CHAPTER 973: CHAPTER 973: NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO PROTECT ME

It’s Yun Lih.

Xia Siyu turned her head slightly, her eyes momentarily bewildered.

The surrounding noise was so loud that she hadn’t noticed the person beside her was him.

At this moment, seeing Yun Lih take her cigarette and place it in his own lips, Xia Siyu quickly turned her face away, feeling her ears heat up.

Did he not know she had already had that cigarette in her mouth?

Xia Siyu lowered her eyes with a complicated look and then stood up, deliberately putting some distance between herself and Yun Lih.

She sat down on the other side of Shen Qingye, picked up a cigarette box from the ground, and lit one herself.

Her actions caused the atmosphere at the scene to stagnate slightly.

She was intentionally avoiding Yun Lih.

Shen Qingye looked around and didn’t pay attention to these little details. He leaned his head back sorrowfully and murmured after a long while, "Will Boss Xiao die?"

The five people fell into silence.

Some harsh words were on the tip of the tongue, but no matter what, they couldn’t be said now.

Having lived and died together for many years, no amount of hatred could erase the memories of the past.

But now, there was nothing they could do.

...

After midnight, the night grew even darker like ink, as if covered with a layer of haze.

The debris from the earlier explosion had already floated away with the waves, leaving no trace.

Zuo Xuan and Liuyun led the team in the aftermath, and in less than two hours, the Maine River had returned to its usual tranquility.

On the way back, He Chen looked at Yin Mo’s bloodshot eyes, pursed his lips, and said in a very indifferent tone, "Aren’t you curious about how your mother got injured?"

Yin Mo sat sideways next to the stretcher, holding her mother’s hand, and answered calmly, "It was Xiao Yehui who injured her."

He Chen crossed his ankle over his knee and sneered lightly, "What do you think after watching the video he sent?"

Yin Mo glanced at him, her voice very ethereal, "No matter how stupid I am, I can still tell right from wrong."

Indeed, on her way to the Maine River, she received a video email.

The video happened to be the conversation between Xiao Yehui and Li Qiao on the deck.

At this moment, He Chen’s long eyes were filled with scrutinizing dark light, and he rocked his foot, "If you think that way, it’s best."

Yin Mo pursed her lips, her gaze falling back onto her mother’s face, and she explained lightly, "The reason my mom came to Myanmar this time was because Qiaoqiao arranged it. I know better than to be ungrateful."

"I see." He Chen’s previously somber brows regained a bit of playfulness.

Yin Mo detected the teasing in his tone, a trace of hurt flashed in her eyes, "You’ve been following me lately just to keep an eye on me, right?"

She knew she had a record but had never done anything to harm Li Qiao.

But whenever something unexpected happened, it seemed they instinctively doubted her and suspected her.

Yin Mo lowered her head, inexplicably feeling like a failure.

He Chen subconsciously frowned, "Me? Monitor? You?"

Yin Mo locked eyes with him, seriously questioning, "You admit it?"

He Chen took a deep breath and licked his molars, then turned to observe the medical equipment in the car, "Which one can do a brain CT scan?"

Yin Mo couldn’t keep up with his thinking, looking utterly confused, "What’s wrong?"

Could her mom have hurt her head as well?

He Chen leaned back and cast a sinister glance at Yin Mo, "I want to see if your brain is full of water."

Monitor her? What an ego.

...

The next day, a light drizzle washed over the entire Naypyidaw Capital.

On the second floor of the villa, Li Qiao slept deeply.

Perhaps too exhausted from the night before, she fell asleep in the man’s arms before even getting back to the villa.

The silent, dimly lit bedroom, with tightly drawn curtains, made the sound of raindrops tapping against the window crisp and delightful.

Li Qiao wrinkled her brow sleepily, some sense of discomfort intensifying.

She opened her tired eyes, still somewhat dazed between sleep and wakefulness.

Then, when she saw the scene before her, she instantly became alert.

Li Qiao instinctively reached out to grab the quilt, her voice husky from waking up, "What are you doing..."

Shang Yu sat on the edge of the bed, a robe draped over his shoulders, his dark eyes very focused.

The man said nothing as he gently applied ointment to her lower back.

Li Qiao hadn’t suffered any substantial harm, but there were three bruises on her back.

And the reason she felt uncomfortable was because... she was utterly bare.

Shang Yu’s thin lips were tightly pressed, his rough fingers evenly spreading the ointment on her back, and without a word, Li Qiao felt uneasy.

She clutched the quilt in her arms, nervously asking, "What time is it?"

The man responded with silence.

Li Qiao: "..."

Not until after finishing applying the medicine did Shang Yu place the ointment on the bedside table, his tense jawline easing slightly, and said hoarsely, "Is this what you mean by being fine?"

Li Qiao sat up with the quilt in her arms, looking very innocent, "Well, I didn’t bleed..."

The man’s breath deepened, his fingers crawled across her smooth back, pressing lightly, causing Li Qiao to hiss immediately.

Shang Yu’s brows were shadowed, cupping her face in his palm, "This is a gunshot wound."

He never imagined that Li Qiao had actually been shot.

The distribution and shape of those three bruises were clearly the result of a gunshot.

If she hadn’t been wearing a bulletproof vest, those three shots would certainly have penetrated her lungs.

Last night, she had been wearing his jacket on her shoulders, cleverly concealing the bullet holes in her training uniform.

At this point, Li Qiao moved her shoulders slightly, indeed feeling some discomfort in her back.

She peeked at Shang Yu, hugged her little quilt tighter, and said softly, "I was wearing a bulletproof vest, so surely..."

"Li Qiao." The man suddenly called her name, his low and deep tone gripping her heart.

Li Qiao looked up, meeting his eyes directly, and obediently responded, "Yes."

"This is the last time I let you act alone." Shang Yu’s aura was strong, his dark, fierce eyes filled with an undeniable resolve and dominance.

He touched her face, his force somewhat out of control, "The last time, understand?"

"Understood." Li Qiao nodded obediently and then snuggled into his arms, "Then it’s up to you from now on."

Acting coquettish always worked like a charm.

Moreover, in the dim bedroom, the tranquil morning, her bare surrender and coziness doubled the effect.

Sure enough, Shang Yu casually hooked her soft waist, glanced down at the girl in his arms, and his sharp gaze quickly softened, "Really?"

Li Qiao rubbed against his chest and yawned while covering her mouth, "Yes, really. Last night, I didn’t let you intervene because the Seven Sons needed to make a decision, and it wasn’t appropriate for you to. I’ve done everything I need to do, now it’s your turn to protect me."

Shang Yu’s heart suddenly constricted into a ball.

Because of her words: It’s your turn to protect me.

The man wrapped her waist tighter and hugged her in his arms, lightly kissing her forehead, "You mean it?"

"Of course." Li Qiao absentmindedly traced circles on Shang Yu’s chest, "I brought Xiao Yehui back to provoke Xiao Hongdao; losing control of two sons in succession will surely unsettle him."