Chapter 8: A Higher Level of Skill

Nie Yunyang was injured?

Mu Qingyao felt an instant jolt of anxiety. As Nie Yunyang stripped off his jacket, she saw his white undershirt soaked through with blood—a shocking and harrowing sight.

For some reason, whenever this man stood by her side, Mu Qingyao felt a sense of peace. It was a feeling of security she had never experienced in her life. This man, who often seemed so irreverent, made her feel incredibly grounded.

Mu Qingyao was no fool; the three men from the night before had been easily dispatched by Nie Yunyang, clearly marking them as mere thugs. Unfortunately, the scarred man she had just seen was capable of wounding him, which meant he was a formidable opponent. She dared not imagine how dangerous her situation would be if Nie Yunyang fell, and she could only pray for his victory.

Nie Yunyang’s jacket was his only weapon. When Huo Kun lunged at him, he threw the garment directly into the man’s face to obscure his vision. Huo Kun dodged quickly and swung his boning knife at Nie Yunyang’s chest, but Nie side-stepped the blow, caught the falling jacket, and kicked toward Huo Kun’s abdomen. In return, the knife streaked toward Nie Yunyang’s throat.

Nie Yunyang avoided the fatal strike, allowing the blade to graze his chest and leave a shallow but bloody gash. In a flash, he used the jacket to entangle Huo Kun’s right arm. As Huo Kun tried to avoid a knee strike, Nie Yunyang yanked his arm aside and delivered a heavy punch square to his face.

Once a person’s head sustains a heavy blow, they experience a brief moment of vertigo. Seizing the rare opportunity, Nie Yunyang landed an elbow to Huo Kun’s temple and followed up with a kick that sent him flying. Huo Kun hit the ground hard, his boning knife skittering away. Seeing stars and with his mind blank, he struggled to get back up.

"Thanks to you, I've drawn blood for the first time since coming down from the mountain."

Nie Yunyang’s undershirt was already drenched. The intensity of the fight had reopened his wounds, causing blood to flow like a spring. Yet, he felt no fear; after all, falling off the cliffs of Mount Longhu had been ten times worse than this.

Huo Kun, battered by the consecutive blows, was powerless and could only struggle on the ground, unable to rise. Nie Yunyang did not press his advantage, instead picking up the boning knife.

"Your knife skills are decent, but it's a pity your fundamentals are lacking," Nie Yunyang remarked.

Huo Kun had been defeated soundly. Unwilling to accept it, he asked, "Who on earth are you?"

"Me? I'm just a bodyguard. Since you wanted to stab my employer with that knife, I naturally had to teach you a lesson," Nie Yunyang said playfully, twirling the boning knife in his hand.

Huo Kun sighed. "In this business, what goes around comes around. You won. Do it."

"Big brother, we live in a society governed by law. If I kill you, the police will have me facing a firing squad," Nie Yunyang said with a grin, before plunging the knife into Huo Kun’s thigh.

Huo Kun grimaced in agony. A man who had lived by the blade all his life had, for the first time, been undone by his own game.

"Regardless of who your master is behind the scenes, tell him not to set his sights on Yaoyao, or I will fight you to the bitter end," Nie Yunyang said. He searched Huo Kun, found his phone, and tossed it into the river.

Huo Kun cursed in rage; that was a brand-new phone he had spent three thousand yuan on. Nie Yunyang clapped his hands and led Mu Qingyao away.

***

"Kid, I owe you my life. I will pay it back one day."

After saying this, Huo Kun pulled the knife from his leg, bandaged it briefly, and limped away.

When they reached the Audi A6, Nie Yunyang instinctively headed for the driver's seat, but Mu Qingyao stopped him. "You’re injured. Let me drive," she said softly.

Has this girl had a change of heart?

Nie Yunyang was baffled, but he handed over the keys.

"I'll take you to the nearest hospital," Mu Qingyao said, eyeing the blood on his clothes.

Nie Yunyang shook his head. "It’s just a scratch. Why go to the hospital?"

"You have to go. If the wound gets infected, you'll be in agony," Mu Qingyao insisted.

Nie Yunyang had no choice but to let her have her way.

By the time they arrived at the People's Hospital, Mu Qingyao was running around taking care of everything. She only breathed a sigh of relief after Nie Yunyang had received his injections and his wounds were bandaged.

At four in the morning, Mu Qingyao was exhausted. Nie Yunyang told her to sleep in the back seat while he drove back. She was deeply worried and kept asking if he was capable of driving, which eventually made him snap—a man could never admit he wasn't up to the task, could he?

