The Heir to the Seven Killers in the City

Chapter 39: Trouble

“I thought you’d drive over,” Zhang Xiaofei said as he watched Lin Xiaorui get into his car. “Is that a problem?” Lin Xiaorui was in a gloomy mood, so she wasn’t in the best of spirits; the way she glared at him sent a chill down Zhang Xiaofei’s spine. Zhang Xiaofei immediately explained, “No, no—I wouldn’t dare! It’s just that my car’s a real clunker, and I was afraid you’d look down on it.” “Just drive. Stop blabbering.” As the car drove farther and farther out into the suburbs, Lin Xiaorui didn’t say a single unnecessary word to Zhang Xiaofei beyond giving him directions, which made Zhang Xiaofei feel extremely awkward. He, who was usually carefree and talkative, didn’t know what to say. “When did you first meet Qin Yu?” Lin Xiaorui asked before he could say anything. “When I was three. We were both at the orphanage back then,” Zhang Xiaofei replied. “Were all three of you orphans?” Lin Xiaorui asked in surprise. Zhang Xiaofei nodded without saying much more. Although Lin Xiaorui cherished Qin Yu as the most precious person in her life, the truth was that she knew absolutely nothing about Qin Yu—she had only just learned about his background now. “I’m an orphan too, but I was adopted,” Lin Xiaorui said. Zhang Xiaofei glanced at Lin Xiaorui and suddenly felt a sense of kinship. He smiled and said, “Being adopted is great. Just looking at you, I can tell your adoptive parents love you very much—they’ve raised you to be such a well-bred young lady. Hey, if it weren’t for me as your older brother, I’m sure my little sister would have found a good family to adopt her too.” Lin Xiaorui thought to herself with a touch of self-deprecation that she had indeed found a “good family,” but she had also wondered countless times whether her life might have been even more miserable had she not been adopted, so she couldn’t really complain about her current situation. Zhang Xiaofei seemed to have found an outlet, talking away on his own about the stories that had unfolded between him, his sister, and Qin Yu at the orphanage, while Lin Xiaorui was lost in her own thoughts. The car continued driving outward, getting closer and closer to where Qin Yu lived. The road grew increasingly bumpy and desolate. Just as the two were each absorbed in their own thoughts, people and vehicles began converging on Zhang Xiaofei from all directions. Before long, the two were surrounded on all sides. “Holy crap, what… what’s going on here?” Zhang Xiaofei was genuinely startled by this unprecedented spectacle, and Lin Xiaorui frowned as she watched. “Hey, I know you’ve seen more of the world than I have. What should we do?” Zhang Xiaofei asked. Lin Xiaorui had seen far more of the world than Zhang Xiaofei, but what could they possibly do in a situation like this? “To the two of you in the car, I advise you to get out quietly and surrender. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt you—blades have no eyes,” a voice called out from outside the car, its origin unknown. “What should we do?” “What else can we do? Let’s get out. How are the two of us supposed to fight against a dozen or so people?” So the two of them obediently got out of the car. “What do you want?” Lin Xiaorui asked warily. “Miss, there’s no need to worry. Our boss would like to invite you and this young man to come with us,” said the burly man standing at the front casually. Lin Xiaorui understood the situation, but Zhang Xiaofei still looked completely bewildered. He whispered to Lin Xiaorui, “What’s going on here?” “It’s probably the local underworld. Yesterday, Qin Yu and I caused them some trouble, so I’m afraid we’re in for trouble this time,” Lin Xiaorui said. Hearing this, Zhang Xiaofei thought to himself, How could I be this unlucky? What does what Qin Yu and Lin Xiaorui did have to do with me? It looked like he was going to be dragged down with them today. “It’s okay. They won’t dare touch us for now—they’re counting on us to negotiate with my godfather,” Lin Xiaorui explained, sensing Zhang Xiaofei’s anxiety. How could that explanation possibly bring even a shred of comfort to Zhang Xiaofei, who was already overwhelmed with worry? Being held hostage meant they were nothing more than meat waiting to be slaughtered in this kitchen. The two were tightly bound by the group surrounding them. Unlike Qin Yu, Lin Xiaorui and Zhang Xiaofei lacked the skills to escape, so their chances of getting away were gone. The two were casually tossed into the back seat of a car. While Lin Xiaorui, being a girl, was thrown a bit more gently, Zhang Xiaofei didn’t receive the same treatment—he slammed hard onto the back seat, which was by no means soft. “Ouch, holy crap! Dude, I’m a hostage, after all—couldn’t you have been a little gentler?” Even at a moment like this, Zhang Xiaofei still couldn’t resist cracking a joke. “Behave yourself!” The burly man said, shooting Zhang Xiaofei a look of utter annoyance. “Okay, okay, big guy, whatever you say…” Just as Zhang Xiaofei felt his whole life had turned bleak, a fist smashed through the glass and struck the driver’s temple. The driver collapsed instantly, his fate unknown, as a figure leaped through the window and took control of the vehicle. It all happened so suddenly that everyone was caught off guard—there were only a few seconds before anyone could react. The intruder was, of course, Qin Yu. He took control of the car and reached out with his right hand toward the person in the passenger seat, who hadn’t yet regained his senses. With a light push, the person’s head slammed into the glass; the window shattered, and the person passed out. “Holy shit, Yuzi, save us!” Zhang Xiaofei looked at Qin Yu as if he’d seen a glimmer of hope and shouted excitedly. “Stay put. I’ll take care of them first,” Qin Yu told Zhang Xiaofei. He then glanced at Lin Xiaorui with a gentle expression and said, “I’ll be right back.” Qin Yu leaped out of the car. Inside, Lin Xiaorui’s face was flushed with embarrassment, while Zhang Xiaofei looked on in astonishment. He knew there was definitely something going on between Qin Yu and Lin Xiaorui, but he never expected it to be so blatant—as if he didn’t even exist. “So that’s the kind of ‘dog food’ I just got to eat?” “Shut up!” Lin Xiaorui glared at Zhang Xiaofei, mostly in jest. But inside, her heart felt as sweet as honey. Qin Yu opened the car door and stepped out. The people in the other cars had also sensed something was up and came out as well. A major confrontation was inevitable… Qin Yu felt light on his feet yet brimming with strength, while most of these people didn’t quite grasp the gravity of the situation—in fact, they were unusually relaxed precisely because there was only one person involved. “What are you doing?” someone asked Qin Yu. “I’m here to kill you.” Before the words had even finished, Qin Yu had already moved. He darted toward the crowd, and before most of them could even react, they watched helplessly as their comrades fell one by one. Only then did they raise their pistols and fire at Qin Yu, but it was too late—what had been a fierce battle had turned into a mere massacre. The truth was, Qin Yu hadn’t deliberately set out to kill anyone during the fight; his sole aim was to knock them down, and he didn’t step in to deliver the finishing blow. Later, when some of them fled in panic, he didn’t pursue them either. Qin Yu untied the two men and said, “Let’s go.” And just like that, what had been a disaster for everyone else was resolved.