CHAPTER 367: CHAPTER 358 DELIBERATE ASSASSINATION

Three minutes quietly passed, and Tang Xiaowan’s arms were sore from holding them up, but aside from the melodious music and the occasional promotional shout from some shops, there wasn’t anything unusual on the street, just an air of peace.

When she poked her head out, she realized that the coffee shop across the street had already turned off its lights.

"What’s going on, am I seeing things?"

Leng Lingxiao nodded seriously, "Hmm, it’s very possible, you might be seeing things."

"But I’m sure I just saw..."

"Saw what? Saw someone wanting to harm me, harm your dear husband? Silly girl, this is our turf, who would dare? Unless they’re tired of living, looking for death, hahaha."

As he said this, Leng Lingxiao gently pinched Tang Xiaowan’s nose.

"Maybe I am... seeing things then."

"What, you still don’t accept it? It seems... you need to keep drinking those nourishing soups!"

"But didn’t you say..."

While they were whispering, Zhao Renjie suddenly came over quickly, followed by Cheng Shi.

Upon seeing this, Leng Lingxiao’s eyes deepened.

"Are you two... sprinting a hundred meters? Or did you discover some new world?" Tang Xiaowan raised her eyebrows, looking at Zhao Renjie with a tinge of curiosity.

She didn’t believe she was seeing things, thinking there must be a catch.

Zhao Renjie frowned deeply, as if he had something to say, but after glancing at Leng Lingxiao, he nodded slightly: "Sorry for the disturbance, Madame, it’s just that there’s a bit of a situation at the company, so..."

"Oh, something came up, I see!"

Upon saying this, Tang Xiaowan then turned her gaze to her bodyguard, Cheng Shi.

Cheng Shi saw his young mistress sitting cross-legged in the corner with Leng Lingxiao, holding a shoe in her hand, and for a moment was a bit confused about the situation, wondering if he had come at the wrong time, interrupting something important.

He had been sent by Shen Yiming.

"Miss, Mrs. Shen seems to need help with something; Mr. Shen asked you to come over."

Tang Xiaowan: "?"

Me, help out? Can’t Shen Yiming handle it?

Could it be another fight?

"What’s the matter?" asked Tang Xiaowan as she stood up, her eyes unconsciously glancing at the coffee shop across the street, still somewhat uneasy.

She feared that someone was targeting Leng Lingxiao.

That might be because Du Jiahao had been captured before, suffered heavy injuries, and perhaps he had come back for revenge.

As for herself, she hadn’t even considered the possibility.

"Go have a look, get it done quickly so we can go eat," Leng Lingxiao said gently while pointing at the large clock nearby.

"Are you hungry?"

"Don’t tell me... you’re not hungry, and you don’t want to eat the roasted whole lamb!"

"I do want to eat it, of course."

"Then go quickly, get it sorted."

Indeed, it had been a while since they drank the wellness tea and came here; the photoshoot took almost three hours alone.

Thank goodness for the durian and pastries they had eaten.

Seeing Leng Lingxiao say this, Tang Xiaowan happily pulled him back inside, away from the balcony to a more distant place—at least that way, she felt a bit more at ease.

"I’ll go have a look, I’ll be back quickly. Don’t wander off, okay? You can’t leave the studio."

Leng Lingxiao smiled and softly touched Tang Xiaowan’s head, whispering, "Silly girl, how could I bear to leave when I have you here hooking me in!"

With that one sentence, the atmosphere turned awkward.

Cheng Shi and Zhao Renjie quickly turned their heads away, pretending they didn’t hear anything.

Sure enough, the man kissed his little wife.

He conveyed his love slowly, deepening the kiss bit by bit until he sensed that his little wife was having trouble catching her breath, then he slowly released her.

"Much better now, that’s relief, hahaha."

"Um... Huahua, then I’ll..." Tang Xiaowan bit her lower lip, her cheeks flushed with red.

"Go on up, be careful of the steps."

Leng Lingxiao’s whisper was like he was soothing a child, especially gentle.

Tang Xiaowan was distraught.

In fact, she felt uneasy because she had inadvertently noticed a very suspicious figure in the coffee shop opposite.

It looked like the person was holding a gun.

Yet she wasn’t entirely sure of her judgment, since the street separated them, and the object resembled a nail gun used in renovations.

