Grandma Liu, between laughter and tears, helped Grandpa Qin calm his breath. The two old men bickering was quite amusing.
Fortunately, the blaring horn didn't sound again. Elder Jiang's men followed them from the periphery as they moved forward.
Grandpa Qin originally wanted to call and scold him, but he noticed that no one was following them anymore. The finger poised to dial paused, and he let out a heavy sigh, his hand still.
An'an, hearing Elder Jiang's voice from the car, was overjoyed. "Mom, it's Grandpa Jiang!"
"An'an likes Grandpa Jiang a lot?" Chen Long knew some of Huo Rou's connection with Elder Jiang, and was surprised that An'an was so happy talking about Elder Jiang. He couldn't help but ask.
An'an cheerfully hugged Chen Long's neck. "An'an likes Grandpa Chen too. Grandpa Jiang plays with An'an. Even though his grandson is very small, he's also very obedient. An'an likes him."
Unlike Grandpa Qin's mounting anger and Huo Rou's cheerful atmosphere in the car, people in other cars were quite bewildered.
The overt and covert worlds of Taichuan City had converged so openly. The other side had provoked them, yet Grandpa Qin, who was always looking for trouble, hadn't dealt with them. This was simply too strange!
However, now that they were surrounded by Elder Jiang's men, they felt a bit nervous. It felt like being between a wolf and a tiger, which wasn't a pleasant sensation.
Everyone escorted them with trepidation, their nerves taut. Finally, they arrived at the Qin family's old residence.
Sun Zhiyuan followed Grandpa Qin's car into the courtyard. When he saw Qin Ningyi's car drive straight past the main gate in his rearview mirror, he quickly leaned towards the window.
He got out of the car crisply and walked over with a smile, a hint of confusion on his face. "Grandpa Qin, Little Qin and the others are...?"
Grandpa Qin watched Elder Jiang's motorcade drive past the entrance and was furious again, gasping for air.
Grandma Liu helped him by explaining, "Ningyi and the others have other matters to attend to and are rushing back to Yuchang City today."
"Going back today?" Sun Zhiyuan's voice rose slightly.
Grandpa Qin caught his breath. "What's wrong?"
"No, no," Sun Zhiyuan said, supporting Grandpa Qin as they walked inside. "I was just thinking they've been working too hard."
"It's a good thing for today's young people to be able to endure hardship," Grandpa Qin said dismissively, pulling him inside.
Sun Zhiyuan clenched his phone in his hand, responding to Grandpa Qin with a smile.
Under Elder Jiang's escort, after dealing with several more cars near the Qin family's old residence, the road to the airport finally quieted down.
"An'an, were you scared?" Chen Long remembered the gunshots that had been so close and felt worried.
An'an shook his head. "An'an wasn't scared." He had seen worse.
Besides...
"An'an is a big boy, he needs to protect Mommy." He then spread his palm open. "If Mommy hadn't stopped me from opening the window, An'an could have helped too."
Chen Long's eyes twitched as he looked at the exquisitely crafted hidden weapon in An'an's hand.
Finally, the motorcade arrived at the airport.
Elder Jiang's white hair was conspicuous in the dark night. He, with a stern face, was surrounded by men in black suits approaching them. Huo Rou nodded subtly, thinking that Elder Jiang did indeed have the air of a former gang boss.
If he weren't smiling...
Elder Jiang approached, his face breaking into a smile, instantly transforming into a jovial and benevolent old man. "Little Rou!"
He came up to Huo Rou, looked her up and down, then glanced at Qin Ningyi with displeasure. "You were still found by him?"
Huo Rou blinked her beautiful eyes in surprise. "Mm."
Elder Jiang sighed with disappointment. "Forget it, forget it. If you like someone, you don't need to worry about this and that."
"Those people are targeting the two of you. They dare to act like this in Taichuan City. Once you leave, it will likely be even more difficult..." Elder Jiang objectively analyzed the current situation, then raised his eyebrows. "You're even bringing An'an along?"
He spoke without hiding An'an, who became displeased. "Grandpa Jiang! Why can't I come?"
Elder Jiang looked down at him with an exaggerated expression. "An'an, you're here?!"
An'an pouted, and Elder Jiang laughed heartily.
"People need to face the storms. This little matter, bringing him along is fine," Elder Jiang said dismissively after teasing An'an.
He turned and took a handbag from his subordinate, handing it to Huo Rou. "For self-defense."
After giving the bag to Huo Rou, he looked at Chen Long and Qin Ningyi and explained, "There's only one. Little Rou is a weak woman, so this is for her to protect herself."
His subordinate rubbed his slightly sore wrist where he had held the handbag. He glanced at Huo Rou, who casually slung the bag over her shoulder, and thought to himself: if a weak woman is like this, then what is his hand?
"I won't see you off. Elder Jiang, after giving you the item and offering his reminder, said, "You know, I don't like traveling far. I'll have Xiao Zhu help you in Yuchang City."
"Thank you, Elder Jiang," Huo Rou said with a smile, her eyes curving. She indeed looked like a delicate woman.
Elder Jiang disliked goodbyes. "Alright, I'm going back to look after my grandson!"
He said it casually and waved goodbye.
As his figure receded, Elder Jiang's dashing back was bathed in a halo of light.
His voice echoed from afar, "Little Rou, strike hard!"
These people from M Country really thought that China was a place they could come and go as they pleased. If they weren't given a good beating, they'd think this was their own backyard.
For a long time afterward, the underworld and the legitimate world of Taichuan City seemed to have made a pact. Instead of covertly competing, their focus squarely turned towards the M Country people lurking in Taichuan City.
In an instant, Taichuan City's safety and livability index shot up significantly.
Of course, that was something for the future. As Elder Jiang bid farewell and left, Qin Ningyi's phone rang.