Twenty-Eight

 A few seconds later, Zhou Yang downed the entire glass of wine in one gulp. Then, he wiped the corner of his lips with his fingertip and put down the glass. His hand was still resting on the small table as he looked at Su Hao. They were already sitting close, and now, their breaths mingled slightly. Su Hao's expression remained calm.

Zhou Yang tapped the table, a hint of a smile on his face, and said, "Telling you these things, isn't it to give you a warning? You need to have feelings first to have a future."

Su Hao looked into his narrow eyes. The man seemed carefree and unbothered by her gaze.

She pursed her lips, "Got it."

After speaking, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her WeChat Moments, where she saw a picture posted by Li Xiu of her drinking milk tea, her cheeks puffed up cutely. Su Hao liked the post. Just as she was about to say something, the man beside her stood up. Zhou Yang tugged at his shirt collar and walked over to Li Yi. He picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, and leaned against the wall to smoke.

No one could see his expression.

Only Li Yi turned to glance at him.

Zhou Yang, with the cigarette dangling from his lips, said, "What are you looking at?"

"Feeling down?" Li Yi put down his pen, pulled away a young man who had missed three shots in a row, and kicked him out. Then he leaned back in his chair, studying Zhou Yang's expression. Zhou Yang pressed the cigarette with his tongue, the mint flavor spreading. Li Yi could tell that this guy was in a terrible mood.

"Never seen you like this, Zhou Yang."

"If it doesn't work out, just find a new girlfriend. Why persist with Su Hao? She's not even your type." Li Yi rarely spoke so much. He lit a cigarette and took a drag.

Zhou Yang didn't respond.

He didn't want to hide his emotions now. He put the cigarette back in his mouth, walked to the control panel, and picked up a gun, loading it.

Bang—

A shot hit the target.

Bang—

A second shot hit the target.

Bang—

A third shot hit the target.

"Wow, Zhou Yang, you're on fire!"

"Boss is boss."

"Brother Yang, you're so cool!"

"Every shot hit the target."

Zhou Yang's performance quickly caused a stir. A crowd of young men gathered around him, abandoning the other competitions. Su Hao looked up to see Zhou Yang with a cigarette in his mouth, his usual casual and playful demeanor gone. His side profile was cold and sharp, his narrow eyes slightly squinted, transforming his entire image.

People around started discussing.

"If Brother Yang hadn't decided to go into military engineering, he would have joined the army by now."

"Yeah, he'd be competing with Li Yi."

Su Hao had never seen him like this before. She was pushed to the edge of the crowd, standing outside. Zhou Yang turned, spat out his cigarette, and as he raised his head, his gaze met Su Hao's over the crowd, with a hint of hostility in his eyes. Then, he raised his gun towards Su Hao.

The crowd gasped.

In the crowd, Su Hao stood still, watching him without flinching.

Behind her, the slanting orange light bathed her, enveloping her delicate, soft form, her skirt fluttering in the breeze.

Her face, gentle and serene, blended with the moonlight.

Many people followed Zhou Yang's movement and saw Su Hao, their eyes filled with admiration.

Zhou Yang, holding the gun, looked at her in the gentle breeze, his heart pounding erratically.

After nearly a minute of this standoff, Zhou Yang lowered the gun and placed it back on the table, looking down.

Li Yi, who had been watching from the side, saw everything.

Clicking his tongue twice, he handed Zhou Yang another cigarette. Zhou Yang took it but didn't smoke, merely playing with it between his fingers.

"Zhou Yang, you bastard!" A pack of cigarettes was thrown in from outside, hitting Zhou Yang on the head. Everyone turned to look.

Su Qian angrily pointed at Zhou Yang, "What are you doing scaring Su Hao like that?"

"Aunt Su Qian, just joking, just joking."

"Yeah, Brother Yang wouldn't really hurt such a beautiful woman."

"Don't be mad!"

Su Qian tightly grasped Su Hao's hand, truly furious. Just then, a male voice came, "Aunt Su Qian, should I take you home?"

It was Chen Yu's voice.

Zhou Yang crushed the cigarette in his hand, turned, and squeezed through the crowd, looking at Chen Yu with a lazy smile, "Go back to the competition."

His eyes, however, carried a sense of intimidation.

Chen Yu hesitated, then murmured, "Alright," not daring to challenge Zhou Yang.

"Mom, Su Hao, ready to go?" Zhou Yang buttoned his shirt, walked up, and looked down at Su Hao and Su Qian, his gaze mostly on Su Hao's face.

Su Qian, still angry at his nonchalant attitude, asked, "What were you doing just now?"

How could he point a gun at Su Hao?

Su Hao stepped back, and Zhou Yang, with a faint smile, said, "It wasn't even loaded. Clearly, you weren't too scared."

Su Hao wanted to glare at him.

She wasn't really scared.

Although Zhou Yang had seemed sharp and almost merged with the darkness at that moment, it was somewhat terrifying. But for some reason, Su Hao wasn't afraid.

