"Qi Qi."
The young man's gaze finally landed on Gu Xueqi, and his eyes immediately brightened, showing a look of surprise.
Gu Xueqi couldn't help but groan inwardly, she had indeed been discovered, but she had no intention of hiding. Qin Hao, in her view, was definitely an excellent shield.
He could block even the troubles from Xia Mengchan, let alone hers.
"Chu Ming, hello, I didn't expect to meet you here," Gu Xueqi said with a slight smile, but her hand was clinging to Qin Hao's arm and didn't let go for a moment.
Someone gently nudged Chu Ming, reminding him of this scene.
Only then did Chu Ming notice Qin Hao's presence, and his expression stiffened slightly.
"Who is this?" Chu Ming asked, his eyes somewhat cold.
Gu Xueqi's face reddened slightly, and then she said somewhat shyly, "This is my boyfriend, Qin Hao."
This time, Chu Ming really couldn't smile. He stared at Qin Hao, his face looking extremely unpleasant.
Finally, he turned his gaze to Gu Xueqi, his voice a bit hoarse, "Qi Qi, you're joking with me, right?"
Gu Xueqi shook her head, saying firmly, "I'm not joking; he really is my boyfriend."
"I don't believe it," Chu Ming shook his head, he had never heard of Gu Xueqi having any feelings for anyone.
Qin Hao smiled faintly, then suddenly asked, "What would make you believe it?"
"Don't mess around," Chu Ming said coldly, warning Qin Hao.
To prove their relationship would mean getting intimate, and whether or not the man in front of him was Gu Xueqi's boyfriend, he didn't want the other to take advantage of the situation to get close to Gu Xueqi.
"Qin Hao, that name sounds familiar. Right, you are Xia Mengchan's man, haha, I knew Qi Qi was lying to me," Chu Ming looked at Qin Hao's face and suddenly revealed a smug smile, remembering who Qin Hao was.
Qin Hao was a bit surprised, the other party actually knew him.
"Qi Qi, I know you and Xia Mengchan are good sisters, but you didn't have to use her man as a shield to reject me. I can wait for you to reconsider; I truly love you," Chu Ming said earnestly.
Gu Xueqi was a bit taken aback; she also hadn't expected Chu Ming to know Qin Hao.
Qin Hao was also slightly startled, Gu Xueqi actually being a good friend of Xia Mengchan was unexpected for him.
Turning his gaze towards Gu Xueqi, her look was somewhat evasive at that moment, lacking the previous air of a domineering female vice-principal.
Chu Ming wore a smug look, "Haha, Qi Qi, you can't fool me."
He was delighted, completely different from his dejected appearance earlier.
Qin Hao curled his lips, deciding to continue playing the role of the shield.
He pulled Gu Xueqi into his arms, a sinister smile appearing on Qin Hao's face, "She indeed is Mengchan's sister, but she's also my woman, and I am the man for both of them."
"What? That's impossible," Chu Ming's expression changed drastically, yet he still didn't believe it.
"Don't believe it?" Qin Hao's mouth twitched slightly.
Chu Ming took a deep breath, staring at Qin Hao and said with a cold laugh, "Brother Qin, that joke isn't funny, and I believe Xia Mengchan wouldn't want to hear such a joke either."
Suddenly, Chu Ming's face turned ashen, his eyes reddened, glaring fiercely at Qin Hao, his look almost as if he wanted to tear him apart.
He no longer had any doubts about Qin Hao's words.
Gu Xueqi's face turned blood red; her eyes conveyed a mix of strangeness and blame, but ultimately, she didn't speak and simply lowered her head, looking somewhat timid.
"Hit him, I'll take responsibility if he dies," Chu Ming roared.
The next moment, the men behind him charged forward—all his friends, and two bodyguards among them.
They didn't care whether the other party was related to Gu Xueqi or not. Chu Ming had ordered them to beat someone, so they did just that, knowing that Chu Ming would take care of any issues that arose.
"Chu Ming, you can't do this, have you gone mad?" Gu Xueqi stood in front of Qin Hao; she hadn't expected Chu Ming to resort to violence in public.
Although she knew Qin Hao might be somewhat skilled, the other side ultimately had more than a dozen people, and even if Qin Hao was formidable, he surely couldn't handle all of them.
"You whore! I've pursued you for so many years, and you refuse to be with me, yet you shamelessly cater to the same man with another woman. I didn't expect you to be this cheap," Chu Ming snarled viciously, instantly making Gu Xueqi's face turn unsightly.
She had been the darling of her family since childhood, pampered and adored by everyone. Never had she heard such foul and abusive language, and now her face turned pale with anger.
"Smack."
A slap landed on Chu Ming's face; Gu Xueqi glared at him furiously.
"You bitch, how dare you hit me!"
Enraged, Chu Ming swung his hand toward Gu Xueqi's face.
As Chu Ming's palm drew closer to her face, Gu Xueqi's face turned pale with fear.
She closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't dodge and braced for the intense pain.
However, after a moment, the expected pain didn't come.
Gu Xueqi opened her eyes in surprise; a tall figure stood in front of her, his hand firmly grasping Chu Ming's, preventing the slap from landing.
Qin Hao had appeared in front of Gu Xueqi in an instant, blocking the slap.
"Let go,"
Chu Ming said furiously, feeling his arm was nearly being crushed.
"Alright."
Qin Hao obediently let go, but not before using a bit of force to throw Chu Ming out.
They were at least ten meters away from the door, yet Chu Ming was flung out, landing outside and tumbling over and over on the ground for a long distance.
Whether it was the diners or Chu Ming's subordinates, everyone was dumbstruck, looking at Qin Hao as if he were a monster. How could someone be human and throw another man over ten meters away? The amount of strength needed was unimaginable to them.
"Are you not leaving? Do you want me to throw you out as well?" Qin Hao's gaze swept over Chu Ming's subordinates.
The men looked at each other, but recalling the recent scene, even the bodyguards shrank back, not daring to make a move.
Even if Qin Hao knew nothing else, just the sheer force of his throws was too much for them to withstand. A direct hit could either kill or severely injure them.
All the men kept their distance from Qin Hao before leaving the hotel. They picked up the unconscious Chu Ming and hastily left the place.
"Thank you, and by the way, how did you know about the mole there?" Gu Xueqi thanked Qin Hao, then showed a puzzled expression.
Qin Hao was dumbfounded; he had just bluffed.