The masked man was very skilled. With one hand, he pulled Gu Jiayin to dodge bullets, and with the other, he held a gun to fight back, causing many bodyguards to fall in succession into pools of blood.
In the midst of the melee, bullets whizzed through the air, creating chaos in the hall. Countless people shouted as they rushed to escape, surging towards the door.
The masked man kicked open the nearest hidden door and dragged Gu Jiayin out of the hall.
Sheng Qianchi was fixated on Gu Jiayin. With a graceful flip, he leaped onto a table and treaded on the crowd's shoulders, chasing towards the hidden door.
While running with the masked man, Gu Jiayin asked, "Who are you, and why are you saving me?"
The man's face was concealed beneath the mask, obscuring his expression, but the temperature from his palm inexplicably calmed Gu Jiayin.
This sensation felt somewhat familiar.
The two quickly ran to the deck, where the man spoke seriously, "There's a boat over there. You take the small boat to leave; I'll handle the rest."
Gu Jiayin asked again, voicing her inner doubt, "Who exactly are you?"
Before the man could answer, Sheng Qianchi had already caught up; standing three meters in front of them, he appeared like a god of the night, "She's the woman I bought for a billion. If you don't want to die, let her go and leave on your own."
The masked man immediately shielded Gu Jiayin behind him and spoke mockingly, "I heard Young Master Chi already has a beautiful fiancée, yet you spend a billion on an unrelated woman here today. Isn't the sun rising from the west?"
Sheng Qianchi replied coldly, his voice deep and full of force, "That's my business. You just need to know that if you don't leave, you'll be a ghost shot down by me."
The masked man turned and commanded Gu Jiayin, "Get on the boat; I'll hold him off."
Gu Jiayin frowned slightly.
She couldn't just leave. Her rescuer's identity was still unknown, and she was well aware of how terrifying Sheng Qianchi could be. Though they met casually, she couldn't abandon her benefactor without any sense of duty.
Therefore, she slightly raised her slender eyebrows, the charm in her brows and eyes giving an impression of resoluteness, "I can fight alongside you."
The masked man angrily and softly reproached, "Don't mess around; this is a fight, not child's play. Bullets are blind and can take lives at any time."
Gu Jiayin smiled gracefully, "You might not know, before becoming a cruise pianist, I was a detective, pretty skilled and solved many major cases."
The masked man hesitated as he looked at her, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He glanced at her slender jade hand and handed her a gun.
Under the moonlight, Gu Jiayin was even more beautiful. Her long hair wrapped around her graceful neck, and her red dress danced in the night breeze like a rose with thorns.
She slowly raised the gun, aiming at Sheng Qianchi.
Sheng Qianchi slightly furrowed his brows, his voice chilly and narrow, "Gu Jiayin, I'm your investor now, are you sure you want to confront me?"
Gu Jiayin's pupils contracted slightly; he indeed recognized her!
But it's okay; she hadn't intended to hide her identity. She was returning to Licheng City anyway because her deep hatred was buried there, and revenge was a necessary chapter in her life.
At this moment, Mo Jun, bringing his bodyguards, also rushed onto the deck, pointing dozens of guns at the masked man.
Sheng Qianchi spoke coldly, "Leave the woman unharmed; the man, kill without mercy."
His voice was as light as the spring breeze brushing past the cheek at that moment, magnetic and ultimately pleasing to the ear, yet each word was filled with a killing intent.
A gunfight was imminent, and the deck was full of the prelude to a bloodbath.
...
The situation was clearly becoming uncontrollable; Gu Jiayin weighed her options.
Everyone knew Sheng Qianchi was exceptionally skilled, cruel, and bloodthirsty, and his assistant Mo Jun was his fearsome wing. Plus, these dozen specially trained bodyguards—it was clear she and the masked man had no chance of winning.
Therefore, she looked at the masked man and said, "This is my own affair; you can leave now."
The masked man calmly glanced at the dozen guns ahead, coolly raised his brows, "Today I just want to play hero and save a beauty, why so much nonsense."
Gu Jiayin looked gratefully at the masked man, "Can I know who you are?"
The masked man evidently didn't want to reveal his identity, his words carried a casual rogue spirit, "A hero need not inquire of his origins."
Watching Gu Jiayin and the masked man whispering, Sheng Qianchi suddenly exploded with burgeoning hostility, firing a shot.
Acting too fast, the masked man couldn't dodge; his side turned at that moment, and the bullet hit his right arm. The hand holding the gun was quickly soaked with blood.
At this moment, people from the Eagle Emperor also rushed to the deck, raising their guns and aiming at the masked man.
Gu Jiayin's face turned as pale as paper in an instant. She had never been afraid of death; having died once, she'd come to terms with life and death long ago. But she didn't want to implicate a life-saving benefactor.
Thus, she turned to look at Sheng Qianchi, "Sheng Qianchi, though I don't understand why you bought me for such a high price, if he dies here, I'll ensure you lose both me and your money."
With that, Gu Jiayin raised the gun, aiming it at her temple.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sheng Qianchi ordered Mo Jun, "Prepare a boat, let him go."
One of the Eagle Emperor supervisors stepped forward, "Young Master Chi, this man dared to cause trouble at our Eagle Emperor auction, his background is yet unclear, he can't be let go."
Sheng Qianchi's eyes and brows remained cold; his gaze was fixed tightly on Gu Jiayin, with a frosty tone, "What, does the Sheng Family need to give your Eagle Emperor face if I want to protect someone?"
"This..." The Eagle Emperor supervisor dared not speak further, stepping back a few steps; in this world, who wouldn't give the Sheng Family some face?
The masked man clearly didn't want to succumb to this result, raising his gun in a desperate move.
Gu Jiayin timely stopped him, "Although you didn't succeed in rescuing me, I'm already very grateful to you. I don't want you to make a pointless sacrifice; go, until we meet again."
The masked man deeply gazed into Gu Jiayin's eyes, a pain flickering beneath his gaze, before boarding the boat, he left three words, "I'm sorry."
Watching the masked man's boat disappear into the vast night, Gu Jiayin sighed softly, those three words reverberating in her ear, somewhat familiar.
What does he have to apologize to her for?
Ignoring everyone else, Sheng Qianchi strode forward, grabbed Gu Jiayin's wrist, "Let's go."
Though Gu Jiayin was skilled, under such circumstances, she believed escape was impossible, thus she ceased pointless struggling and quietly followed Sheng Qianchi onto his private yacht.
...
Sitting on the yacht's sofa, Sheng Qianchi, for a long time, stared at the woman with exquisite features, once again confirming that she was indeed Gu Jiayin.
Gu Jiayin, seven years ago, was Licheng City's top socialite; so many men were infatuated with that sixteen-year-old girl.
He once intended to make her his woman, though someone as cold as him wouldn't love any woman; possessing an ultimate beauty was a normal desire.
But back then, she had Pei Nianchen by her side.
At the time, he had just returned from abroad, had known her for less than two months, when she, along with her mother and brother, went on a boat trip at Jiangshang and unfortunately sank in Crocodile Bay.
The police conducted ten days of continuous salvage operations, ultimately concluding that the three had all perished in the crocodile's bay.
No one knew how many times he'd sigh regretfully for that lost beauty in the midnight dream.
Today truly was a surprise.