With a crisp "crack," the young white man realized his hands were crippled. He hadn't anticipated losing all combat ability after mere contact. His subordinates were even less capable, making capturing their target impossible. Without hesitation, he shouted, "Retreat!" and scrambled to his feet, leading the charge out of the room.
The others, seeing their strongest leader flee, immediately followed without a second thought.
"How… how could this happen?" Fang Yingying, now fully awake, stammered, the events clearly far beyond her realm of comprehension.
"Still don't get it? Someone's out to kill us. Hurry up, pack your things, and let's move," Xiang Ri said, already pulling out his phone.
"What about this place?" Fang Yingying's mind was still struggling to process the chaos.
"We'll leave first. Once we're safe, call Manager Lu to help us cancel the room." With that, Xiang Ri dialed a number.
---
"Who exactly have you offended to drag me into this life-and-death escape?" Fang Yingying grumbled as they sat in a car heading toward a certain royal estate.
"Haven't I already told you? Being around me is dangerous. I warned you before to move in with me…"
Before he could finish, Fang Yingying cut him off. "Well, aren't you pleased now? Your precious Miss Tulu must be eagerly awaiting your arrival!"
Xiang Ri scratched his nose, noting the lingering anger on her face. Jokingly, he leaned closer and said, "Don't tell me you're jealous?"
"That's right! I *am* jealous!" Fang Yingying snapped, her fury emboldening her words.
"You can't be serious, right?" Xiang Ri chuckled, hardly believing her. He wasn't narcissistic enough to think someone who loathed him yesterday would fall for him today. Still, he teased her, leaning in with a mischievous grin. "Yingying, you know such statements can be dangerous. If I took you seriously…"
"Stay away from me!" Fang Yingying raised her hand, creating an imaginary barrier between them, her expression one of absolute disdain. "I don't want to speak to someone dumb enough to drop a gun and rely on fists instead."
Xiang Ri smiled wryly. "You think I wanted to? We were in a hotel. If I'd fired, we'd have been sipping tea with the police by now. Do you think our luck could hold out forever?"
"Then why not use the gun to intimidate them?" Fang Yingying retorted, exasperation evident in her tone.
"If they feared a gun, they wouldn't have barged in so brazenly. Their confidence came from knowing I wouldn't dare fire in the hotel."
"Well, aren't you strong enough? Why not just take them all down? Was there really a need to drag me to your little sweetheart's place? And by the way, I left some important belongings back at the hotel."
Fang Yingying huffed, turning her head away in frustration. Those "important" items were deliberately left behind, having been touched by that man—and being intimate wear, she naturally wouldn't carry them with her.
"Fine, fine. Tell me what you left, and I'll buy replacements for you. Happy now?"
"You said it!" Fang Yingying's eyes lit up. "Once we get to your sweetheart's place, you can head out and buy them for me!" Her expression softened, amusement flickering in her gaze as she imagined him awkwardly stepping into a lingerie store.
"Alright, alright. Once we're settled, I'll go buy them for you. But as your sworn brother, shouldn't you cut me some slack? Ever heard of 'sharing hardship and fortune together'?"
"I've only ever heard of 'betraying brothers for a beauty.' Isn't that exactly what you're doing?" Fang Yingying shot him a cold glance.
Xiang Ri nearly choked on her words, resorting to his final trump card. "Didn't we just get along fine earlier? How did things change so quickly?"
"Don't remind me of that. I'm furious right now. Tell me, what kind of brother puts his sibling in harm's way? If I hadn't run fast enough, I'd probably be dead by now!"
"Well, I did advise you to move into the estate earlier, but you refused. This wouldn't have happened otherwise."
"Oh, so now it's my fault? Are you angry that I didn't let you reunite with your precious Tulu sooner? Fine, do whatever you want. I won't say another word."
"That's not what I meant—"
"Don't try to deny it. It's exactly what you meant!"
As their argument heated up, the black female bodyguard driving the car spoke calmly, "Mr. Xiang, Miss Fang, we've arrived."
"Get out, get out..." Before the black female bodyguard could open the door, Xiang Ri was already the first to exit the car. Though he found bickering with his female secretary amusing, he never intended to engage in a pointless debate over who was right or wrong.
Fang Yingying let out a light snort and followed suit, stepping out of the car. A servant was already there, ready to escort them into the estate.