But if there was really nothing going on, why did Zhao Renjie suddenly come running up?

His hesitance to speak was just too abnormal!

A glint of insight flashed through Tang Xiaowan’s bright eyes as if she had realized something.

"Cheng Shi, let’s go up and take a look."

"Yes, Miss."

After they left, the entire second floor immediately fell into a deathly hush. Zhao Renjie stood respectfully still, and then he saw Leng Lingxiao sitting on the black leather sofa, his gaze ice cold.

The brass lighter flipped open and shut crisply, its sound unrelenting and each time tugging at Zhao Renjie’s heart.

"What’s going on, speak up?"

"Preliminary judgment... it’s Li Zishen’s people, they have been taken to Sea Surrounding Villa."

"So, he did make a move after all."

"However, Master, I suspect... it might not necessarily be Li Zishen’s idea... because, after all, the Lady was just by your side, Li Zishen wouldn’t... take such a big risk."

Zhao Renjie hit the nail on the head.

Even though Leng Lingxiao was fuming, after calming down, he saw the reason in it.

He had to admit that, like himself, Li Zishen too deeply loved Tang Xiaowan. Whether as a rival in business or an enemy in love, even if he wanted to doom the other to death, he wouldn’t do it under those just recent circumstances.

It was too risky; one careless move could have accidentally harmed Tang Xiaowan, who was within arm’s reach.

In fact, when the topic of Little Crab came up just now, Leng Lingxiao had already noticed something was off.

Even though he knew there were many of his own men nearby, presenting no threat whatsoever, he still silently used his tall frame to shield the petite Tang Xiaowan.

Better safe than sorry!

Leng Lingxiao didn’t dare take that risk; getting hurt himself was one thing, but not his little wife.

Keeping her safe was worth risking his own life for.

What Leng Lingxiao had not expected was that Tang Xiaowan, who was busy trying to be cute and playful at the time, had also sensed something amiss. She pulled on his arm, tugged him to crouch down, and even imitated scenes from movies, using other objects to probe for the assassin.

Although these actions might have been of little use, they were full of love, warming a man’s heart.

Thinking of this, Leng Lingxiao’s lips curled slightly, but to Zhao Renjie, that seemed to indicate his master was angry due to a lapse in his own arrangements.

Therefore, Zhao Renjie hurriedly continued his analysis: "It could have been Bai Long’s secret doings because Li Zishen has just left that tea house, and he’s currently walking alone... towards the hotel."

His voice was extremely low, filled with trepidation.

However, what followed was a few cold laughs.

"Bai Long’s actions... are they not Li Zishen’s thoughts? Do you think there’s a difference?"

Zhao Renjie frowned: "No."

This matter was, fundamentally, Li Zishen’s responsibility. If he hadn’t sent a mercenary to Chicheng yesterday intending to assassinate Leng Lingxiao, there wouldn’t have been any unilateral action from Bai Long.

Even though the plan was aborted midway, the intent to kill still existed.

Li Zishen stubbornly believed that as long as Leng Lingxiao did not vanish from the world, he wouldn’t have a chance to win Tang Xiaowan’s heart.

In truth, this was just wishful thinking on his part, maybe even a self-deceptive consolation.

If one’s heart lacks another’s presence, it signifies no love at all.

"Master, this time it is my... negligence; I failed to identify the threat beforehand. Should I handle it?" Zhao Renjie bowed his head, his hands clenched into fists.

"There’s no need for self-reproach, it was dealt with in a timely manner."

This was an affirmation for Zhao Renjie, as well as encouragement. In fact, his responsiveness had been strong, having subdued the assassin even before a shot was fired.

However, Zhao Renjie wasn’t ruthless enough, so Leng Lingxiao didn’t want to entrust this to him.

"Then... what do you intend?" he asked.

"Let Ding Hui take care of it as usual. By any means necessary, root them all out. With Bai Long’s temperament, it’s impossible that he only deployed one person." Leng Lingxiao’s eyes were frosty as he looked at Zhao Renjie, pausing for a few seconds, then his brows and eyes softened into a smile, "Just... don’t alarm Tangtang, so as not to affect her mood."

With that, the brass lighter snapped shut with a click, and he immediately left the black leather sofa.

Zhao Renjie nodded slightly in acknowledgment: "Understood."