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Psst! We're moving!
Jiang Chuan didn’t have the patience to wait for the elevator and sprinted up the stairs.
There were people watching every exit of the parking lot. If someone had left, there would definitely be news. The person must still be in the hotel.
Jiang Chuan ran to the entrance of the auction hall on the third floor but was stopped: “Sir, the auction has already started. You can’t enter without an invitation.”
Jiang Chuan bit his lower lip, his gaze sharp. He glanced at the tightly closed door, then turned around and texted Qin Tang.
[Is everything alright inside?]
She replied quickly.
[Yes, what happened?]
Jiang Chuan stared at his phone. Qin Tang had met Zhao Feng and Zhao Qianhe before, and she was alert. If there were any problems, she would call him. He lowered his head to type a message while walking toward the corridor.
On the stage, Lu Sha was vividly introducing the auction items. Qin Tang’s phone vibrated in her hand. She glanced down and smiled faintly.
[Be a good girl.]
Jiang Chuan slipped his phone back into his pocket and paced around. There was only one entrance to the auction hall.
Either they had sneaked in beforehand or flown in like flies.
Since Jiang Kun had temporarily decided not to attend the auction, there was no need for Zhao Feng to go in either.
Eliminating that possibility, where would Zhao Feng go after leaving?
Jiang Chuan lit a cigarette and casually glanced over, spotting two men in black clothes heading toward the elevator. They were muscular, with sharper and more intense gazes than ordinary people. As soon as the elevator doors opened, the two stepped in.
Jiang Chuan immediately followed.
But it was too late; the elevator doors had already closed.
He stood outside the elevator, staring at the changing numbers.
10, 16, 25, 31.
Jiang Kun was staying on the 25th floor.
The 31st floor was the top floor.
Jiang Chuan took two steps back, turned, and headed toward the stairwell. The faster he walked, the more he sped up. Once he turned the corner and hid in the deserted staircase, he sprinted while dialing a call: “10th floor, 16th floor, I’m heading to the 31st floor.”
Arriving at the 31st floor.
Jiang Chuan faintly heard sounds of fighting above. The closer he got, the clearer the sounds became.
Two shadows lay at the stairwell entrance, standing upright and occasionally pacing, as if on patrol.
Jiang Chuan leaned against the wall, lightly licking his lips, and sent a message to Cao Sheng: “Something’s happening on the top floor.”
Soon, a few people arrived.
Jiang Chuan couldn’t show himself now. Cao Sheng patted his shoulder, and Jiang Chuan nodded, pointing downstairs.
He needed to wait on the third floor.
Cao Sheng led the team upstairs, while Jiang Chuan walked slowly, listening to the commotion.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Is the top floor yours? Can’t we come up?”
“If you know what’s good for you, scram.”
...
A chaotic fight broke out.
Jiang Chuan returned to the third floor and received the news.
Those on the top floor were just a few troublemakers, all taken away for questioning.
Cao Sheng confirmed: “This auction was probably Jiang Kun’s way of testing us. But it wasn’t a total loss. Zhao Qianhe is also in this hotel. Jiang Kun’s last-minute withdrawal from the auction is likely related to him. The old fox’s tail is about to show.”
Jiang Chuan glanced at the time, his eyes fixed on the exit, and said: “I’m afraid he’ll be even more cautious this time.”
Cao Sheng smiled faintly: “Exactly, but Zhao Qianhe doesn’t care.”
“Mm.”
After exchanging a few words, Jiang Chuan saw the auction hall door open, and someone walked out.
Jiang Chuan hung up the phone, hands in his pockets, silently staring at the entrance, waiting for the girl to come out.
As soon as Qin Tang turned around, someone called her from behind: “Qin Tang.”
She turned her head.
Lu Sha, swaying gracefully with her dress, walked over and smiled: “You didn’t raise your paddle just now.”
Qin Tang glanced at her and said: “There was nothing worth spending my money on.”
Lu Sha raised an eyebrow: “Then what are you interested in? I can give you an invitation next time.”
“No need.”
Qin Tang turned to leave.
Lu Sha followed her: “There’s a cocktail party tonight. Don’t forget to attend.”
The cocktail party was set on the fifth floor of the hotel.
Qin Tang hadn’t forgotten about it, but she originally didn’t plan to go. Now, seeing Lu Sha’s smiling face, she smiled faintly: “Alright.”
The two walked out one after the other, with Lu Sha trailing behind, chatting with a male buyer in his 30s.
Before reaching the door, two men approached them. They weren’t young, at least not in her eyes—both in their 30s, clearly businessmen with protruding bellies and a prosperous demeanor. One of them held a trophy—a pair of imperial concubine bracelets—and smiled: “Miss Qin.”
Qin Tang looked at him politely: “Hello.”
The man extended the exquisite box toward her: “This is something I specially bid on for Miss Qin.”
Qin Tang’s gaze remained unchanged, and she smiled faintly: “No need, thank you.”
After speaking, she turned and left.
She was very clear about what these people were after—her looks, her body, or her family background.
After taking just a couple of steps, she saw Jiang Chuan by the door, hands in his pockets, his eyes dark and silent, his lips pressed into a thin line.
She glanced at him and walked over.
Jiang Chuan was different.
The way he looked at her seemed to always be only for her.
Pure, unrelated to anything else.
