Chapter 127
“All of you come at once, dealing with one by one is too troublesome,” Xu Ke said expressionlessly as he twisted his neck.
“We don’t know which way you’re on, but we’re from the Bai Feng Gang. Please show some mercy and don’t interfere with this matter, or don’t blame us for being rude,” the leader, having lost two underlings in a row, stepped forward with a sour expression and clasped his hands at Xu Ke.
“Too much nonsense,” Xu Ke said coldly.
“Looks like you’re determined to go against us, Bai Feng Gang. Brothers, beat him up,” the leader laughed coldly and ordered his men to rush toward Xu Ke together.
“Be careful!” shouted Shen Shao from the ground when he saw the four planning to attack Xu Ke together. He struggled to get up to help Xu Ke but fell back after just raising himself halfway, helplessly watching as Xu Ke was surrounded.
Shen Shao gave a bitter laugh, closed his eyes, and yelled loudly, “You should leave, there’s no way you can fight them all. I, Shen Shao, will remember your kindness today. If I ever make a comeback, I’ll repay you. Just go, don’t worry about me.”
As Shen Shao shouted, the sound of grunts and heavy objects hitting the ground echoed in the alley. By the time Shen Shao finished speaking, all sounds ceased, leaving only a pair of exquisitely crafted leather shoes before his eyes.
“Can you stand up?” Xu Ke asked, lowering his head and obscured by the backlight. Behind him lay a neat line of human barricade.
Xu Ke said nothing, just reached down, grabbed Shen Shao by the arm, and lifted him off the ground, “My car should be nearby; I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“Thank you,” Shen Shao said, gasping for breath.
The two had walked about two hundred meters out of the alley when Xu Jie’s car appeared in their view. Seeing Xu Ke assisting someone, Xu Jie was visibly shocked, but she quickly adjusted her expression and got out of the car to open the door.
“Mr. Xu!”
Xu Jie didn’t say a word, but Shen Shao, who recognized Xu Jie, was so surprised he almost pushed Xu Ke away.
He never imagined a day would come when Xu Jie would open a car door for him, a feat difficult even when his Shen Family was at its peak, but now… it left him scrambling to decide which foot to step in first, almost tripping himself up.
After settling Shen Shao in the back seat, Xu Jie headed to the driver’s seat, while Xu Ke sat in the front passenger seat.
“Mr. Xu, are we going to the Central Hospital?” Xu Jie asked.
“Yes,” Xu Ke replied, closing his eyes, his tone indifferent, but this demeanor stirred great waves in Shen Shao’s heart.
Once at the hospital, after a series of examinations confirmed he was unscathed, Xu Ke prepared to leave but was stopped by Shen Shao.
“Mr. Xu, I want to ask for your help,” Shen Shao said, face flushed, eyes firmly fixed on Xu Ke.
“Why should I?” Xu Ke turned back, his face impassive, voice cold.
“Saving someone is a lifelong commitment. Since you’ve already saved me from those people, why not help me to the end? My value is not low; as long as you help me, I will become the sharpest knife in your hand, the most loyal person, and I would never betray you,” Shen Shao looked intently at Xu Ke, almost stretching out of the hospital bed.
He knew he only had this one chance; without the other party’s help, it would be difficult for him to rise again.
“Save those words for when you recover,” Xu Ke said, looking at Shen Shao’s face. “Working for me won’t be easy and might even cost you your life.”
“I’m not afraid,” Shen Shao insisted, but his movements tugged at his wounds, causing him to cry out in pain and fall back down.
“I’ve already paid your hospital fees. If you still haven’t changed your mind when you recover, come find me at Jiahe.”
Leaving these words, Xu Ke turned and left without a trace of reluctance.
During Shen Shao’s examination, Xu Jie had plenty of time to dig up his background. His information was already etched in Xu Ke’s mind; Shen Shao was shrewd, resourceful, brave—lacking nothing but having fallen for Gu Yi, whom he had done countless foolish things for.
Xu Ke had given Shen Shao time to think, but it was also time for himself to consider. If Shen Shao could forgive and unconditionally tolerate Gu Yi after being put in the hospital, Xu Ke would have nothing to do with him. Otherwise, he’d mentor Shen Shao into his confidant.
Though Xu Ke had left Shangjing only three years prior, so much had changed; he needed his team, and his parents’ and grandfather’s deaths were weights on his mind—a sword hanging above him. He couldn’t rest until he solved this.
What he lacked most were trustworthy people.
Xu Ke sighed in the car, gazing out the window as his thoughts drifted.
Meanwhile, because Xu Ke had repeatedly thwarted the Bai Feng Gang’s plans, unbeknownst to him, he’d already caught the attention of some. These people weren’t significant figures, just street thugs and ordinary folk, so they hadn’t attracted Xu Ke’s notice.
When Xu Ke returned to his mountaintop villa after changing at the office, he saw Yun Rulan standing at his gate, with three men behind her laden with things, while she sat under a parasol, playing on her phone.
“What are you doing here?” Xu Ke frowned, looking at Yun Rulan at his doorstep. Though his expression didn’t change much, his unfriendly tone was unmistakable to anyone but Yun Rulan, who acted as if she didn’t hear, smiling as she stood to hook Xu Ke’s arm, only for him to dodge without getting annoyed.
“What else could I be doing? I missed you and came to see you, and I have things to give you—everything we bought at the mall last time is still at my place, and you never came to pick them up, so I brought them since I had time,” Yun Rulan said with a smile, her demeanor particularly sweet and endearing. Yet because of her, Xu Ke had drifted apart from Lin Mengyao; how could he possibly be polite to her now?
“I don’t need these things. Keep them for yourself, and don’t come to my house unless necessary. I don’t want Yaoyao seeing you and getting the wrong idea about our relationship,” Xu Ke said coldly.