Chapter 38 - 2#
He shoved Mo Man hard to the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and strode quickly toward Jing Shun.
“Someone like you wants to play the hero? You think I won’t give you a proper lesson before the cops get here?”
Liu Chang grabbed Jing Shun by the collar of his suit jacket, but before his raised fist could come down, his whole body convulsed and he crumpled to the ground, his screams for help becoming slurred.
“…”
Mo Man scrambled up from the ground, awkwardly covering her slipping evening gown. “Jing… Jing…”
Jing Shun wheeled his chair back a couple of steps and picked up the small stun gun he always kept in the side pocket of his wheelchair for emergencies.
Close call.
Good thing I had it.
He noticed Mo Man standing nearby, utterly shaken and terrified, and spoke up to remind her, “Miss Mo, you’d better take his phone first. He won’t be getting up anytime soon.”
“Oh.”
Mo Man snapped out of her shock, her voice still trembling.
Ignoring her scraped knees, she hobbled over and picked up the phone from the ground.
More hurried footsteps echoed from the entrance of the alley, and two tall, unfamiliar figures rushed in.
Mo Man flinched back in fear, but the two men ignored her. They scanned the scene, then looked at Jing Shun.
“Mr. Jing! Are you all right?”
“…”
Logically, even if Chi Gui had gotten word, he couldn’t have sent people this quickly.
Jing Shun hesitated for two seconds before realizing, “You’re the bodyguards Chi Gui hired to protect me in secret?”
The two bodyguards exchanged a glance and stopped hiding. “Yes.”
Normally, they only kept a distant watch over Jing Shun, ensuring the safety of their employer’s partner. They wouldn’t interfere with Jing Shun’s daily social interactions unless there was a real threat.
In safe situations, Chi Gui didn’t need real-time reports.
Suddenly, Liu Chang, still lying on the ground, stirred as if about to regain consciousness.
Jing Shun quickly ordered, “Keep an eye on him. Wait for the police.”
“Yes!”
The two bodyguards moved to either side of Liu Chang, fully restraining him.
Jing Shun let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned to Mo Man, who was nearby. “Miss Mo, it’s over now. I’ll stay with you until the police arrive. If necessary, you should contact your parents.”
He’d overheard some things, but they were personal matters—only Mo Man and her family could figure out how to handle them.
Mo Man hadn’t expected to be rescued by Jing Shun. Grateful to have escaped, she nodded hastily. “Th-thank you, Mr. Jing.”
…
Half an hour later.
When Chi Gui rushed into the police station, the first thing he saw was Jing Shun sitting quietly in the lobby.
Mo Jun and Xu Qin arrived together.
The latter looked frantic, grabbing a passing police officer. “My… my daughter! How is my Man Man!”
Jing Shun had just finished giving his statement to the police. He spoke up, “Mrs. Xu, Miss Mo is shaken but she’s in the consultation room—second door on the left.”
Hearing this, Xu Qin didn’t even thank him; she hurried off in that direction.
Mo Jun paused, glancing at Jing Shun, then at Chi Gui beside him. “Chairman Chi, I’ll go check on her first.”
Chi Gui replied, “Please, go ahead.”
Once Mo Jun had gone inside, Chi Gui quickened his pace.
He knelt down beside Jing Shun’s wheelchair and asked, “Are you hurt?”
Jing Shun shook his head and instead asked, “You came straight here? What about the banquet?”
Chi Gui said, “It’s almost over. Ji Er is handling the rest.”
Jing Shun smiled. “Figures. Second Young Master’s got experience.”
“And you’re still laughing.” Chi Gui relaxed slightly, meeting his eyes. “Do you know what Wei Di told me when—”
“Hey!”
Jing Shun cut him off immediately. This time, unlike the previous two, he didn’t feel guilty. “I reported in time tonight, but there was no time to wait. If I’d gone any later, Miss Mo would have been in serious trouble.”
Having already gotten the full story from the bodyguards, Chi Gui sat down on the empty bench beside Jing Shun. “Weren’t you afraid you’d get hurt? The bodyguard said you used a stun gun on him.”
“Yeah.”
“Where did you get that? Didn’t I confiscate your last one?”
“…”
Jing Shun remembered the stun knife he’d used on Chi Sheng last time—it still stung to think about.
So expensive.
But back then, he knew he was in the wrong, so he hadn’t had the nerve to ask for it back.
Pulling a new stun gun out of his wheelchair’s side pocket, Jing Shun answered honestly, “I bought another one as backup. But this one doesn’t have a blade attachment.”
He’d bought it for self-defense, but it had never been used until now. He’d brought it on the private plane to Macau, so no one had noticed.
Jing Shun clutched the stun gun tightly, afraid Chi Gui would take it away again. “It’s really convenient to use.”
Hearing the reluctant mumble, Chi Gui suddenly understood where their dog, Bao Bao, had learned to guard its food.
He looked away and coughed quietly, suppressing a laugh at how adorable the man in front of him was. “Got it. Keep it. I wasn’t planning to take it.”
Jing Shun smiled and put the stun gun back into his side pocket.
The police station door swung open, letting in a gust of night wind. Jing Shun shivered instinctively from the chill.
Chi Gui then noticed his suit jacket was gone, silently scolding himself for his carelessness. “Where’s your jacket?”
