Chapter 56: A Hero Rescues the Beauty (Part 1)

"Did you give her the card?" Ling Ziheng asked, his gaze lingering outside the window as his thumb spun the Roman-patterned ring on his index finger.

"Yes, young master," Pei Xi replied, getting into the car with his head lowered.

A faint smile tugged at Ling Ziheng’s lips, the obsidian earring in his right ear catching the light with a dazzling brilliance. His usually indifferent features seemed to melt with a gentle warmth.

Weiwei, where else can you run?

He continued, "Pei Xi, send someone to protect her tonight."

"Understood," Pei Xi replied.

Even knowing that the girl was quite skilled in China, personally trained by the lord himself, they still couldn’t afford carelessness. The truly fearsome one wasn’t Chu Chuo, but the one far away, out of sight...

A shadow passed through Ling Ziheng’s eyes, a chilling aura of murderous intent flickering and vanishing in an instant.

The book in his hand, "The Siege of Bianjing," had just reached the fall of the city. All these years of lurking—apparently, he wasn’t the first to lose patience. War loomed ahead, and just as in the book, only after the clash would the true strength be revealed.

Lin Zhiwei spent some time at the studio organizing documents, then returned home.

She collapsed onto the sofa, planning her operation for the evening. She had to thank Nanyu for providing her this chance to play the hero tonight.

She opened WeChat to find several voice messages from Nanyu. She played them one by one:

"Nannan Little Angel: Xiaolinzi, how’s that tip I sent you? Was it timely enough?

Xiaolinzi, are you still there?

Hi.

Why aren’t you replying...

Your little angel is feeling so lonely and cold..."

Lin Zhiwei cursed at the chatterbox under her breath while typing her reply: "Be ready tonight."

Nannan Little Angel instantly responded: "Xiaolinzi, don’t you have any other reliable tools around? I just arrived in China, can’t you give me a break?"

She tacked on a cutesy bunny emoji.

Cuihua Cutie: "No discussion. If you mess this up, just wait and see."

Nannan Little Angel: "Fine..."

Lin Zhiwei quickly ate a takeaway meal to stave off her hunger. Night was falling. Sensing it was almost time, she changed into all-black sportswear, pulled a baseball cap low over her face, and set out lightly equipped.

She hailed a cab. An hour later, she stopped in front of the Moonlight Bar on the outskirts.

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror, seeing a calm young man scrolling through his phone, bundled up tightly with a hat brim casting his face in shadow. He guessed she was probably some minor celebrity—everyone around here knew this area was frequented by people in the entertainment world.

It was still early; inside, only a few servers were preparing drinks for the evening while cleaning up the booths.

The bar wasn’t luxurious and was relatively remote, but it had become a favorite haunt for many celebrities. It kept them safe from paparazzi, and with Ye Linyun as the owner behind the scenes, no one dared cause trouble. As for the unsavory dealings that happened here, those were an open secret.

Lin Zhiwei reviewed the surveillance images Nanyu had provided, mentally mapping out the positions of each area in the bar. Then she quietly slipped around to the dimly lit back entrance.

As expected, two men in black were standing guard, both alert and disciplined.

"Go ahead, Xiaolinzi. The surveillance is set," Nanyu’s cheerful voice came through her earpiece.

Lin Zhiwei gave a soft snort. She’d been out of practice lately; these two would make good training dummies.

She crept closer and struck with precise force, chopping one man’s neck. He dropped instantly. The other reached for his radio, but she intercepted him with a swift kick, sending him to the ground.

Though downed, the man quickly recovered and readied himself.

So, a trained fighter—interesting.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Zhiwei’s eyes.

The man sized her up carefully. She was small and slender, nimble but likely a showy amateur, he thought.

He suddenly lunged, aiming a punch at her right side. She dodged gracefully and countered with a spinning kick, her elbow catching his jaw.

He fell, staring at her in disbelief.

He was a retired special forces soldier—how did this kid know that move...?

Without wasting time, Lin Zhiwei dashed forward, leaping up to deliver a blow to the man’s head, at the same time snatching the gun he was reaching for.

Her speed was breathtaking.

The man collapsed, unconscious.

Lin Zhiwei stashed the gun inside her jacket, knelt to search for keys, and, finding them, wasted no time unlocking the door.

Inside the shabby storage room was a girl, her body covered in bruises and cuts, her mouth gagged, eyes blindfolded, hands and feet bound. She sobbed and whimpered.

A jagged scar, newly scabbed, ran down the right side of her face. Though her clothes were torn, there was a faint trace of delicate beauty in her features and fair skin.

Even trapped in such misery, the girl hadn’t given up—her hands never stopped feeling around for something she could use to escape.

When the door opened, she shrank back, trembling like a startled fawn.

Lin Zhiwei shook her head, cursing inwardly at the cruelty—how could anyone do this to a girl? Trash.

She approached slowly. Though gagged, the girl shook her head in refusal, letting out muffled cries.

A pang of pity struck Lin Zhiwei. She removed the cloth from the girl’s mouth and reached to untie the blindfold. Suddenly, the girl bit down hard on the back of her right hand.

Lin Zhiwei winced but didn’t stop, using her other hand to finish untying the blindfold.

The girl squinted, her eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden light after so long in darkness. She could only make out a slim, black-clad figure standing before her. The faint scent of soap from the young man’s body drifted over, and, inexplicably, she felt a sense of safety she hadn’t known in ages. She stopped struggling, falling quiet.

Lin Zhiwei opened her hands to show she carried no weapons, her voice gentle: "Don’t make a sound. I’m here to save you. Do you want to live?"

Though dazed, the clarity of that voice snapped something awake in the girl. Her pupils shrank, and a desperate will to survive made her nod frantically, as if the young man before her was her only hope.

Seeing her trembling nod, Lin Zhiwei deftly untied her.

The scent of freshness drew near, and the girl burst into tears. She didn’t know who this man was—days of captivity had scattered her thoughts—but though she couldn’t see his face, she clung to him like a lifeline.

"Can you walk?" Lin Zhiwei asked with concern.

The girl nodded immediately, mustering strength she didn’t know she had, and forced herself to stand.