Chapter 44: Mr. Lu Saved Her Again

“Xi Xi…”

His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Immediately afterward, his tall figure collapsed heavily forward, falling to the ground just a step away from Qiao Xi.

“Mr. Fu!”

“Catch him!”

Chaos erupted instantly at the scene.

Zhou Ze and the police officers immediately engaged the assailant, gunshots and the sounds of struggle filling the air.

No one noticed another group stealthily infiltrating through a hidden entrance of the abandoned building.

Lu Yanzhi walked in front as if at leisure, followed by several men in black, their movements swift and professional.

He quickly located the unconscious Qiao Xi, glanced at the collapsed Fu Yancheng beside her, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

“Be quick,” he ordered softly.

Two men in black stepped forward at once.

They carefully lifted the unconscious Qiao Xi, wrapped her in a prepared blanket, and swiftly retreated along their original path.

Lu Yanzhi cast one last deep, inscrutable look at the chaotic battleground and the fallen Fu Yancheng before turning away, vanishing into the turmoil.

-

Qiao Xi slowly regained consciousness.

A dull ache lingered in her neck and body from the electric shock, and her head was swimming.

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids.

Above her was the ceiling of an opulent, unfamiliar hotel suite.

She… had been rescued?

Who had saved her?

She tried to sit up, but the movement tugged at her wounds, making her gasp in pain.

“Don’t move. You’re still injured.”

A gentle, familiar male voice sounded nearby.

Qiao Xi turned toward the voice.

She saw Lu Yanzhi sitting on the sofa beside her bed, worry and concern etched on his face.

“Mr. Lu…?” Qiao Xi was stunned. “Why is it you? Where am I…?”

“This is my private hotel. You’re safe here.” Lu Yanzhi’s tone was warm. “How do you feel?”

“The doctor just checked on you. You suffered some superficial injuries and a fright. You need good rest.”

Qiao Xi’s heart was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

“It was you… you saved me? How did you find me?”

Lu Yanzhi smiled faintly, his smile as gentle as ever, though his gaze had grown deeper. “It was a coincidence, really.

“I happened to be nearby on business, and heard something unusual, so I went to take a look.”

He spoke as if it were nothing, as though he had simply chanced upon a hero’s rescue.

“I didn’t expect to find you being attacked by those people… Luckily, I arrived in time.”

Looking into his sincere and concerned eyes, Qiao Xi recalled how he had come to her aid in her moments of peril time and again.

A surge of gratitude and unspoken, complex feelings welled up inside her.

With her face still pale, she offered heartfelt thanks: “Mr. Lu, once again… thank you for saving me. If not for you, I might have…”

“It was nothing. Don’t dwell on it.” Lu Yanzhi gently interrupted her, his gaze pained as it lingered on her face.

“You’re safe now. Just focus on resting—don’t think too much.”

Qiao Xi was deeply moved, and a sob of fear and relief escaped her.

At that moment, in the VIP ward of the city’s central hospital—

Fu Yancheng lay in a hospital bed, his head wrapped in thick white gauze, his face deathly pale, brows deeply furrowed.

Even unconscious, he was visibly uneasy.

“Xi Xi…”

His thin lips murmured indistinctly, cold sweat beading on his forehead, as if trapped in a nightmare.

The hand without an IV clenched the bedsheet, the knuckles white.

Zhou Ze kept vigil at his side, eyes bloodshot, face etched with anxiety and worry.

He glanced at Fu Yancheng, then repeatedly toward the door.

The doctor had just finished an examination, saying Fu Yancheng’s head had suffered a heavy blow and he needed rest and observation, but thankfully there was no severe intracranial bleeding.

Yet what worried Zhou Ze more than Fu Yancheng’s injuries was—

Qiao Xi was missing!

In the chaos at the scene, they had quickly subdued all the assailants, and the police began clearing the area and collecting evidence.

But when Zhou Ze rushed to check on Qiao Xi,

He was shocked to find that the unconscious Qiao Xi had vanished into thin air.

They turned the abandoned factory upside down, questioned everyone present, but there was no trace of her.

She had disappeared as if off the face of the earth.

Zhou Ze immediately mobilized all his contacts and police resources to search for her.

Just now, he finally received a preliminary police report, and the findings left him even more at a loss.

“Mr. Zhou, we’ve reviewed all possible surveillance footage around the factory. After analyzing and consolidating the clues, we can basically confirm…”

“Miss Qiao Xi was taken away by people working for Mr. Lu Yanzhi. We saw his car leaving through a nearby exit around the time of the incident.”

Lu Yanzhi!

How could it be him?

Why did he take the unconscious Qiao Xi? Was it to save her—or did he have other motives?

A cold sweat broke out on Zhou Ze.

He knew about the subtle relationship between Lu Yanzhi and Mr. Fu, and was all too aware that Lu Yanzhi seemed to harbor feelings for Madam.

Now Mr. Fu was unconscious, and Madam was in Lu Yanzhi’s hands…

He dared not imagine the consequences.

He immediately tried to contact Lu Yanzhi, but his call was routed to the secretary, who said Mr. Lu was busy and could not answer.

He sent people to Lu Yanzhi’s usual residences and company, but all replies were that neither Mr. Lu nor Miss Qiao had been seen.

Zhou Ze was like an ant on a hot pan, yet he dared not act rashly.

Without Mr. Fu’s orders, barging into Lu Yanzhi’s territory could escalate the situation, putting Madam in even greater danger.

Moreover, Lu Yanzhi could easily claim he had rescued Qiao Xi; they had no evidence to prove he had any hidden intentions.

His only hope now was for Mr. Fu to wake up as soon as possible.

“Mr. Fu… please, wake up…” Zhou Ze stared at Fu Yancheng, still trapped in nightmares, and whispered hoarsely, “Madam needs you…”

Inside the hotel suite.

Qiao Xi’s terror at her narrow escape gradually subsided.

But a sense of loss began to spread quietly in her heart.

She had been rescued—at her most desperate moment, it was Lu Yanzhi who appeared like a god.

And yet… why did part of her heart feel so empty?

She couldn’t help but think of Fu Yancheng.

He was probably still abroad, busy with that important celebration, wasn’t he?

Did he know she’d nearly died? Did he feel even the slightest worry?

Perhaps he didn’t even know what had happened to her. He was so busy—maybe he wouldn’t even spare a call.

Compared to the gentle, attentive Lu Yanzhi who had saved her from danger time and again, the contrast made Qiao Xi’s heart ache with bitterness.

Her eyes reddened again.

Just then, a sudden thought flashed through her mind.

Those thugs had taken her phone, but… the SD card with the original recording evidence was still safe!

Excitement surged within her, color returning to her pale cheeks.

She grabbed Lu Yanzhi’s sleeve in a rush, looking up at him anxiously:

“Mr. Lu, could you… take me to the car? I need to retrieve something very important.”