Jing Shun answered honestly, “Miss Mo’s evening gown was torn. I was afraid she’d get cold, so I gave it to her.”
“…”
Chi Gui’s eyes darkened slightly, but his hands moved quickly as he took off his own jacket and draped it over Jing Shun.
“Such a gentleman. Not worried about your own weak constitution catching a chill?”
Warmth enveloped him, carrying the familiar faint scent of tea.
Jing Shun was in a good mood and couldn’t help lowering his head to take a small sniff.
Seeing his “puppy-like” action, Chi Gui asked, “Did you learn that from Bao Bao? What are you doing? Does my jacket smell like alcohol?”
“No.”
Jing Shun smiled. “I’ve been meaning to ask—what cologne do you use? It smells like tea, not too strong, but really pleasant.”
Chi Gui, realizing Jing Shun was interested in the scent, answered, “It’s not cologne.”
“Then what is it?”
“Just ordinary tea bags. I put them in the closet.”
“Huh?”
Jing Shun was surprised and was about to ask more when footsteps sounded from the hallway nearby.
Mo Man came out with her parents. The scrapes on her legs had been treated, and her fear had settled somewhat.
Their eyes met.
Mo Man pushed aside her parents’ support, limped over to Jing Shun, and bowed to him solemnly. “Mr. Jing, thank you for helping me tonight.”
If Jing Shun hadn’t shown up, she would have suffered much more alone.
Jing Shun replied, “Miss Mo, I’m just glad you’re okay. No need to thank me.”
“I have to.”
Mo Man glanced at Chi Gui beside him, her heart full of gratitude and also guilt. “I’m sorry for interrupting you two so abruptly on the cruise ship before. That was wrong of me. Please forgive me, Mr. Chi and Mr. Jing.”
Xu Qin had already learned the whole story from her daughter. She stepped forward quickly. “Yes, yes. We were rude back then.”
“Mr. Jing, I’d also like to formally apologize. I misjudged you and was disrespectful. I hope you won’t take offense.”
“And tonight, thanks to you for saving Man Man. As her mother, I’m truly grateful.”
“…”
Jing Shun wasn’t expecting both mother and daughter to apologize and thank him in turn. He felt a bit at a loss.
He looked at Chi Gui, who steadied his emotions faster. “Mrs. Xu, Miss Mo, the most important thing is that no one was seriously hurt.”
Jing Shun added, “Yeah. What will happen to that Liu Chang? He shouldn’t be let out easily, or he might hurt Miss Mo again.”
Mo Jun stepped forward. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’s severely punished.”
Now certain of the true relationship between the two men, he extended a very serious invitation. “Mr. Jing, if it’s convenient, our family would like to invite you to dinner to express our gratitude.”
Jing Shun was surprised and looked at Chi Gui.
Following his gaze, Mo Jun added meaningfully, “Chairman Chi is welcome to come as well. About those projects, we can have a proper discussion.”
Chi Gui understood the subtext but didn’t rush to decide. “I’ll go along with Xiao Shun.”
“Xiao Shun?”
Why so intimate?
The first time he’d heard that nickname was on the cruise ship, also in front of the Mo mother and daughter.
Jing Shun assumed Chi Gui was still putting on an act in front of others, so after thinking it over, he went along. “That works. I’m free tomorrow night.”
If it involves the projects, the sooner they iron things out, the better, right?
Mo Jun agreed. “Good. Tomorrow night, then.”
…
They all left the police station.
The Mo family got into their car first, said their goodbyes, and drove off.
Jing Shun watched the taillights disappear before looking down at the suit jacket on his own knees. Mo Man had returned it before leaving.
Maybe because he’d worn it for a while, it was now saturated with a strong, sweet fragrance—detectable without even leaning in.
But Jing Shun wasn’t concerned about the scent. He turned to Chi Gui for confirmation. “Chi Gui, did Director Mo just imply that Chi Corp can take over the 0202 project?”
Chi Gui confirmed the shift in attitude. “At the very least, the approval won’t be blocked.”
Earlier at the banquet, Mo Jun’s stance had been unclear. But now, thanks to Jing Shun helping Mo Man, it had indirectly swayed him.
Jing Shun guessed the key point and felt a smug pride. “So I really helped a lot tonight, huh? I think once Chairman Chi’s deal goes through, I’ll need a red envelope for that.”
“Sure, sure, you’ll get one.”
Chi Gui went along with his request.
Wei Di and the driver pulled up in front of them.
Chi Gui helped Jing Shun into the car first. Then, catching sight of the suit jacket on his knees, he suddenly reached out and snatched it. “There’s blood on it. Let’s throw it away.”
Jing Shun was shocked. “Why throw it away? It was so expensive!”
The bloodstains were probably from Mo Man’s wounds, but they were tiny—only a bit. There was no need to toss the whole jacket; it could definitely be cleaned.
“…”
Chi Gui ignored him, tossing the jacket into a large trash can by the police station entrance with some force.
Jing Shun felt like Chi Gui was taking advantage of his limited mobility. He shot him a slightly sulky look as Chi Gui got into the car. “It was expensive.”
“I’ll buy you a new one.”
“…”
Jing Shun said nothing.
Do you rich people have any idea how to manage a household?