Gu Xingdong watched Qin Tai's movements, a murderous glint in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. "If you lay a hand on her, none of you will have an easy time! If I recall correctly, she played a significant role in your escape from prison last time. Is this how you treat your savior?"
Qin Tai said calmly, "I don't want to be ungrateful. I only intended to deal with Chen Lishu this time, but she insisted on interfering with my plan. Isn't survival a prerequisite for repaying kindness? I advise you to stop your blabbering. I've already investigated her background. I only meant to deal with Chen Lishu, but now you've dragged me into this. Do you think her family will let you off easily when they find out about this?"
As he spoke, Qin Tai tightened his grip. Zhang Wan'er, still in a daze, let out a soft moan and then groggily opened her eyes. The moment she saw Gu Xingdong, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. "Xingdong, save me!"
Gu Xingdong glanced at Zhang Wan'er, then curved his lips. "You dare be so rough with her, knowing who she is? You're old enough to enjoy your twilight years, why put yourself through this? You just want revenge on me and Lishu, right? This is your chance to repay your kindness and get your revenge. Let her go, and face me directly!"
Qin Tai feigned hesitation, then a wicked smile spread across his face. "Are you really this compliant? Fine! If you want me to release her, tie yourself up and walk over here yourself!"
Gu Xingdong nodded and obediently extended his hands. Qin Tai gave a look to his men, and a subordinate approached Gu Xingdong, binding him securely. However, when tying the final knot, he used a loose one. Once everything was done, Qin Tai glared fiercely at Gu Xingdong and roared, "Hurry up and walk over!"
Gu Xingdong's lips curved upward slightly, his gaze deep as he looked at Qin Tai. "Don't rush. Don't forget what you promised me!"
Qin Tai nodded, grabbed Zhang Wan'er's chin, forcefully shook her awake, then pushed her to the ground. "Miss Zhang Wan'er, you are free. I hope you won't meddle in other people's affairs in the future. Why risk your own safety for someone unrelated?"
Zhang Wan'er winced in pain as she saw Gu Xingdong bound. A look of heartbreak flashed in her eyes. She shook her head and cried emotionally, "Go, hurry up! Don't worry about me. He can't do anything to me! I don't want to exchange my safety like this."
Gu Xingdong calmly reassured her, "Don't worry, just walk towards me. Don't worry, I won't die that easily. If you don't listen to me, both of us might end up dead here."
Zhang Wan'er bit her lower lip tightly and stumbled forward, tears in her eyes, saying pitifully, "But I don't want you to get hurt. I'd rather die myself than drag you down!"
"That won't do." Zhang Wan'er had been severely injured for Chen Lishu's sake, so he would save her no matter what. Otherwise, if Lishu knew what happened today, she would surely feel immense guilt. Already burdened and sleepless these past few days from all the events, he didn't want Lishu to be further swayed by these emotions!
Gu Xingdong didn't voice these thoughts, instead keeping his eyes and ears alert to the surrounding situation. This further led Zhang Wan'er to misunderstand that Gu Xingdong still had feelings for her. If it weren't for Chen Lishu's interference, perhaps she would have been the one marrying Gu Xingdong and having children with him.
As the two passed each other, Qin Tai swiftly grabbed Gu Xingdong's neck, his grip tightening, clearly intending to kill him. Gu Xingdong's face turned red from lack of air, but he calmly and unhurriedly struggled free from the ropes and slammed his elbow heavily into Qin Tai's stomach.
Qin Tai was stunned by the elbow strike, and then Gu Xingdong's fists rained down on him. Qin Tai was old, and his body couldn't withstand the barrage of blows. He curled up on the ground in pain. Gu Xingdong seized the moment and commanded, "Arrest Qin Tai and all his accomplices!"
As the words fell, Xiao Hei led a group of people charging towards Qin Tai. Qin Tai's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He squinted, lifting his head, muttering, "You damn bastards, weren't the reinforcements supposed to be behind me? Why haven't they shown up yet? I'm about to be finished here!"
Just as Xiao Hei grabbed Qin Tai's arm, a group of men in black emerged from the shadows and engaged Xiao Hei and his men in a brawl. This sudden turn of events caught Xiao Hei off guard, and he took several kicks to his backside. Xiao Hei's expression shifted from disbelief to burning rage. "Damn it! These idiots are actually kicking! I've never suffered such humiliation in my life, I'm going to kill them!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Qin Tai was being helped up. "Can you walk on your own? Gu Xingdong's people have noticed us. If you can't get up, we'll have to abandon you!"
Hearing his companion's words, Qin Tai glared at them fiercely and questioned, "What do you mean? If I get caught, won't all your boss's dirty secrets be exposed?"
"If we're exposed, it'll be much worse than your dirty secrets being exposed. Can you walk on your own? If not, we're leaving."
Hearing the man's callous words, Qin Tai could only grit his teeth, endure the pain, and stand up. "Wait, take me with you!"
Xiao Hei, seeing Qin Tai trying to escape, quickly said, "Don't waste your energy on these people. Our primary mission is to stop Qin Tai from escaping!" With that, everyone rushed towards Qin Tai. As they approached, the group of men in black blocked their path again.
Zhang Wan'er, seeing the situation spiraling out of control, let out a pained cry, "Xingdong, I can't hold on much longer. Can you take me... take me to the hospital!"
Hearing Zhang Wan'er's plea, Gu Xingdong paused his pursuit of Qin Tai, then looked coldly at Xiao Hei. "You take your men to chase him. I'll take some people to the hospital!"