C10 Borrowed

Yang Wei glanced up to the second-floor balcony and saw the burly Lee Da holding a fruit knife to Ye Hua's throat.

Lee Da, his throat dry, warned, "Don't come any closer! Take one more step and I'll kill this wretch immediately."

Lee Da was a martial artist too, but merely at the Second Stage of Body Refining. Considering that the Four Protectors, who were at the Sixth Stage, had been slain on the spot, how could he, a mere Second Stage Body Refiner, stand a chance against Yang Wei?

So, he had taken advantage of the commotion between Yang Wei and the Four Protectors to sneak upstairs and take Ye Hua hostage with a fruit knife. He thought this might be his only chance at survival. He didn't really want to kill anyone, but if he didn't act, he was sure to meet the same fate as the Four Protectors once Yang Wei dealt with them.

At that moment, Ye Hua, his captive, was sobbing uncontrollably. "Great Hero Yang, save me," she pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Yang Wei, too, swallowed hard, cautious not to make any sudden moves. "What do you want?" he asked.

"A way out!" Lee Da was visibly sweating with fear.

"Fine, go ahead. Put down Director Ye, and I'll let you live," Yang Wei offered.

Lee Da shot back, "Do you think I'm a fool? The second I release Ye Hua, you'll kill me."

Yang Wei's brow furrowed. "Then what's your plan?"

"Let me leave. Once I'm in the car, I'll release Ye Hua."

"And if I let you go and you harm Director Ye on the way, who will I hold accountable?"

"I won't! I swear, the moment I'm in the car, I'll let Ye Hua go. I'm not lying to you!"

During this exchange, the Black Bone Sword began to materialize stealthily behind Lee Da. Yang Wei was merely buying time, looking for the right moment to strike Lee Da down with a single blow.

"Then you leave me no choice but to end this," Yang Wei declared.

"What?!" Lee Da exclaimed in alarm.

The next second, the Black Bone Sword pierced Lee Da's heart from behind. Thanks to Yang Wei's precise control, Ye Hua was left unharmed.

Her pristine white dress was unfortunately stained with a bit of dirty blood.

Lee Da's face was a picture of disbelief. In his final moments, he had wanted to take that wretched woman down with him.

But he discovered he couldn't move his hands at all, and he died with a sense of unresolved bitterness.

At that moment, Ye Hua's emotions swelled like ripples across a once still lake.

For quite some time, her heart was brimming with the joy of a narrow escape and gratitude toward Yang Wei.

Yang Wei leapt to the second floor and wrapped his coat around Ye Hua.

He whispered reassuringly, "It's all over now."

Yang Wei couldn't help but feel that this scenario was straight out of a cheesy soap opera, and it was almost too much for him.

While Yang Wei was still cringing at the thought, Ye Hua threw her arms around him, her tears flowing freely.

"Great Hero Yang, thank you. Without you, I would have died many times over."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're not going to die. As long as I'm here, you're safe," he assured her.

"Okay, okay, I won't die."

The next second, Ye Hua planted a kiss on Yang Wei's cheek.

Seeing Yang Wei blush like a ripe apple, Ye Hua chuckled and said, "You did well this time. Consider this your reward."

"..."

The night deepened as Yang Wei drove Ye Hua's car to drop her off at home.

Of course, Yang Wei had already dealt with the scene, obliterating the assassin, Lee Da's body, and the bloodstains with a single burst of energy.

After airing out the room, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Having dropped off Ye Hua, Yang Wei found a shared bicycle by the roadside. Since it was the middle of the night, there were no taxis in sight.

Back at his rental, Yang Wei collapsed on the sofa after wolfing down a few pieces of bread.

Just then, his phone rang.

"Sir! Your grandson is calling!"

Too exhausted to even glance at the screen, Yang Wei picked up the call. His eyelids felt like lead.

On the phone, Yang Wei said with impatience, "Hello? Which grandson are you? Shouldn't you be asleep at this hour?"

"Yang Wei! You think you're untouchable now, huh?" Yang Wei's mother's voice boomed through the phone, jolting him awake. He quickly responded, "No, Mom! Listen to me! I had just fallen asleep and didn't expect you to call so late."

"Enough. Tell me, what's this I hear about you being a Great Boss now? You've got a secretary and a luxury car at your disposal? You're making big money and keeping it from me, is that it?" Yang Wei inwardly cursed. The ruse had reached his mother.

"It's not like that, Mom. It's late; you should get some sleep. Good night." He hung up before she could reply.

He couldn't believe his act of pretending to be wealthy had gotten back to his mother, especially since he was still broke. Where would the money even come from? Yang Wei decided to put an end to his worries for the day.

The next morning, Yang Wei was rudely awakened by his phone's ringtone. Annoyed, he picked up. "Hello? Who's this? Why are you calling so early?"

"It's me, Master Yang. Sorry, did I interrupt your rest?" Ye Hua's sweet voice came through.

Yang Wei's irritation vanished instantly. "Oh, no, not at all. What's up, Director Ye? Why are you calling so early?"

"You're still calling me Director Ye? Not 'dear'? We're a couple now, remember?" "Temporary..." Yang Wei replied, feeling resigned.

Ye Hua chuckled. "I'll stop teasing. I'm actually downstairs from your place; I need a favor."

"Downstairs?" Yang Wei peered out the window and saw the black Maybach and the stunning Ye Hua drawing gazes from many men. Without wasting another moment, he got ready and hurried downstairs.

"What's going on, Director Ye? You didn't have to go out of your way to come find me."

Ye Hua simply giggled in response.

"We'll talk in the car."

As Yang Wei opened the car door, ready to climb in, a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Yang Wei?"

Turning to locate the voice, Yang Wei found himself facing a stocky, muscular man.

With a sleazy grin fixed on Ye Hua, the man licked his lips and taunted,

"Yang Wei, looks like a wealthy lady's got you on her payroll, huh?"

Annoyed, Yang Wei held back from reacting physically.

"Don't spout nonsense, Liu Ba. She's my employer."

Liu Ba was a local thug who had been recently released from detention.

He scoffed at Yang Wei's explanation.

"Employer? Since when does an employer personally drive out to pick up their staff early in the morning?"

"You can't even admit you're being kept by a rich woman."

"But I gotta say, this lady is stunning! Great figure, great curves!"

Liu Ba's comment was accompanied by a lecherous gesture towards Ye Hua.

Thump!

Yang Wei's fist connected with Liu Ba's stomach, sending him doubling over onto the ground, howling in pain.

Clearly, Yang Wei had restrained himself; otherwise, that punch could have been lethal for Liu Ba.