Chapter 22
Editor: Princess
When they left the amusement park, it was just dinner time. Qin Huanxi looked at Mo Siyuan’s excited little face, and his heart felt so full it was about to overflow. He suddenly didn’t want to disappoint his little one and so suggested that they eat dinner outside before going home. His little one rarely got to go out and play, so they might as well have a complete day of fun without any regrets.
The moment Qin Huanxi finished saying this, his little baby reacted exactly as expected. His eyes lit up with excitement as he hugged Qin Huanxi’s legs, shouting, “I like big brother Huanxi the most!” He kept nuzzling against him, which made Qin Huanxi pick up Mo Siyuan and plant a firm kiss on his little baby’s cheek.
Qin Huanxi held Mo Siyuan, burying his face in his little one’s neck and nuzzling him. While feeling deeply satisfied, he also felt intense emotion and reluctance to part. Only at this moment could he really feel that he was still alive, that he was still Ning Xue, and that he could still hold this precious child who worried him so.
Pretending to be someone completely unfamiliar was extremely difficult. After all, life wasn’t acting—if one performed poorly in acting, they could start over, but if he made one misstep, it would be irredeemable, with no chance to try again.
Every day since his rebirth, he had been living with his nerves on edge. The Qin family was full of shrewd people, with sharp gazes constantly watching him, so he didn’t dare make the slightest mistake, afraid someone would notice something amiss. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had laughed so freely and played so joyfully as he had today.
He set aside his violin, set aside his rebirth, set aside his hatred, and accompanied the most important treasure in his life, being Ning Xue for one more day.
After eating their fill, Mo Shanshan seemed to want more fun, so the group went to the nearest leisure plaza to take a walk and digest their food. His little baby was even happier now, holding Qin Huanxi’s hand and hopping along the way, showing all the innocence and carefree spirit of a child.
“Seeing Xiao Yuan so happy makes all the exhaustion of the day worthwhile.” Mo Shanshan sincerely felt happy. She hadn’t gone out to play for a long time herself, let alone with Mo Shaoheng, so being able to see both Mo Siyuan and Mo Shaoheng having such a good time made her really grateful to Qin Huanxi.
Qin Huanxi was walking slowly along the river path, holding Mo Siyuan’s hand, when he suddenly spotted a lush big tree ahead with leisure chairs arranged in a circle around it. The spot was far from the busy center of the plaza, very peaceful and elegant. He bent down and asked, “Xiao Yuan, would you like to rest a bit before we continue?”
Mo Siyuan looked up at the leisure chairs ahead and immediately found them fascinating. He broke free from Qin Huanxi’s grip and ran ahead, nearly tripping over his own feet.
“Xiao Yuan, don’t run! Watch your step!” Qin Huanxi called out with a mixture of amusement and exasperation as he watched the enthusiastic little one.
“Let go of me! Who are you people? Who sent you…” A sharp female voice suddenly came from the dark part of the riverbank, followed by sounds of chaos, mixed with the sounds of fighting and men’s muffled groans of pain.
Qin Huanxi felt his heart tighten. He quickly stepped forward, picked the frozen Mo Siyuan up, then returned to Mo Shaoheng’s side hurriedly.
“Su Yang?” Mo Shanshan seemed to recognize the voice and anxiously turned to look at Mo Shaoheng. “Little Uncle, I think that’s Su Yang’s voice.”
A black-clothed bodyguard emerged from the darkness and approached them, respectfully saying in a low voice, “Master Mo!”
Mo Shaoheng frowned and said, “Go check it out.”
The black-clothed bodyguard nodded and turned toward the darkness. However, before he could get close, a man protecting a long-haired woman ran out, with chaotic footsteps following behind them. The black-clothed bodyguard alertly stepped back, positioning himself in front of Mo Shaoheng’s group, while several more bodyguards emerged from the darkness.
Qin Huanxi held Mo Siyuan tightly and discreetly examined the man and woman. The man was tall with a scar on his right face that made his otherwise ordinary features look fierce and frightening. Currently, the man’s expression was tense with furrowed brows. His arm, stained with fresh blood, tightly held the woman beside him, yet his footsteps showed no signs of disorder, clearly indicating professional training.
The woman was quite beautiful. Even with her hair in disarray, her demeanor flustered, and her fashionable clothes somewhat disheveled, she couldn’t hide her outstanding appearance and temperament. When the woman saw them, she seemed to have found saviors, and tears welled up in her carefully made-up eyes.
“Little Uncle Mo, Shanshan…” Su Yang was extremely excited and rushed toward them, but forgot she was still wearing high heels, so she stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, but the man beside her quickly caught her.