Standing in front of him, she smiled faintly: “Why do you look like a bodyguard?”
Jiang Chuan chuckled: “A bodyguard isn’t bad, especially a personal one.”
Qin Tang caught the implication in his words, and her ears reddened slightly: “Let’s go upstairs and sit for a while.”
Jiang Chuan naturally wouldn’t attend any cocktail parties with her, but there was still some time. He walked ahead, and Qin Tang followed a step behind him.
Lu Sha stared at their backs from behind, her gaze gradually turning cold.
Until a man beside her called her: “Miss Lu?”
Lu Sha lightly chuckled: “Mr. Lin, sorry, what did you just say?”
“I said, remember to send me an invitation for the next auction.”
“Sure, no problem. I’ll do my best to arrange it.”
“By the way, you seem quite familiar with Miss Qin. I remember you were the auctioneer at the last An Yi Charity Auction.”
“Yes.”
That man’s eyes revealed desire, which Lu Sha understood all too well. She smiled: “She’s not easy to pursue.”
The man reluctantly withdrew his gaze: “Indeed.”
He looked at Lu Sha and smiled: “Miss Lu, would you honor me with a dance later?”
Settling for second best?
Lu Sha’s expression slowly darkened, but only for a moment before a smile reappeared on her face: “Sure.”
...
At this time, there were quite a few people waiting for the elevator.
Jiang Chuan turned his head: “Shall we take the stairs?”
Qin Tang: “Alright.”
It was only two floors, so taking the stairs wasn’t tiring.
At the turn, in a corner where no one could see, Jiang Chuan reached out to pinch her earlobe and casually asked: “Did that man just try to give you something?”
Qin Tang smiled at him, somewhat deliberately: “Yes, a pair of imperial concubine bracelets, worth over three million.”
Jiang Chuan let out a soft hum: “Stay away from him during the cocktail party.”
“Why?” she asked lightly.
“That look in his eyes—it’s too infuriating.”
Qin Tang reached for his hand, and he paused, gripping hers tightly. His palm was rough, while her skin was smooth. Every time they touched, it felt like an electric shock, like static electricity when taking off a sweater in winter—just a quick jolt.
She asked: “Then what kind of look do you give me?”
Jiang Chuan stopped, turned around, and looked down at her.
That gaze was the same as it was at night, as if it could crush her.
Qin Tang’s heart trembled, and she stared straight into his eyes. After a while, she tilted her face up, her hand resting on his shoulder.
But Jiang Chuan suddenly pressed on her shoulder, looking at her with a teasing smile: “Someone’s coming.”
Qin Tang pursed her lips and heard the faint sound of footsteps.
“Oh.”
She quickly composed herself, her expression calm, but the slight pinkness of her earlobes betrayed her current mood.
Jiang Chuan faintly curved his lips, released her hand, and walked ahead.
Qin Tang didn’t have time to avert her gaze and met the eyes of a man descending from the higher steps. The scar on his brow was grotesque, and two tall men followed behind him. Her heart thudded rapidly, and she instinctively looked at Jiang Chuan. Jiang Chuan’s back was straight, his jaw tightly clenched.
Zhao Qianhe saw them and lightly chuckled: “What a coincidence.”
Qin Tang bit her lip and moved behind Jiang Chuan, her gaze shifting elsewhere.
Since the last time Qin Tang was kidnapped, Jiang Chuan and Zhao Qianhe hadn’t met face-to-face. He looked at Zhao Qianhe, his gaze calm: “It is a coincidence.”
Zhao Qianhe looked at Qin Tang and descended two steps.
The three men behind him, tall and imposing, created an overwhelming sense of pressure from above.
Jiang Chuan recognized the two men behind Zhao Qianhe—they were the ones he had encountered outside the elevator earlier. He narrowed his eyes slightly; those people on the top floor had been arranged beforehand. It was deliberate—to draw the police’s attention to the top floor.
He had underestimated them.
Qin Tang stared straight into Zhao Qianhe’s eyes, and Zhao Qianhe suddenly chuckled: “Miss Qin, no need to be nervous.”
At first, she was indeed a little tense, but then she thought about how this was a five-star hotel. A single shout would bring people running. Zhao Qianhe wouldn’t be so foolish as to start a conflict with Jiang Chuan here.
True enough, Zhao Qianhe didn’t linger. He glanced at Jiang Chuan and turned to leave.
As they passed each other,
he suddenly turned his head, staring at Qin Tang, and casually curled his lips into a smile. Combined with the scar on his brow, the smile looked grotesque and terrifying: “Miss Qin, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Being with someone like Jiang Chuan will leave you a widow sooner or later.”
Qin Tang’s body trembled violently, her gaze instantly turning cold as she gritted her teeth and glared at him.
Jiang Chuan’s face darkened significantly, but he said nothing.
Zhao Qianhe laughed loudly and walked away with his men.
The air was deathly silent.
Qin Tang stood still, unmoving.
Jiang Chuan pulled her into his arms, his voice low and hoarse: “Scared?”
Qin Tang’s fingers clutched the hem of his shirt, and she shook her head slightly, her voice trembling: “No, I believe in you.”
Jiang Chuan lowered his head and kissed her forehead gently.
Suddenly flustered, Qin Tang tugged at his collar, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tilted her face up to kiss his lips urgently, fearfully, as if desperately trying to hold onto something.
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