It was four-thirty by the time they returned to the Longhu Huamanting complex. After Mu Qingyao stepped out of the car, Nie Yunyang prepared to head back to the Rongcheng Huafu residence.

Mu Qingyao hesitated for a moment. "Why don't you sleep here tonight? In your condition, even climbing the stairs will be a struggle."

Nie Yunyang’s eyes widened, thinking she was joking.

Mu Qingyao blushed a deep red. "Don't get any wild ideas. I'm just afraid you'll drop dead."

"Yaoyao, could it be you know exactly what I'm thinking?" Nie Yunyang teased.

Seeing him push his luck, Mu Qingyao snapped, "You mutt, who gave you permission to call me so affectionately? You can sleep on the sofa; it’s big enough. I’ll give you a quilt so you don't catch a cold."

"I understand. You aren't mentally prepared yet, so you won't let me sleep in the bed," Nie Yunyang said with a wicked grin.

"Shameless!"

Mu Qingyao landed a playful punch on his chest. Caught off guard, the movement aggravated his wound, and he immediately broke into a violent coughing fit that brought tears to his eyes.

Mu Qingyao realized something was wrong and quickly patted his back. "It’s your own fault for trying to take advantage of me. Are you happy now?"

"I think you’re just trying to take me out while you have the chance," Nie Yunyang teased.

Mu Qingyao rolled her eyes and helped him upstairs.

As the door opened, a faint, elegant fragrance wafted toward him. Nie Yunyang sniffed, noting that it smelled very much like Mu Qingyao herself. The apartment was spacious yet minimalist, with landscape paintings on the walls and a view of Chongqing’s night skyline from the windows.

"Find somewhere to rest. There’s food and drink in the fridge if you want it," Mu Qingyao said before retreating into the master bedroom, locking the door behind her to take a shower.

In the dead of night, with a man and a woman alone in the room—given Nie Yunyang’s skills, she wouldn't even have a chance to resist if he chose to act.

***

Nie Yunyang drank a bottle of Yili milk to replenish his strength and looked around the apartment. It was a three-bedroom, two-living-room suite, and the crystal chandelier in the living room was dazzling. However, worn out from the day's events and the fierce battle, he fell asleep on the sofa.

When Mu Qingyao emerged from her shower in her pajamas, she saw Nie Yunyang snoring away and couldn't help but chuckle. She knew, however, that he was a man of integrity; otherwise, he wouldn't have stepped in front of her to take those two knife wounds.

That scarred man had been ferocious, yet Nie Yunyang had subdued him, even throwing his phone into the river to prevent him from calling for reinforcements. A man who was a stranger until recently had appeared in her life, and despite his annoying personality, he had protected her time and again.

At this thought, her beautiful face flushed slightly. She quickly pushed the strange thoughts aside, went back to her room to get a quilt, and covered him with it. Then, she returned to her bedroom to sleep peacefully.

The next morning, it was already ten o'clock when Nie Yunyang opened his heavy eyes. Mu Qingyao was busy in the kitchen.

Nie Yunyang threw off the quilt, stood up, and asked, "Why are you up so early?"

"Making a bowl of wontons to feed this lazy pig," she replied.

Nie Yunyang had no retort. He walked to the bathroom, picked up a disposable toothbrush, and started washing up. Mu Qingyao served two bowls of wontons on the dining table, picked up her own, and began to eat.

After breakfast, Nie Yunyang drove Mu Qingyao to the Shengshi Company.

Before heading upstairs, she instructed him, "I'm giving you the day off. Go back, change into clean clothes, and get some rest. Come pick me up tonight."

"As you command."

Nie Yunyang said his farewell and drove away.

Back at the Rongcheng Huafu residence, he changed into clean clothes and opened his laptop to look up some information.

In the Liangjiang New Area, inside a financial center building, there was a trading company. The receptionist was beautiful—fair-skinned, pretty, and long-legged—which seemed to fit the owner’s tastes perfectly.

The receptionist offered a polite smile. "Sir, who are you looking for?"

"Is the little fatty here? Your boss," Nie Yunyang said.

The receptionist maintained her smile. "Sir, do you have an appointment?"

"No appointment, but I’m an old acquaintance of your boss. Just give him a call; he’ll definitely come to see me," Nie Yunyang said.

"Very well, please wait a moment."

The receptionist dialed the chairman's number and received a definitive answer. Soon, a short, portly man came running out of the elevator, his face beaming with joy...