It was a warning.
"Mr. Long, we believe in fate when doing things. Since I've already taken action, it's enough to prove my sincerity. If you keep pointing that gun at me, I might have to reconsider whether we can maintain our cooperative relationship."
Long Tao smiled lazily, as if finding her words extremely funny. He burst out laughing.
"Miss Cheng seems to have misunderstood. The initiative is in my hands now, not yours." His gun pressed harder against her waist. "We're all short on time. I don't want to watch Miss Cheng dawdle and waste time here. This is Miss Cheng's last chance. I'll count down from three. Whether you take action or not will decide whether you die or he does."
He took a step back and started counting down: "Three..."
Yan Xia's mind raced, but she couldn't seem to find a way out of the current predicament. In a panic, she raised the knife again.
She secretly calculated that if she really took action later, was there any possibility of seizing Long Tao as a hostage before he could fire? If she could manage that, there might still be a slim chance of getting out of here unscathed.
"Two." Long Tao had already counted down to two in her ear.
Just as Yan Xia was about to fight back and seize Long Tao as a hostage, there was suddenly a commotion at the door. The staff panicked and opened the door. Lu Qianzhou strode in angrily. He almost immediately spotted the gun Long Tao had pressed against Yan Xia's waist.
Before either of them could react, the door was closed again.
Lu Qianzhou raised his hand. He also held a gun in his hand and fired a shot quickly. The bullet grazed Long Tao's sleeve, tearing it and creating two precise holes.
Long Tao frowned and quickly withdrew his hand from Yan Xia's waist. Instinctively, he pointed his gun at Lu Qianzhou who was approaching. Their muzzles clashed.
Seeing it was Lu Qianzhou, Long Tao's lips twitched again. He smiled and slowly withdrew his hand.
"Mr. Lu, this is the second time you've taken action against me for a woman. It's not a trivial matter. Your attitude makes me doubt whether we can still cooperate normally. Will you turn against me for her next time?"
Lu Qianzhou strode up to them.
The situation reversed instantly with his appearance. Since Lu Qianzhou was here, Yan Xia was safe. He probably wouldn't let what had just happened occur again.
His appearance took everyone by surprise. Yan Xia knew that today's meeting with Long Tao was top - secret. She really didn't expect Lu Qianzhou to find the place and rush over.
Meanwhile, the police who were preparing an emergency plan and rushing to the scene stopped their actions.
Their priority was to ensure Yan Xia's safety. Now that Lu Qianzhou was here, the situation was different.
Lu Qianzhou just glanced at the scene in front of him briefly. Seeing that Yan Xia's hand holding the knife was still trembling slightly, he guessed what had happened and knew exactly what had transpired just now.
Seeing Yan Xia's helpless look, he suddenly raised his hand again, took the knife from Yan Xia's hand, and stabbed it into the traitor's left chest!
Yan Xia's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she even felt that her heart was about to stop.
She held her breath for a long time, not daring to relax.
It was not until she heard Shangguanyao's instruction in her earpiece.
"Point the camera at Lu Qianzhou's face."
Hearing this, Yan Xia was stunned for a moment. For some reason, she didn't point the camera at Lu Qianzhou. Instead, she shifted her body to keep the camera from capturing him.
Lu Qianzhou took a step forward and stood in front of Yan Xia, protecting her behind him. He said softly,
"He's just a traitor. Pointing your gun at my fiancée like this is inappropriate, isn't it? You were the one who wanted to cooperate with her last time. Now that you're bullying my fiancée like this, how can I bear it?"
Long Tao looked at Lu Qianzhou's series of actions in surprise. As far as he could remember, Lu Qianzhou had never really taken action before. He was a very smart man, hovering on the edge of the gray industry but always managing to avoid being caught.
But today, this man actually took action publicly for a woman. Taking such action was like slapping the police in the face.
Even the smartest man could do something stupid sometimes.
Lu Qianzhou looked back at Yan Xia, whose face was pale. He wanted to scold her but knew this wasn't the right time, so he held back.
"Mr. Lu is really enraged for his beloved. I admire you, Mr. Lu," Long Tao replied with a smile. Then his tone changed. "But you know the rules of our business. I'm just following the rules."
Lu Qianzhou replied firmly, "She's timid. I'll take action for her. Don't make things difficult for her, and don't scare her."
As he said this, his voice lingered in Yan Xia's ear. She looked up blankly and met his concerned eyes. Although he was saying things to protect her, his face was grim.
There was annoyance at her for not being up to the mark and anger at her for repeatedly ignoring his advice.
For her sake, he had broken his principle for the first time in his life.
Her willpower was gradually being shaken and broken. Her heart was pounding violently.
All she originally wanted was to avenge her sister and find out the truth behind it.
When did she get caught up in such a dangerous situation? She just wanted to get justice for her sister.
"It seems that Mr. Lu truly loves Miss Cheng. You even managed to find out about our top - secret meeting today," Long Tao knew when to stop pushing.
"Since Mr. Lu has spoken, and with Mr. Lu as a guarantor, I won't make things difficult for Miss Cheng anymore. Since Mr. Lu is here, welcome Miss Cheng to join us. Let's talk about the next phase of our cooperation."
Yan Xia quickly composed herself, gasped for breath, and locked eyes with Lu Qianzhou.
Lu Qianzhou walked beside her and they went to a nearby lounge together.
Maybe because he knew she was feeling insecure, he stayed close to her the whole time. Even when choosing a seat, he sat next to Yan Xia, and she didn't object.
He could clearly see all her emotions but never exposed her. He let her be, just as he had said at the beginning. He was always waiting for her to take revenge on him without fighting back.
He had truly kept his promise.
Long Tao talked to her for a long time. Yan Xia remembered the important details in her mind but didn't listen to the unimportant side - issues at all.
Her mind was in a mess. She just wanted to end everything quickly, leave this place, and escape the oppressive atmosphere.