than just to rob; they intended to silence their victims.
Xie Shang glanced at the time; now he would definitely miss the flight. He skillfully emptied the remaining cartridges from the magazine, didn't get back in the car, but walked to the passenger side window, "Don't be afraid, I won't be in any danger, and neither will you."
His tone carried a comforting conviction that was absolutely persuasive.
After that, Xie Shang made a call, self-reported to the police in fluent foreign language that he had injured someone, dialed for emergency medical services, gave the address to the medical staff, explained it was a gunshot wound, detailed the caliber of the shotgun and the type of bullets used, as well as the amount of blood loss by the robbers. The third call Xie Shang made was in Imperial, most likely to a lawyer, as he briefly explained his situation.
After hanging up the phone, Xie Shang said to Wen Changling, "It looks like you won't be able to leave today."
Wen Changling pushed open the car door, wanting to get out.
Xie Shang stopped her and shook his head, "Don't come out, it's not safe." His hand reached past Wen Changling, turned on the car's music system, and found a soothing piano piece, "When the police come later, you don't need to lie, you don't need to cover for me, just tell the truth, and leave the rest to me."
He was really impressive.
How could he instill such a strong sense of security after firing two shots, that poise after the dust had settled, that unwavering belief that he wouldn't let you take the slightest risk, like a kind of magic, a magic exclusive to Xie Shang.
He found a clean towel in the trunk of the SUV and tended to the bleeding wounds of the robbers. Throughout the process, he remained extraordinarily calm, occasionally checking on Wen Changling inside the car to confirm if she was scared or panicked.
About twenty, maybe thirty minutes had passed, Wen Changling hadn't been keeping track of time and had lost all sense of it. After the ambulance took the injured away, the local police arrived.
Wen Changling and Xie Shang went to the police station separately. Once there, Xie Shang was taken into a room alone. After about half an hour, a group of lawyers in suits and ties stormed in, signed a series of documents, and bailed Xie Shang out.
When he walked out of the interrogation room, he saw Wen Changling sitting on a bench, waiting, head down, her face obscured by her hair, her hands resting on her knees, her posture meek and harmless as a rabbit that had never ventured from its burrow.
He walked over, "Did I scare you?"
Wen Changling looked up.
"Sorry." He bent down and handed her a handkerchief.
The handkerchief had the scent of agarwood, which has a calming effect. Wen Changling took it and said nothing.
She was calmer than Xie Shang had expected.
But it was very unusual for a rabbit to dare stick its head out of the car to watch the hunter hunt.
She was a very brave, very unusual rabbit, even though she sometimes looked pathetic, docile, and a bit despondent.
"I still have things to take care of." After calming Wen Changling, Xie Shang turned to the man in a suit beside him and said, "Take her back to the hotel."
*****
The man who took Wen Changling back to the hotel was also an Imperial Citizen.
The whole way there, she was worried, somewhat restless.
"Xie Shang won't be in any trouble, right?" she asked the man driving in front.
"No, Mr. Xie fired the gun in self-defense and he held back. He also administered first aid; he didn't hit either of the two men in vital areas."
Held back.
This statement was very intriguing.
The man took a phone call at that moment, and Wen Changling heard the letters "KE."
KE, short for King Eagle, is a multinational law firm. KE has 56 offices within the empire, 13,000 employees globally, serving over 70 countries, with businesses spread across continents. Their services include but are not limited to corporate and mergers, litigation and arbitration, banking and finance, criminal law, tax law, bankruptcy restructuring and liquidation, cross-border investments, international trade...
One of the co-founders of KE is surnamed Xie, and Xie Shang also is a Xie.
Then he probably wouldn't be in any trouble, considering the Xie Family has the world's top team of lawyers.
*****
Xie Shang didn't return to the hotel until after one in the morning.
He took off his coat and shoes and threw them straight into the trash can, walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and squeezed out a lot of hand soap, scrubbing his hands over and over. He didn't seem to care much for his good-looking hands, washing them vigorously until they turned red very quickly.
So dirty.
He was a little intolerable, and in the mirror, there was a slight redness at the corners of his eyes. Normally, he would be asleep by this time; he wasn't someone who liked to stay up late, his life was very regular.
Someone knocked on the door.
Xie Shang walked bearfoot to the door. The person who came was in his fifties, wearing a black suit, his hair neatly groomed but now messy. He was the head of the Lileitu branch of KE law firm, surnamed Cheng.
"Sir."
Lawyer Cheng was exceedingly reverent.
Xie Shang set him aside and poured a cup of warm water, taking a sip, "You're really fast."
His tone was elongated; it was ironic.
Lawyer Cheng immediately tensed up, feeling like his job was on shaky ground.
Xie Shang loosened his tie and unbuttoned two buttons, sat on the bed, leaning on one hand on the mattress, reclining relaxedly, "I saved the person myself, and I'll handle the bail. Lawyer Cheng, what use are you?"
He looked into the other man's eyes, his question was delivered tranquilly, and you couldn't even tell he was blaming him.
Lawyer Cheng wished he could bang his head on the ground or die to show his remorse, "I'm sorry, sir."
The Fourth Young Master of the Xie Family hadn't become a lawyer, but he understood the law and had a license to practice. If he chose to be a lawyer, perhaps his father would have nothing to do.