Yuan Qiuping took out her phone and made a call.
Outside in the hall, the event at the venue had ended. This was a PPP project, and today Wang Keding, the representative of the government side, had come to sign the contract.
Shangguan Yao anxiously waited for Yan Xia. As soon as he caught sight of her, he grabbed her hand and rushed in the direction where Wang Keding was leaving.
Shangguan Yao muttered under his breath, "Why did you take so long to come back? I've been waiting for you for ages. If you hadn't come out, I would've been ready to fish you out of the women's restroom. Hurry up and follow me. I bet they're still being pestered by the media and can't get away."
As he was speaking, sure enough, they saw Wang Keding and the other representatives who had come to sign the contract surrounded by the media. They were almost being jostled forward.
The flashlights were flashing non - stop. Each media outlet was asking tricky questions. They all seemed eager to poke the microphones into the representatives' nostrils.
Shangguan Yao said, "Follow me later. His assistant knows me. I'll get you into his car. It'll be easier to talk in the car. We can't avoid this."
Yan Xia frowned slightly.
The media clung to Wang Keding and the others, refusing to let them leave.
Suddenly, in the chaos, someone let out a scream, and Yan Xia was suddenly pushed.
In a daze, she saw a man in a black coat, wearing a mask and a Bluetooth earphone, squeezing through the crowd. He was holding a glass bottle in his hand and lunging towards Wang Keding.
Was that... sulfuric acid?
She only hesitated for a second before reacting. She desperately broke free from Shangguan Yao's grip on her hand. Faster than the man, she lunged towards Wang Keding, pushed him away, and they both fell to the ground.
The next second, the liquid in the glass bottle splashed onto the security guard who had originally been standing behind Wang Keding. The glass bottle shattered on the ground. The sound of the flesh and the floor being corroded sizzled. Several security guards who had been splashed with sulfuric acid covered their faces and screamed on the ground.
The man in black wasn't willing to give up. Seeing that he hadn't succeeded, very quickly, he took out a knife and stabbed in the direction of Yan Xia and Wang Keding.
Yan Xia's eyelids twitched. Two drops of sulfuric acid splashed on her instep, causing a burning pain.
To avoid the knife, she quickly rolled over, but her hand accidentally got pricked by the broken glass shards on the ground.
She let out a scream.
She saw that the man's eye sockets were blood - red. He cursed viciously, "Wang Keding, you corrupt official! You're a cold - blooded murderer, accepting ill - gotten gains. You collude with businessmen. All you corrupt officials will come to a bad end!"
Before the man could stab a second time, he was subdued by the security guards beside him.
Yan Xia grimaced in pain. Wang Keding wasn't seriously injured, but he was badly frightened. After being helped up, he scurried behind the security guards, gesturing frantically and directing them.
"Quick, quick, quick! Arrest this man!"
"You'll come to a bad end! You'll get your just deserts! God will punish you!" The man was still shouting and cursing.
With the help of the people around her, Yan Xia managed to stand up with difficulty. Shangguan Yao finally pushed through the crowd and came to her side.
He asked anxiously, "Lu Sheng, are you okay?"
The scene had been in complete chaos before. Suddenly, all the media on - site reacted. Just as Shangguan Yao called out "Lu Sheng", the media instantly recognized Yan Xia. The cameras and microphones all rushed forward.
"Miss Lu, may I ask why you're here backstage at today's signing ceremony?"
"Miss Lu, may I ask why you risked your own safety to save Wang Keding just now?"
"Director Wang, say a few words..."
"Can you accept our interview..."
The scene was in a complete uproar. Shangguan Yao's face darkened. He always protected Yan Xia in his arms, preventing the media from harassing her.
"Let's go. Get out of here."
Wang Keding's assistant shouted.
Shangguan Yao protected Yan Xia and walked forward. "Let's leave here first."
With great difficulty, the group got out of the hall. Wang Keding's car was waiting outside. The scene was too chaotic to care about anything else. They all squeezed into the car together.
The car drove steadily on the way to the hospital.
A small piece of glass was stuck in Yan Xia's hand, and two drops of sulfuric acid had splashed on her foot. She was in pain from head to toe.
But she remained silent all the time. She didn't even make a sound. She just sat there quietly.
"Are you stupid? The scene was so chaotic just now. Why did you rush up? Do you know how dangerous it was? If all the sulfuric acid had splashed on you, what would you have done!" Shangguan Yao was very angry. The words just kept pouring out of his mouth like a machine - gun.
Moreover, he didn't think Wang Keding was worth saving at all. Although Wang Keding was his father, this man had always been dispensable to him.
For Yan Xia to risk her own safety to save him was simply foolish.
Wang Keding was sitting in the front passenger seat, constantly rubbing his temples. He scolded gloomily, "Why are you here again? What are you doing making a scene in a place like this!"
Shangguan Yao was instantly so angry that he laughed. "Get it straight. If it weren't for Lu Sheng just now, you'd be covered in sulfuric acid all over your body now. Would you still have the energy to talk here? You don't even say a word of thanks, and now you're making sarcastic remarks."
Yan Xia played the role of the victim to the fullest.
"I voluntarily saved Director Wang. It has nothing to do with others. Shangguan, stop shouting. You're giving me a headache."
As soon as she spoke, Shangguan Yao's voice immediately softened.
"Endure it a little longer. We'll be at the hospital soon."
Seeing that her face had turned pale from the pain, but she still endured it silently, he couldn't help but feel heart - ache. He simply reached out his hand to her.
"If you're in pain, don't bear it alone. You can hit me or pinch me. I'm not afraid of pain."
Yan Xia was on the verge of crying.
She really didn't know what expression to use to face this fool.
Wang Keding was on the phone negotiating. "We must re - examine this case. Find out this man's identity and purpose. He dared to commit a crime in public. We must not tolerate this."
At this moment, he finally showed a bit of the domineering of a person in power.
After finishing the negotiation on the phone, he finally spared a glance at Yan Xia in the rear - view mirror.
He said, "Miss Lu risked her life to save me today. I'm naturally very grateful to you. But I also know why Miss Lu is here today. We should separate different matters. We can't use this favor as an excuse."
Yan Xia lowered her eyes and sneered inwardly.
Shangguan Yao frowned tightly and became even more dissatisfied. "Damn it. We haven't even mentioned the approval for the reclamation project. You don't even say thank you, and you're already maliciously speculating about others' motives. Aren't you being too petty?"
Yan Xia didn't expect Wang Keding's own son to defend her, an outsider, like this.
The angrier Shangguan Yao got, the harder he punched the back of Wang Keding's seat. "Damn it. You must find out about this man. If there are scars on Lu Sheng's body, Third Master Lu and Lu Qianzhou will come to settle the score with you immediately."
Wang Keding turned around and glared at him.
"What do you want to do? Are you rebelling?"
Only then did Yan Xia speak up. "Of course I don't mean to use this favor to blackmail Director Wang. I can also let go of the previous misunderstandings. I just hope that when you make a decision about Xinghai Bay, you can give me priority. I'm confident that Shengshi will do better than Changling this time."