Chapter 186

Chapter 186: I'll Pay Her Back with My Life The police and ambulance arrived quickly. The two thugs were taken away by the police. At the hospital, outside the emergency room. A Wen and Yu Jiaojiao wore anxious, worried expressions. Yu Jiaojiao paced back and forth in the corridor, muttering under her breath, "Lawyer Ruan will be fine, she'll definitely be fine..." A Wen's expression was grave, her lips pressed tightly together. She leaned against the wall with her eyes lowered, silent. Soon, Ruan Shaodong and Yang Xuelian, having received the news, rushed over in a panic. "How is Tangtang?" Ruan Shaodong asked A Wen urgently. A Wen lowered her eyes, her face full of guilt, her voice hoarse as she said, "The boss took a gunshot to the chest. I don't know if it hit her heart." Hearing this, Ruan Shaodong's body swayed, nearly losing his balance. "How could this happen?" Ruan Shaodong's eyes widened in disbelief, filled with pain. "It's all because of me..." Yu Jiaojiao said from the side, her eyes red and her voice choked with tears. "From that angle, the bullet shouldn't have hit Lawyer Ruan. It should have been me who got shot. Lawyer Ruan pushed me aside to save me, and that's why she got hit... I'm sorry, it's all my fault..." "Mr. Ruan, these people weren't ordinary." A Wen said seriously. "I fought both of them. They were clearly professionally trained mercenaries. I also spotted this mark on the back of one of their necks—it's the tattoo mark of mercenaries under the largest gang in Country A." A Wen pulled up a photo on her phone and showed it to Ruan Shaodong. The photo was taken with her phone before the police arrived. The man who had been stabbed in the calf with a dagger and knocked out by the sedative had a black gun-shaped tattoo on the back of his neck. Ruan Shaodong looked down at the photo and murmured, "The largest gang in Country A? Isn't that..." "It's Fu Yuanzhou's people." Before Ruan Shaodong could finish his sentence, another cold, sharp voice cut in. Ruan Shaodong looked toward the source of the voice. Jiang Shixu, his expression grim, walked quickly toward them. "I was careless this time." Jiang Shixu's brows were tightly furrowed. "Fu Yuanzhou isn't dead. The corpse in the ruins of the base was a scapegoat he had prepared in advance." "Fu Yuanzhou again?" Ruan Shaodong was so angry he was panting heavily. "Every wrong has its source, every debt has its debtor. Why does he have to drag my family into his grudge with the Jiang family? Our Tangtang broke up with you and cut ties with you long ago. Why does he still have to come after Tangtang?" Jiang Shixu's dark eyes were deep and profound, grief surging within them. "Because of me." "I'm sorry, Uncle." Jiang Shixu's voice was low. "Before the Country A prime ministerial election, I had already made my preparations. I flew to Country A personally to deal with Fu Yuanzhou. The plan was flawless, but there was a leak—there was a traitor among my men who tipped off Fu Yuanzhou in advance. He left a scapegoat in Country A while he himself escaped through an underground passage in disguise." "Our people, together with the Country A government, wiped out all of Fu Yuanzhou's forces in Country A. I thought he was dead and that Tangtang would no longer be threatened by him, so I started getting close to Tangtang again..." "Fu Yuanzhou has lost everything. His armed forces are either dead or have surrendered. There's no way he can make a comeback. This time, he's at the end of his rope. He came back to Huaxia specifically to take revenge on me, to die together with me. The two thugs who hurt Tangtang were his subordinates who escaped with him. They were ordered by Fu Yuanzhou to kill Tangtang, while Fu Yuanzhou himself brought people to deal with me." After Jiang Shixu finished speaking, Ruan Shaodong noticed that Jiang Shixu was also injured. He was wearing a black shirt, and the blood soaking through the fabric wasn't visible. Blood had flowed down to the back of his hand—vivid red against the man's fair, jade-like skin, creating a striking visual contrast. Yu Jiaojiao noticed it too. She didn't understand anything about Fu Yuanzhou or Country A's forces, but she understood that the two thugs who had attacked them weren't ordinary people. No wonder one of them had a gun even though Huaxia had strict gun control. "President Jiang, you're injured too. Go find a doctor to treat that quickly." Yu Jiaojiao was startled by the sight of Jiang Shixu's blood-covered hand. But Jiang Shixu shook his head. "I'll stay here with Tangtang." "Jiang Shixu." Ruan Shaodong's eyes were bloodshot as he glared fiercely at Jiang Shixu, each word dripping with deep hatred, as if squeezed through clenched teeth. "If my Tangtang..." The words "doesn't make it through resuscitation" simply wouldn't come out of Ruan Shaodong's mouth. He paused, then said through gritted teeth, "Even if I have to lose everything I own, I'll make the Jiang family pay!" "Fu Yuanzhou has already been taken away by the police." Jiang Shixu lowered his eyes. "This time, there's no way he can escape." "Uncle." Jiang Shixu raised his eyes to meet Ruan Shaodong's furious gaze and said softly, "If Tangtang... I'll pay her back with my life." Hearing this. Ruan Shaodong, Yang Xuelian, and Yu Jiaojiao were all stunned. None of them expected Jiang Shixu to say such a thing. Not just Ruan Shaodong and Yu Jiaojiao—even A Wen, who rarely showed any emotional fluctuation, was shocked. The young master of the Jiang family—how could someone of his status resort to dying for love? Soon, Ruan Shaodong snapped out of it. He let out a cold snort and roared angrily, "Pay with your life? What use is paying with your life? If something really happens to Tangtang, would giving her your life bring her back?" Jiang Shixu's brows furrowed tightly, his lips pressed together in silence. "Um..." Yu Jiaojiao stammered, "President Ruan, Lawyer Ruan is still in surgery right now. The outcome isn't necessarily bad. She—she's so kind. Heaven has eyes. It won't let anything happen to her..." As she trailed off, grief overwhelmed her, and her voice choked with sobs. "That's right, Tangtang will definitely be fine. Shaodong, don't think about the worst-case scenario..." Yang Xuelian gently patted Ruan Shaodong's back, soothing him in a soft voice. Even as she said this, Yang Xuelian couldn't help but redden her eyes. Tangtang wasn't her biological daughter, but she had always raised her as if she were her own. Over all these years, Tangtang's attitude toward her had gradually shifted from initial aversion and rejection to acceptance. Tangtang's career was just taking off, and everything was moving in a positive direction. How could this happen... She was still so young. Before long, the other two partners of the law firm, Lu Shuci and Zhang Yang, along with several other lawyers, rushed over. The Zhou siblings, Qin Yan, Chen Yuanyuan, Liu Ming, and Liu Yue also arrived. The corridor was crowded with people, yet everyone remained silent without exception. A deathly stillness hung over the packed hallway. Everyone's hearts were heavy and oppressed. They all prayed silently, hoping that Chu Tang would make it through this ordeal safely.