CHAPTER 7: CHAPTER 7: WHO CAN BEAR THIS?

He couldn’t help but take out a cigarette and light it.

Feng Mian opened the car door. "I’ll get out and take a look. Maybe I can catch that bastard."

Bo Xichen let him go without comment; he knew tonight was a wasted effort. Just as he was about to close his laptop, his fingers moved almost imperceptibly, switching the feed to the locker room for the ordinary employees of Emperor’s Colors.

The instant he switched, the screen showed Gu Anxi emerging from the shower, already dressed. However, two of the buttons on her shirt, which she usually fastened all the way up in an almost ascetic, meticulous manner, were undone.

Her hair was slightly tousled, her face dewy with moisture, and with her long, slender legs also visible—truly...

Who could possibly resist?

Bo Xichen abruptly closed his laptop and also got out of the car, following Feng Mian. He finished his cigarette as he scanned their surroundings.

Feng Mian returned after searching the area, still quite indignant. "That guy is incredibly fast. There’s not a single trace of him! He’s a natural-born operative."

Bo Xichen frowned. "I wonder when he’ll strike next."

Feng Mian recalled something. "Young Master Bo, what exactly were you watching just now? You stared at it for a full two minutes."

Bo Xichen glanced at him with his ice-blue eyes. Feng Mian quickly raised his hands. "Alright, I won’t ask."

He changed the subject. "Should we head back to the bar and wait for the kid to get off work?"

"She’s already off work." Bo Xichen walked to the car, opened the door, and got in.

Feng Mian settled into the driver’s seat. "Young Master Bo, how do you know that?"

How would I know? And even if I did, could I tell you?

Feng Mian, rebuffed and feeling a bit bored, was lazily preparing to start the car when Bo Xichen’s voice, now slightly tense, cut in, "Wait a moment."

Feng Mian was puzzled.

"Over there." Bo Xichen tilted his chin.

Feng Mian followed his gaze and then exclaimed, "Damn! Young Master Bo, your little friend is quite the fighter!"

Doesn’t she have a hairline fracture in her finger? Shouldn’t she be getting a cast and a splint instead of fighting here?

The alley behind Emperor’s Colors was a completely different world from its grand facade.

In the dark of the late night, Gu Anxi, dressed in her Qing University school uniform, had attracted the lecherous attention of a group of young thugs. They whistled at her. "Hey there, little sister, how about you come have a drink with your big brothers?"

Catcalls and jeering laughter echoed around them.

The same thought echoed in each thug’s mind:

She’s gorgeous!

Like a statue... I really want to touch her, see if she’s real.

One of them actually made a move. The leader of the thugs, a guy with yellow-dyed hair nicknamed Yellow-Hair, had barely touched her when he let out a bloodcurdling howl.

"Heavens! Oh, dear mother!"

"Lady Warrior, spare me!" Yellow-Hair begged.

Gu Anxi had no intention of getting entangled with them; she needed to leave immediately.

But Yellow-Hair was being deceitful. The moment she released him, he gave a signal, and a dozen or so thugs surged forward.

You damn brat! Today, we’ll make you kneel and call us ’Daddy’!

Another series of wails erupted!

Her white clothes fluttered in the dark alley, like a graceful butterfly, yet the way she took down the group of thugs was utterly brutal. The consequence was a sickening CRACK as her right finger fractured further.

Gu Anxi stood still, raising her injured hand to examine it—

It really is the third knuckle.

From a distance, through the car window, Bo Xichen and Feng Mian had seen everything unfold clearly.

It took Feng Mian a moment to snap out of his daze. He mumbled, "Even when she fights, she looks amazing! Does the kid even feel pain? That finger bone must be completely fractured now!"

"Drive over there," Bo Xichen said, his voice flat.

Feng Mian immediately started the car. The black sports car sped towards Gu Anxi and screeched to a halt beside her.

Feng Mian leaned over, his face visible. "Kid, get in the car."

Gu Anxi didn’t move.

Feng Mian chuckled. Heh, quite the proud one, isn’t she?

The rear door of the car opened. An arm shot out, hooked around her waist, and Gu Anxi was instantly pulled into the dark interior of the car.