It was Kong Wenyu’s first time visiting Kong Lingru’s home.
He walked in ahead, with Hai Ming carrying bags and following behind.
Kong Lingru looked coldly at the uninvited guest.
“Some prenatal supplements,” Kong Wenyu said breezily, completely unfazed by her stare. “Second Aunt, you should take care of yourself.”
Knowing there was no point in asking, Kong Lingru didn’t bother. She just said flatly, “Sit down.”
The weather was already heating up, but the room still felt chilly.
Kong Wenyu didn’t sit. “Just dropping these off. I’ve got other things to take care of.”
Kong Lingru took a deep breath. “Maybe you feel pretty pleased with yourself right now, but like it or not, we’re family. When one falls, we all feel it. One day, you’ll realize how foolish it was to try and cut down my shares.”
Kong Wenyu smiled faintly. “Don’t get worked up, Second Aunt. It’s not good for the baby.”
Just then, a man stepped out from inside—a man Kong Wenyu recognized. The mysterious driver who rarely showed his face.
He brought over a hot water bottle and gently placed it on Kong Lingru’s legs, then tucked a blanket around her.
Kong Lingru gave him a soft smile, her eyes full of warmth.
Kong Wenyu watched their exchange, then raised a brow as the man walked away. “Wasn’t he always kept out of sight?”
He expected Kong Lingru to offer some fake pleasantries about family, but instead, she simply sighed.
“There’s no point anymore.”
“I always wanted to move past whatever this thing is between us,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and looking directly at him. “I’m going to marry him. I want to be with him openly and honestly.”
Kong Wenyu paused, then said without emotion, “Then you should be thanking me.”
Kong Lingru stared at him. From a certain angle, they had the exact same eyes. “Was that kidnapping the other night really orchestrated by Ao Yongwang?”
Kong Wenyu gave a small smile, his eyes crinkling for a second before flattening again. “No idea. But it definitely wasn’t me.”
“Those siblings dared play me?” she asked coldly. “And what part did you play in all this?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Kong Wenyu said with a shrug. “I’m leaving. Don’t bother seeing me out.”
Kong Lingru followed him to the doorway and watched him until he disappeared from view. Then she picked up her phone and made a call.
“He just left. Get ready.”
Whatever the person on the other end said made her eyes go icy and sharp.
“There’s a bodyguard with him named Hai Ming. Deal with him first.”
Outside, Kong Wenyu stepped out just as Nie Jun came quickly around from beside the car and whispered in his ear, “Someone’s following us.”
Kong Wenyu instinctively looked up, but Nie Jun stopped him softly, “Don’t look. Get in with Hai Ming. Head out first. Wait for me at the corner by the old music shop.”
Kong Wenyu glanced at Nie Jun, then at Hai Ming. Hai Ming nodded.
Kong Wenyu got into the car while Nie Jun followed in another vehicle. Sure enough, after a short distance, a few black cars tailed behind—keeping a deliberate distance.
Nie Jun gradually slowed down. When one of the trailing cars tried to overtake him, he deliberately swerved to block it.
Frustrated, the pursuers turned off onto another road to try and circle around. Once they were gone, Nie Jun hit the gas and followed.
He stopped at the corner near the old music shop and rushed inside. Kong Wenyu was already seated by the window, watching from just the right angle to see the car pull up.
“They followed Hai Ming. I’ve got someone on their way to pick him up,” Nie Jun said. “Let’s get you home first.”
Kong Wenyu nodded and reached over to grab a violin. He didn’t bother tuning it and simply handed it to the shop owner.
Nie Jun pulled out his card and urged the man to ring it up.
“I’ll come back and pick it up another day.”
Then he looked at Kong Wenyu. His tone wasn’t pushy, but his actions made it clear: “Let’s go home first.”
Kong Wenyu glanced at him, and sure enough, did as he said, turning to head downstairs.
The street outside bustled with traffic, horns honking nonstop.
At the corner, a black car was parked with a large scrape on one side of its bumper. The right tire showed clear signs of wear and damage.
Nie Jun shielded Kong Wenyu’s head as he helped him into the car, buckled his seatbelt, and drove straight home.
Once they pulled into the driveway, Nie Jun unbuckled and stepped out. Kong Wenyu stopped him. “Where are you going?”
“To get Hai Ming,” Nie Jun replied quickly. “I left a tracker in the car.”
Surveillance cameras, hidden mics, GPS trackers, access to the bedroom, the passcode to the study—
The entire Kong household was in the palm of his hand.
Kong Wenyu stared at him for two seconds. “Go on. Be careful.”
“Be careful,” echoed a man in a black suit and earpiece as he stepped out of another car. “Don’t kill him. Miss wants him alive—he’s still useful.”
A champagne-and-black Maybach sat surrounded by cars, its front bumper slammed into the side door of the black vehicle in front of it.
The suited man walked to the center, grabbed a man pinned on the ground by his hair, and tilted his head to examine him.
“Are you fcking stupid?” Hai Ming snapped. Blood from a gash on his forehead had run into his eyes. He squinted one shut and cursed. “I’m a damn bodyguard—what’s the fcking point of kidnapping me?”
The man looked him over, then pressed a knife to his neck. “You were riding in this car with a personal driver. No way you’re just a regular bodyguard. Don’t play dumb with me.”
Hai Ming cursed again, only to have his head yanked down and slammed against the ground. Blood gushed from his nose instantly.
“Watch your f*cking mouth!”
