Chapter 177: Taking the Bullet
Hua Lin felt a wave of relief wash over her as she thought her escape from this mess was finally at hand. Her eyes sparkled with an almost crystalline light, and even the corners of her lips lifted in joy.
Meanwhile, Ye Tianlin had finally broken free from the media. His car sped down the road, heading straight for the Ye family estate.
In the car, his thoughts were chaotic, his heart restless. He couldn't stop replaying Hua Lin's chilling words from earlier:
"Tianlin, do you really think I'd expose my location and not have a backup plan? Oh, and I should mention—there's a bomb somewhere on the Ye family estate. If I get too upset, I might just trigger the countdown. Who knows how many lives it might claim?"
Ye Tianlin gripped the steering wheel tighter. Hua Lin was deranged—completely unhinged.
He floored the accelerator, reaching the estate in record time. On the way, he had already called Old Lin to move Liang Xiaoluo to safety as quickly as possible. But before he could get there, his phone buzzed with a call from Old Lin.
"Sir, the young mistress has been taken."
Ye Tianlin slammed the brakes, his car screeching to a halt in the middle of the road. The long, empty stretch ahead seemed to mock him, a stark reflection of the void in his chest. His heart felt like it had been torn apart.
Am I already too late? Hua Lin, where have you taken Xiaoluo…?
At an abandoned warehouse by the East Harbor docks, Liang Xiaoluo was bound hand and foot, her mouth stuffed with a gag. She couldn't move, couldn't call for help.
Her mind raced as she tried to piece together what had happened. That morning, she had woken to find Ye Tianlin gone. Old Lin had assured her that he was merely handling some urgent business and would return soon.
But by midday, Old Lin had returned pale-faced, urging her to leave the estate immediately. Before she could understand the reason for the urgency, strangers had dragged her away, bringing her to this desolate place.
Now, fear gripped her heart as she sat helpless in the dark. Tianlin, where are you…?
Suddenly, a faint light flickered to life before her. A screen illuminated in front of her, revealing a live feed. The grainy image came into focus, showing Ye Tianlin and Hua Lin locked in a tense confrontation.
Her heart leapt at the sight of him.
Tianlin!
She struggled against her bonds, her body trembling with fear. But her desperation soon gave way to shock as the voices on the screen became audible.
Hua Lin's words were venomous, and her gestures toward Ye Tianlin were unsettlingly intimate. Liang Xiaoluo's eyes widened in disbelief, her mind spinning.
Her world crumbled around her.
She was transported back to her first encounters with Ye Tianlin—back when his face had never known a smile and was perpetually shrouded in darkness. At the time, she had believed him to be nothing short of a demon, a creature who thrived on cruelty and malice.
Now, she finally understood the source of that darkness.
Her heart ached unbearably. Why him? Why did this have to happen to him?
The screen blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She was paralyzed, trapped in the depths of her own despair.
Time dragged on, each second stretching into an eternity. The oppressive silence was broken only by the sharp echo of footsteps nearing her.
Liang Xiaoluo didn't bother to look up. But the person approaching had no intention of letting her remain in silence. A cold hand gripped her chin, forcing her face upward. The gag was ripped from her mouth.
"Liang Xiaoluo, what's with this pathetic look?" Hua Lin's icy voice cut through the air, dripping with disdain.
Liang Xiaoluo stared at her, her expression unreadable.
"Does it hurt?" Hua Lin taunted. "Knowing that the man you love so deeply is tainted and broken? Do you feel like dying?"
Liang Xiaoluo's heart trembled, but her gaze remained steady. She looked at Hua Lin's smug expression and, for the first time, felt nothing but pity.
"Why are you doing this to him? He's…" Liang Xiaoluo faltered, unable to utter the words.
Hua Lin's sneer deepened. "If it weren't for you, I could have had everything! Just a few more years, and I could've had him—legitimately."
"And did you ever think about his feelings?" Liang Xiaoluo retorted. "You've ruined his childhood, plunged his world into darkness. Yet he's forced to suppress his hatred because of who you are—his father's love, his brother's mother. How much longer do you plan to hurt him?"
Hua Lin slapped Liang Xiaoluo hard, her hand trembling with fury.
"Shut up, you wretch! What do you know? Do you think a few days by his side makes you understand him? You don't know how much I love him!" Hua Lin's voice cracked, her manic obsession bleeding through.
"No," Liang Xiaoluo said calmly. "What you're doing isn't love. It's destruction."
Hua Lin's emotions spiraled out of control. She reached into her bag, pulling out a gun. The cold barrel was aimed squarely at Liang Xiaoluo's chest.
"This is your fault," Hua Lin hissed. "You're the reason he doesn't see me. Once you're gone, everything will go back to how it should be. He'll be mine."
Liang Xiaoluo met her gaze, unflinching. "Even if I disappear, he'll never love you."
"Shut up!" Hua Lin screamed, her finger tightening on the trigger. "Die!"
In the split second before the gun fired, Liang Xiaoluo lunged forward, slamming into Hua Lin with all her strength. Hua Lin staggered backward, falling to the ground.
Seizing the moment, Liang Xiaoluo scrambled to her feet and bolted for the exit.
The deafening crack of a gunshot shattered the air.
Liang Xiaoluo froze, her heart pounding. But instead of pain, she felt a warm body shield her. She turned her head, her breath hitching in horror.
Ye Tianlin stood before her, blood soaking his shirt where the bullet had struck. His body swayed as he collapsed into her arms.
"Ye Tianlin!" she cried, her voice raw with anguish.
Tears blurred her vision as she cradled him, her hands frantically trying to stop the bleeding.
Through labored breaths, he lifted a trembling hand to wipe her tears away. His lips curved into a faint smile.
"I'm glad… you're safe," he whispered.
"Tianlin, don't speak. You'll be fine," she pleaded, her tears falling freely.
"Xiaoluo… forgive me," he murmured. "For everything I've done… please…"
As his voice faded, Liang Xiaoluo's cries echoed through the desolate warehouse.