"Ah!"
Seeing the sudden attack, Ye Zhiwei cried out in surprise and froze on the spot, not knowing what to do.
"Quick, get out of the way!"
Fortunately, Song Qiao had been wary. With quick eyes and hands, he pushed her aside.
The assassin, who had been confident of success, missed his target. The dagger grazed Ye Zhiwei's back, but she escaped unharmed.
However, after failing to strike, the assassin did not give up. He agilely turned and lunged at Ye Zhiwei again.
Seeing that the assailant was prepared to fight to the death, Song Qiao felt a surge of courage.
He casually grabbed a stool from the entrance of the nearby restaurant and, without hesitation, threw it at the assassin.
The assassin did not expect Song Qiao and Ye Zhiwei to not only not flee but to fight back. He was too slow to dodge. With a scream, he dropped the dagger.
"Damn it, who's meddling with my business?"
Song Qiao saw that although the opponent was no longer able to resist, he showed no mercy.
He first kicked the dagger on the ground far away, then swung the stool again at the assailant's back, knocking him unconscious.
"Phew."
Seeing that the threat was completely neutralized, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He then cast a helpless glance at Ye Zhiwei and took out his phone to call the police.
"Thank you, thank you so much."
"But how did you know someone was going to assassinate me?"
Ye Zhiwei's face was pale with fright. After a long pause, she came to her senses and asked Song Qiao with confusion.
"I was drinking nearby and saw this person acting suspiciously, following you. So I came to remind you to leave quickly."
Before rushing forward, Song Qiao had already thought of a plausible excuse. Therefore, he lied without batting an eye.
"Is that so? I'm truly grateful. If it weren't for you, I would have died today."
Ye Zhiwei listened, her face full of gratitude, almost bowing deeply.
"It's nothing, just a small favor."
Song Qiao waved his hand nonchalantly, indicating that she didn't need to be polite.
Then he hesitated and reminded Ye Zhiwei:
"But the police will be here soon, so you should quickly think about whether you've offended anyone."
Although Song Qiao knew the whole story, he pretended to be ignorant.
If he appeared to know too much, it would likely make Ye Zhiwei suspicious.
As expected, after his reminder, Ye Zhiwei fell into deep thought.
Only after a few minutes did she slowly say, "It must have been Mo Ling. Besides her, I can't think of anyone else who would hold a grudge against me."
"Our Lan Hai Industry has always been in competition with her company, and she's been trying everything to put me to death."
Song Qiao nodded slightly, understanding the situation.
"Alas, this Mo Ling just won't let up on our Lan Hai Industry. I don't know how to deal with this trouble."
Seeing that Song Qiao remained silent, Ye Zhiwei continued to ponder.
Because she trusted her savior, she inadvertently revealed her inner worries.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Since we met, it's fate. I can help you solve this trouble."
Song Qiao chuckled and comforted Ye Zhiwei.
Before Ye Zhiwei could react to Song Qiao's meaning, the police arrived at the scene and took away the unconscious assassin.
After taking Ye Zhiwei and Song Qiao back to the police station to make statements, it was already eight or nine o'clock in the evening.
Song Qiao worried that if the assassin failed this afternoon, he might attack again when they let down their guard. Thus, he personally drove Ye Zhiwei back home.
Ye Zhiwei did not refuse. For some reason, she always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Song Qiao.
This familiarity made her subconsciously feel that Song Qiao would never harm her.
...
"Hello, brother-in-law, where are you now?"
After Song Qiao left Ye Zhiwei's house, Xia Xueqing suddenly called, her voice filled with excitement.
"I just finished something outside. Xueqing, is there something you need?"
Song Qiao naturally couldn't tell Xia Xueqing what had just happened, or she would surely fly into a panic out of worry.
"It's nothing major, I just wanted to see if you had time to come out for a late-night snack with me."
Xia Xueqing's tone was filled with anticipation and a hint of mysteriousness.
"Uh, it's so late. I finally have some free time today and wanted to go home to spend time with Xixi."
Song Qiao hesitated and directly refused.
He had noticed Xia Xueqing's abnormal attitude towards him recently but was unsure of her intentions.
Moreover, he had had unpleasant encounters with her before. Although Song Qiao didn't dwell on it, he still felt an awkwardness between them when they interacted.
"Ah, if you're not accompanying me, then I'll go by myself."
Xia Xueqing was disappointed that her brother-in-law refused her.
"Xueqing, it's so late. It's not safe for a young lady to go out alone. I think you should do it another day."
Song Qiao looked up at the sky and reminded her with some concern.
"No, I'm just hungry tonight and want to eat something."
Xia Xueqing, for some reason, completely disregarded Song Qiao's reminder.
"Then, then, alright, I'll go with you."
Song Qiao, on the other end of the phone, saw Xia Xueqing's attitude and helplessly shook his head, agreeing to her request.
His wife's younger sister was truly not a fuel-efficient lamp. Like Xia Yuqing, once she set her mind on something, she wouldn't stop until she hit a brick wall.
"That's great, brother-in-law! I'll wait for you at the entrance of Qi Xin Food Stall. You must come, okay?"
Seeing Song Qiao change his mind, Xia Xueqing's previously low spirits immediately perked up.
"Oh, then you must be careful. I'll be there soon."
Song Qiao sighed helplessly, hung up the phone, and drove straight to the food stall Xia Xueqing had mentioned.
After hanging up the phone, Xia Xueqing couldn't help but shake her little fist, a complex look flashing in her eyes.
Since witnessing Song Qiao's capabilities and connections, Xia Xueqing had developed an unusual feeling towards her brother-in-law. Unfortunately, Song Qiao was usually busy with work, leaving her no opportunity.
However, the fact that her brother-in-law agreed to her request today meant he cared about her, which meant anything was possible.
Thinking of this, Xia Xueqing couldn't help but curl her lips, her resolve to do what she was doing growing stronger.