The man in the suit signaled to tie him up and take him somewhere quiet.
He made a phone call to someone—unclear who—and when it ended, he immediately dialed another number. No one answered.
Hai Ming was tied to a chair. He tilted his head, rubbing the blood dripping down onto his shoulder.
“Who are you calling?” he glared at the man. “My boss?”
“Shut it,” the suit snapped, starting to pat him down for his phone.
“You work for the lady?” Hai Ming shook his head. “If you wanted leverage, you could’ve kidnapped my boss’s mom, his fiancée, hell, even his cousin. That’d actually matter… Kidnapping me? What the hell is the point?”
The man grabbed him by the hair, stared into his eyes, and growled, “We’ll see if it matters once we try.”
He pulled out Hai Ming’s phone, checked the number from earlier messages, and called Kong Wenyu.
It picked up quickly. Kong Wenyu’s voice came through: “Back already?”
“Not quite.” The man let go of Hai Ming’s hair and leaned toward the phone. “We’ve got—”
Beep. The call ended abruptly.
Hai Ming chuckled low in his throat, the movement pulling at a cut on his cheek and making him wince. “Told you. I’m just a bodyguard. I get paid to do a job. You think anyone’s gonna fall for a threat over one of their staff?”
The man frowned, hesitated, then tried to call back—but the number was already blocked.
Frustrated, he called Kong Lingru instead. “We can’t reach him. What now?”
“Useless,” Kong Lingru snapped. “Why the hell am I even paying you people?”
The man in the suit took a few steps away, lowered his voice, and explained, “We boxed in the car, but he wasn’t inside. Must’ve gotten out partway. Still, this bodyguard clearly means something to him. He’s not low-level. Worst case, we break his legs—send a message to his boss. Consider it a warning.”
Kong Lingru paused, didn’t approve, but didn’t stop him either. “Handle it. Then get your asses back here.”
Hai Ming heard every word. He was quietly thinking of a way to avoid getting his legs broken.
In the dim, silent warehouse, a shadow flickered past the window—Nie Jun’s face appeared, half-visible.
Hai Ming subtly looked toward the door. The guard who had been there earlier was gone.
The man in the suit cursed nearby, bent down to pick up a steel rod—part of a car jack—and tested its weight in his hands. Then he turned and started walking toward Hai Ming.
Hai Ming caught Nie Jun’s hand signal from the window. He pointed at the man approaching, then motioned for Hai Ming to get out of the way.
Hai Ming thought, I’m tied to a fcking chair, how the hell am I supposed to get out of the way?*
But Nie Jun was already gone. The window now showed a new face—Xiao Jin, from the neighboring dorm.
Hai Ming held back a groan, then looked up at the guy with the steel rod. “Hey man, I gotta take a piss.”
“Piss yourself,” the guy muttered, raising the rod and swinging it at Hai Ming’s leg.
Hai Ming suddenly braced himself, twisted hard, and tried to stand.
CRACK! The steel rod shattered the already worn-out wooden chair. The base splintered in half. The swing didn’t stop there—it continued through and smashed directly into Hai Ming’s upper thigh and backside.
Pain exploded through his body. It felt like his ass had split open. His face went pale instantly.
Luckily, that last hit loosened enough of the ropes for Hai Ming to free one leg. He didn’t even look—just rolled hard on the ground, narrowly dodging another swing of the steel rod.
“Fck!” Hai Ming shouted toward the window. “Nie Jun! Xiao Jin! If you don’t come in now, I’m gonna be fcking scrap metal!”
The guy in the suit looked up too, but the window was now empty. From the door, a crowbar suddenly whipped around the frame and slammed hard against the steel rod he instinctively raised to block.
Just as Hai Ming was about to flip himself over, he felt a sudden pull—someone grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him up.
But his legs were still tied, so he couldn’t fully stand. The busted chair behind him got dragged along and clattered loudly. Nie Jun stepped in, kicked the broken chair so hard it flew apart, flinging the entire seat base across the floor.
The pressure around Hai Ming’s body released all at once. He felt everything snap back into place—and that’s when the searing pain hit his thigh.
“F*ck!!” he groaned.
“F*ck later. Move now,” Nie Jun snapped back.
The man in the suit was starting to realize—this wasn’t just any bodyguard. If Kong Wenyu had sent in backup like this, the guy must really matter.
He gripped the steel rod tight and swung straight for Hai Ming’s head.
Nie Jun didn’t even think. With a burst of adrenaline, he yanked Hai Ming—chair and all—backward and threw up his arm to block the blow head-on.
A crack rang out—bone.
But Nie Jun still kicked out, slamming his foot into the suited man’s chest and knocking him flat on his back.
Dust exploded into the air. Someone gasped, choking on it.
Nie Jun tossed Hai Ming to the side, ignored his own busted arm, and rushed over. He grabbed the steel rod from the dazed attacker’s hands with his good arm.
A rush of wind followed by a sickening thud—he landed a heavy hit.
“Go! Now!” Hai Ming groaned from the floor, wincing and clutching his thigh.
Nie Jun hit the guy two more times for good measure, then gave him one last kick to knock him out cold. The steel rod clanged to the floor with a final clang. He waved the others in to untie Hai Ming.
“Dude… From now on, you’re my blood brother,” Hai Ming grunted, reaching to hold his leg. “My leg’s broken.”
Nie Jun let out a long sigh, cradling his own arm. “My arm’s broken too.”
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