"Don't touch Su Hao." Su Qian pulled Zhou Yang's hand away and tightly held Su Hao's, truly frightened by what she had seen.

Su Hao reached out to comfort Su Qian.

Zhou Yang raised his eyebrows, "Okay, my bad."

"I'll take you home." He reached out, and Li Yi handed him the car keys. Zhou Yang took them, bowing slightly, "Mom, please?"

Surprisingly gentlemanly.

Su Qian snorted, turned, and led Su Hao away, holding her tightly.

Su Hao felt warmth in her heart, smiling as she tightened her grip on Su Qian's arm. Zhou Yang, hands in his pockets, watched Su Hao, his phone beeping.

He looked at it.

Li Yi: Even heroes can't resist beautiful women.

Xu Dian: Zhou Yang, you're finished.

Jiang Yu: Su Hao is not as fragile as she looks. Zhou Yang, hahaha, you're in trouble.

Li Yi: He hasn't won her over yet, and he wants to be her good friend.

Xu Dian: What? Good friend? Hahaha.

Yan Xing: Hahaha, sorry, I finally understand your story after reading the chat logs. Zhou Yang, aren't you supposed to be awesome? How come you're now just a good friend?

Jiang Yu: Digging your own grave?

Xu Dian: You'll regret this!

Arriving at the car, Zhou Yang opened the door, placed his phone in the slot, and got in. Glancing outside, he saw Su Hao and Su Qian get in, one on each side.

The wind outside was quite strong, especially near the mountain, making it even more blustery. Su Hao's hair was tousled by the wind as she leaned back in her seat, holding her phone.

Apart from the brief standoff with Zhou Yang earlier, her thoughts had been preoccupied with Shen He.

Her previous marriage had always been a thorn in her mother's heart.

Originally, her parents had a good relationship, but because of this thorn, they had argued several times, even on the day her father passed away.

Her mother's cries had awakened Su Hao.

Her mother regretted arguing with her father before his death, and Su Hao had heard it, feeling deeply hurt. If it weren't for her, her parents wouldn't have fought.

Now, Su Hao was determined to tread carefully.

She had to live up to her own expectations and her family's, ensuring her mother would never experience such regret again.

First, they dropped Su Qian off. Seeing that Su Hao wasn't actually frightened, Su Qian felt relieved. Upon arriving at the Zhou family home, Su Qian softly asked Su Hao, "Did you see any guy you liked tonight?"

Su Hao snapped out of her thoughts and replied, "No."

"How could you not?" Su Qian was a bit exasperated. "There were so many young men."

Su Hao smiled and whispered, "I only looked for a little while. I didn't see them all."

"I'll send you some photos later!" Su Qian patted her hand. "It's good to have more choices."

Su Hao remained silent.

The car suddenly braked, and Su Qian and Su Hao instinctively lurched forward, but fortunately, both were wearing seatbelts. Zhou Yang got out, opened the side door, and lazily said, "Mom, get out."

Su Qian frowned, dissatisfied with Zhou Yang tonight. "Driving so long and still in a hurry! Sudden brakes!"

Zhou Yang smiled, the wind ruffling his shirt collar, "Get out."

Since his face was obscured by the backlight, Su Qian didn't notice the slight annoyance in his eyes. After getting out, she told Zhou Yang, "Make sure you take Su Hao home safely."

"Got it." Zhou Yang closed the door and returned to the driver's seat.

Su Hao shook her head, "I won't drink. Not going."

Zhou Yang nodded, "Alright."

He then started the car and drove out of the villa. Su Hao waved at Su Qian from the window. It was past ten, and outside, the streets were bustling with cars. Soft music played in the car, and Su Hao watched the nighttime scenery pass by. The atmosphere was very peaceful when Zhou Yang suddenly asked, "Su Hao, besides cooking, do you have any other hobbies?"

Su Hao, focused on the scenery, reflexively answered, "No."

Zhou Yang chuckled.

Boring woman.

Su Hao thought for a moment and said, "You must have a lot of hobbies."

"Nothing special." Zhou Yang replied casually, not caring.

"Oh."

The car arrived at the entrance of Huahui Community, still lively with people and bustling night markets. The car unlocked, and Su Hao unbuckled her seatbelt, saying, "Zhou Yang, thank you."

The man leaned back, his eyes on the rearview mirror, and nodded, "Sleep early."

"Good night." With that, Su Hao opened the door and got out. She yawned slightly and walked toward the building. Suddenly, a loud noise erupted.

Zhou Yang looked up, seeing a black object falling from above.

His eyes widened, and in the next second, he forcefully pushed open the car door, strode forward, grabbed Su Hao's wrist, pulled her into his arms, and stepped back a few paces, hitting a pillar.

Crash—a loud sound.

Su Hao turned around to see.

Behind them was a ground covered in shattered glass.

Zhou Yang's breathing was slightly erratic. He also looked up, then leaned back. A few seconds later, the man let out a low curse.

It felt like a narrow escape.

..................................................................................................................

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