“Su Yang…” Mo Shanshan hurried forward to support her. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“Shanshan…” Su Yang sobbed as she hugged Mo Shanshan tightly.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Mo Shanshan gently patted Su Yang’s back to comfort her, then looked at the people who were catching up. The opponents were clearly superior in numbers; otherwise, with Guan Yi’s skills, he wouldn’t have been wounded and nearly failed to protect Su Yang, ending up in such a sorry state.
“Go to Huanxi’s side.” Mo Shaoheng stepped forward and said to Mo Shanshan in a grave voice.
Mo Shanshan nodded and helped Su Yang walk to Qin Huanxi’s side. She knew this wasn’t the time to ask questions, so she just comforted Su Yang briefly before focusing her attention back on the people surrounding them. She wasn’t worried, as her little uncle always had bodyguards with him.
When Su Yang saw Qin Huanxi holding Mo Siyuan however, the look of terror on her face froze for a moment. She had been really scared just now, and when she saw Mo Shaoheng and Mo Shanshan, she only felt relief, and so didn’t notice that Qin Huanxi was also present.
“Are you alright?” Qin Huanxi softly asked the dazed Su Yang. He was also surprised—what a coincidence that the person they encountered was Su Yang.
Su Yang was Su Wentian’s only daughter, the heiress of the Su family. As the saying went, two tigers cannot share the same mountain. With Mo Shaoheng standing in the forefront in T City, it was difficult for others to rise. Su Wentian had always regarded Mo Shaoheng as his strongest opponent and the person he most wanted to eliminate, employing endless tactics against him.
Yet ironically, the Su family’s daughter Su Yang was as close as sisters with Mo Shanshan. In truth, T City wasn’t that big, and including the “different” original Qin Huanxi, these young ladies and gentlemen from great families had known each other since childhood. It was just that the original Qin Huanxi didn’t associate much with them.
Miss Su was completely different from the gentle Mo Shanshan. She could be described as spirited and willful, fully embodying the temperament of a spoiled rich young lady. When things didn’t go her way, her fiery temper would flare up, though it would subside just as quickly. However, Su Yang’s outspokenness and sharp edges were a sign of her straightforward character. She wasn’t unreasonable, nor would she hold grudges or scheme against others, so she wasn’t unlikable.
Qin Huanxi looked at the teary-eyed Su Yang and frowned as he gazed at the group of people confronting Mo Shaoheng’s bodyguards. Unlike the professionally dressed bodyguards in black, that group looked sleazy, some even with cigarettes in their mouths, seeming like thugs on the fringes of society who had developed ill intentions upon seeing a wealthy young lady.
Qin Huanxi looked again at the expressionless man. Despite the blood flowing from his arm, the man’s eyebrows didn’t even furrow, as if he felt no pain at all. Such a man, if he hadn’t lived on the edge of death before, would not possess such fortitude, nor would his ordinary face bear such a deep scar.
Qin Huanxi’s lips curled slightly. When had he ever seen the great Miss Su in such a sorry state? An ordinary person might really believe those people were just a group of idle hooligans who only knew how to make trouble. But please, give him a break— even if they could fool the police, could they fool the man beside Su Yang? There weren’t many people who could wound this man.
Qin Huanxi handed Mo Siyuan to Mo Shanshan and said softly, “Hold him tight.”
“Huanxi?” Mo Shanshan took Mo Siyuan, looking at Qin Huanxi with confusion. “What are you going to do?”
Qin Huanxi didn’t answer Mo Shanshan but pulled her back slightly. Then he positioned himself in front of her and Su Yang. If something unpredictable happened, he wouldn’t be able to fight back while holding Mo Siyuan. Giving him to Mo Shanshan would allow him to better protect them and strike back if needed.
Qin Huanxi vigilantly surveyed his surroundings. They hadn’t brought many bodyguards on this outing, with only seven or eight present now, and he didn’t know if there were others hiding in the shadows. Their opponents had at least a dozen men, clearly prepared—after all, they were up against Guan Yi, Su Wentian’s exclusive bodyguard assigned to Su Yang.
This wasn’t even the worst-case scenario. Because although their targets were Su Yang and Guan Yi, and meeting Qin Huanxi’s group was coincidental, if someone wanted to take advantage of the situation to deal with Mo Shaoheng, this would be the perfect opportunity. Who knew if Su Yang had offended someone, or if it was Guan Yi’s old enemy, or perhaps even Su Wentian’s adversary?
Qin Huanxi didn’t want to dwell on these questions now. He frowned and asked the bodyguard who stayed to protect them, “Do you have a gun?”
The bodyguard was clearly startled and looked at Qin Huanxi with confusion. “Young Master Qin?”
“Give me the gun. One of you stay to protect us, the rest go help. We need to end this quickly; if it drags on, it might attract others, which would be very unfavorable for Uncle Mo.” Qin Huanxi said. If it were just him and Mo Shaoheng today, he wouldn’t be worried, but with two defenseless women and his baby, he couldn’t take any chances. A swift resolution was the only option.