However, this time was different from the last. The Queen did not come out to greet them but instead had the servant take them directly to her study.
"Mr. Xiang, Miss Fang, I apologize, but something urgent has come up, so I cannot..." The Queen, sitting at her desk, wore an apologetic expression as she spoke, still holding some documents. A delicate pair of glasses perched on her nose suggested they were to ease eye strain from long hours of reading.
"No problem, Miss Tulu. Your work comes first," Fang Yingying quickly responded, which puzzled Xiang Ri. He could clearly hear her displeasure with the blonde Queen in her tone, yet when they met, her smile was radiant, and her words were polite.
"Thank you!" The Queen expressed her gratitude, though a slight air of discomfort flickered across her face. "I'm afraid I won't be able to personally host you today, Mr. Xiang, Miss Fang. Please, make yourselves at home, as if it were your own residence."
"Of course, of course," Xiang Ri responded without hesitation. He had noticed the exhaustion on the Queen's face, likely due to her long hours of work. He subtly nudged the woman beside him, signaling for her to leave with him.
Fang Yingying immediately understood and followed him out of the study, while the waiting servant guided them to the prepared room.
"What's going on here?" Xiang Ri asked in surprise when the servant led them into the guest room.
"Is there something wrong, Sir?" The servant asked with utmost respect.
"What I mean is, why is there only one room instead of two?" Xiang Ri was beginning to doubt whether the servant could even understand him.
"This is the Queen's instruction," the maid replied, bowing deeply.
"Alright, you may leave now," Fang Yingying interjected before the man could say anything more. The servant bowed once more before departing.
"Do you have any objections to sharing a room with me?" Xiang Ri glanced at the woman.
"Of course not," Fang Yingying agreed with a nod, but then, with a sudden shift in tone, she added, "But as usual, you sleep on the sofa, and I sleep in the bed."
"Why should I?" The mere thought of waking up on the sofa sent a shiver down Xiang Ri's spine. "Let's switch this time—you sleep on the sofa, and I'll take the bed."
"Come on, don't be so petty. You call yourself a brother? I'm a woman, don't you think you should treat me with a little more care?" Fang Yingying said matter-of-factly.
"I do want to treat you well, but if I do that, it's as if I'm torturing my own back. Are you expecting me to be crippled by morning?" Xiang Ri retorted. "Also, why did you send that servant away earlier when I was about to request another room? This is your doing."
"Would you prefer to see me sleep on that miserable sofa?" Seeing that her persuasion was failing, Fang Yingying decided to adopt a pitiful expression.
"Indeed, I wouldn't want to see that," he admitted reluctantly.
"Well then, that settles it."
"But I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me on that sofa either, looking pathetic," Xiang Ri countered.
"Oh, you... that's not my problem!" she snapped.
"What did you say?" Xiang Ri shot her a "stern" look.
"Ah, don't misunderstand, I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying you're a man, so you won't be as pitiful as I would be," Fang Yingying quickly explained.
"Is that your logic?" Xiang Ri furrowed his brows. "Well, let me tell you, I'm not sleeping on the sofa, no matter what," he said, then paused and asked with a more conciliatory tone, "How about this—we both sleep on the bed, each taking one side? You on that side, and I on this?"
"Dream on!" Fang Yingying shot him a withering glance.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Let's not rush this," Fang Yingying suddenly grinned triumphantly. "I remember you promised to make it up to me, didn't you?"
"Alright, alright," Xiang Ri recalled, "What did you lose? I'll go buy it for you."
"It's nothing much, just a few pieces of lingerie," Fang Yingying said casually.
"What?" Xiang Ri's eyes widened in shock. "You want me to buy that for you?"
"Don't want to? Don't forget what you promised me in the car!" she shot back.
Sighing deeply, Xiang Ri's face contorted with a slightly lecherous expression. "Well, if I'm going to buy you lingerie, you'll have to tell me your size, won't you?"
"..." Fang Yingying was taken aback. She hadn't thought that far ahead when she made the request in the car.
"What? Not going to say? Fine, then I won't buy it for you," Xiang Ri teased, making the most of the situation.
Fang Yingying nearly ground her teeth in frustration. "Fine! I'll tell you! But just so you know, I don't consider you a man!"