The bodyguard thought for a moment, then discreetly handed the gun to Qin Huanxi. He exchanged glances with the other two bodyguards, who then left.
The opponents also seemed surprised to encounter Mo Shaoheng, but at this point, they couldn’t change their plans. Moreover, Mo Shaoheng was clearly just out for a casual stroll today and hadn’t brought many people. Even if they couldn’t do anything to Mo Shaoheng, as long as they had women and children as leverage, Mo Shaoheng would be constrained, and their chances of success would be high.
As for Qin Huanxi, a pretty young master who looked delicate and refined, they didn’t even register him as a threat—at most, he was another good hostage to constrain Mo Shaoheng. The group exchanged a few glances, then charged forward without a word, engaging in combat with the bodyguards who stood in front of Mo Shaoheng.
Qin Huanxi frowned but remained vigilant. The opponents were numerous and all professional fighters. The few bodyguards were already stretched thin. He turned to Mo Shaoheng, who had been protecting him, and said, “Uncle Mo, no matter what, protect Xiao Yuan and Shanshan well. Don’t worry about the rest.”
Mo Shaoheng looked deeply at Qin Huanxi. He had naturally seen Qin Huanxi asking the bodyguard for a gun. Seeing the determination in the other’s eyes, he nodded after a moment of silence: “Be careful, protect yourself!”
Qin Huanxi smiled, then his expression became serious. He glanced at the bodyguard protecting Mo Shanshan and Mo Siyuan, then turned to look at Guan Yi, who was holding Su Yang. This way, he could focus on fighting the enemy.
Qin Huanxi saw right through their hesitations regarding Mo Shaoheng and understood exactly what they were planning. Mo Shaoheng’s men were elite professional bodyguards, so even if outnumbered by half, they couldn’t be dealt with quickly. The best approach was to grab him and Mo Shanshan, who was holding Mo Siyuan, as hostages.
Qin Huanxi saw that after they engaged the bodyguards, the remaining men quickly charged toward them. He thought, “Just as expected.” pulled Mo Shanshan, who was holding Mo Siyuan, behind him, and delivered a flying kick that sent the attacker stumbling back several steps.
The opponent clearly hadn’t expected him to attack suddenly and was momentarily stunned. Qin Huanxi didn’t give him any chance to react. With a fierce look in his eyes, he grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it forcefully. There was a crack of bones dislocating, and before the man could even groan, Qin Huanxi had thrown him over his shoulder.
Then ignoring the man who was thrown down and couldn’t get up, he swiftly moved again to attack another person. This time, the opponent was prepared, but he couldn’t withstand Qin Huanxi’s fierce attacks and evasive speed. After just a few moves, he was kicked in the temple and fell to the ground, convulsing briefly before passing out.
The remaining men seemed to have noticed Qin Huanxi as a “variable”. This seemingly delicate and weak rich young master was not only not the best choice to constrain Mo Shaoheng but also a top-tier fighter whose skills matched those of professional bodyguards. Fighting against such an unexpected factor was very disadvantageous for them.
The leader exchanged a glance with the person beside him and reached into his coat’s inner pocket. However, before he could draw his gun, a shot rang out. A bullet cut through the air, and the next second, he felt excruciating pain in his gun-holding hand as a bullet tore through it. His vision darkened, and he fell to his knees.
“Brother Shui!” The person beside him supported the large man who was kneeling on the ground, clutching his hand, then looked up at the cold-faced young man.
Qin Huanxi expressionlessly held the gun, stepped up to the two men, suddenly kicked away the man supporting “Brother Shui”, then stepped on Shui’s bullet-wounded arm. Ignoring the man’s screams of agony, he pressed the gun against his head and said coldly, “Do you want to continue?”
Everyone present was clearly stunned by Qin Huanxi’s unexpected move, and no one dared to act rashly for a moment.
Qin Huanxi coldly observed Shui’s heavy breathing. Sweat soaked the man’s face and dripped onto the ground, clearly indicating he was in extreme pain. The fact that he hadn’t passed out yet showed he was indeed a professionally trained fighter.
Qin Huanxi removed his foot but didn’t move the gun away. He turned to Mo Shaoheng beside him and asked, “Do we take them all back?”
Mo Shaoheng, hearing the approaching commotion, put his arm around Qin Huanxi and said, “Leave this to Fengyu. You come with me first.”
And the moment Mo Shaoheng finished saying this, Qi Fengyu quickly walked over with his men. The usual playful Qi Fengyu was nowhere to be seen; he glanced at the gun-wielding Qin Huanxi with alertness and gravity in his eyes, mixed with a hint of confusion, before beginning to handle the aftermath.