Shen Yi's shocking exclamation plunged the scene into a brief silence.
Grandpa?
That bizarre choice of words instantly reminded Song Guanyan of the little girl who had bumped into his leg at the banquet not long ago.
Looking again at that black dress, the man narrowed his eyes.
So it was her?
Nevertheless, the outcome for the two of them was ultimately the same.
As long as the assassins could get in, both of them would serve as excellent human shields for him.
Song Guanyan was not someone fond of children.
The reason he had become the wealthiest man was not only due to his intelligence but also his ruthlessness.
A child he had only met once, whose face he hadn't even clearly seen—even if she died right before his eyes, Song Guanyan wouldn't bat an eyelid.
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Shen Yi decisively pulled out the fruit knife tightly strapped to her calf and stabbed it towards Song Guanyan's leg.
She aimed for the artery.
But unfortunately, Shen Yi wasn't tall enough.
No one expected a child to suddenly attack.
Even the ever-cautious Song Guanyan hadn't anticipated that she would secretly bring a fruit knife into the banquet.
Amidst Song Yi's panicked scream, the blade in Shen Yi's hand pierced through the fabric of his suit trousers and sank into the muscle.
Song Guanyan grunted. The sharp pain shooting from his leg caused his grip on Shen Wenta to loosen subconsciously.
In that same instant, Shen Wenta finally got a chance to catch his breath.
Simultaneously, the pained Song Guanyan reacted with lightning speed. Without even glancing at the wound on his leg, he lifted his foot and kicked straight at Shen Yi's midsection.
The move was vicious, fueled by sheer fury.
Shen Yi decisively let go and scrambled backward, relying on her small stature to dodge several times.
However, the disparity in strength and speed between an adult male and a six-year-old child was still far too great.
After missing twice in a row, Song Guanyan, thoroughly provoked and enraged, landed a kick squarely on her abdomen!
The violent pain in her abdomen made Shen Yi instinctively curl up, her vision darkening slightly.
Damn you, Song Guanyan!!
Is that how you treat a child?
Shen Wenta, ignoring the pain in his own arm, stumbled forward and, almost frantically, gathered her into a one-armed embrace against his chest.
Her breathing was rapid and faint. Shen Wenta could feel the girl curled up, trembling uncontrollably in his arms.
...How pathetic.
Both him and Shen Yi.
The throbbing pain in her abdomen made Shen Yi feel nauseous. Leaning against Shen Wenta, her first reaction wasn't relief, but the thought that Shen Wenta really was just a scrawny dog.
His bones pressed into her so painfully.
Song Guanyan crouched down, pressing a hand over his wound.
Blood quickly soaked through his trouser leg, yet his expression remained unchanged as he coldly watched the sibling pair.
He didn't want to kill anyone.
These were merely measures of last resort for self-preservation.
If only these siblings had been more compliant, he wouldn't have resorted to violence.
It was just that the Shen family heir was no pushover. For the safety of himself and his daughter, he had only intended to choke him unconscious.
Who could have predicted his sister's protective instincts were so strong?
She even hid a knife.
Song Yi stared blankly as Shen Yi unexpectedly stabbed her father with the knife.
She let out a flustered scream, her eyes reddening as she glared at Shen Yi, crying loudly, "I... I hate you!"
Just before this, Song Yi had even wanted to be friends with her.
And yet she had stabbed her father.
Song Yi's heart was breaking. Clinging to her father's arm, her tears fell in a soft patter.
If the situation weren't so dire, Shen Yi would have complimented her.
What an adorable little idiot.
Still spouting lines about hate at a time like this.
The room fell silent except for Song Yi's choked sobs.
In this suffocating atmosphere, pressed tightly against Shen Wenta, Shen Yi suddenly felt something hard through the thin fabric of his shirt.
It was in his inner breast pocket.
Shen Yi's heart began to pound wildly.
Was it... a gun?
Shen Wenta might be unhinged, but he certainly had ways to get his hands on a real firearm.
She immediately pressed closer to Shen Wenta, simultaneously using her wide, voluminous skirt to drape over them, attempting to conceal any small movements he might make next.
Shen Wenta felt the girl in his arms suddenly press closer and the slight hint she gave.
The youth's lowered eyelashes fluttered slightly. His right hand casually felt for the gun against his chest.
He had been caught off guard by Song Guanyan's earlier attack.
And drawing the gun would have been too obvious; it would have been easily noticed.
There had been no chance to retrieve it.
But now...
Shen Yi's skirt provided the perfect cover.
He silently traced the contours of the gun with his fingertips.
The safety had been released by Shen Wenta beforehand.
Song Guanyan's attention was more focused on being alert to any movement outside the door, not on paying excessive attention to the brother and sister.
Shen Yi was worried whether this weakling could even shoot straight.
If his aim had been off—if he had been a master of "human-body outlining"—then if a vindictive and ruthless villain like Song Guanyan had gotten hold of the gun, they'd probably both have ended up dead right here too.
In reality, she was indeed overthinking.
Shen Wenta had taken professional shooting lessons and had practiced various shooting techniques since childhood.
Moreover, both his parents were former professional assassins.
Guns were as familiar to him as if etched into his bones.
The youth's face was deathly pale. Without warning, he raised his hand. The gun, already off safety, was aimed at Song Guanyan.
Despite his exquisitely handsome face, the slight smile that now appeared on it carried a twisted delight that chilled one to the bone.
Song Guanyan's pupils contracted sharply.
A gun.
The man reacted swiftly, throwing himself sideways to shield his daughter beneath him!
With a "bang," the gunshot exploded. The powerful recoil left Shen Wenta's palm numb.
The first shot was dodged.
For the second shot, he fixed his stare on Song Guanyan.
The bullet instantly tore through the man's shoulder. A spurt of blood blossomed on his white shirt, the stinging pain causing cold sweat to break out on Song Guanyan's forehead.
Standing off to one side, Shen Yi pressed her hands tightly over her ears, her whole body trembling slightly.
...Still afraid of gunshots?
Shen Wenta even spared a distracted thought.
So cowardly.
Third shot, aimed at his leg.
This time, there was no avoiding it.
Song Guanyan was forced to his knees on the spot, completely immobilized.
The youth looked down at him from above; his pupils reflected an icy coldness.
Fourth shot—
He pressed the gun coldly against Song Guanyan's forehead.
Song Yi suddenly stepped forward, finding courage from somewhere to shout at him:
"Don't you dare hurt my dad!"
Shen Wenta immediately shifted the muzzle, smiling slightly. "I was so focused on him, I almost forgot about you."
He casually swung the gun's muzzle around and coldly aimed it at Song Yi.
He played the part of a petty, treacherous upstart who, once successful, turned on his old friends and refused to acknowledge them, to perfection.
After all, Song Yi had even spoken up for him earlier.
Shen Yi watched it all with a cold eye.
Shen Wenta naturally possessed no such noble quality as not harming children.
Just as Song Guanyan was indifferent toward Shen Yi, he felt not an ounce of compassion for Song Yi either.
As a result, the moment he pulled the trigger, there was only the mechanical click of an empty chamber.
Shen Wenta was incredulous.
Only three bullets?
Shen Yi thought, that was truly to be expected.
If she was considered lucky, she was a typical unlucky person.
Then Song Yi was an incredibly lucky person (an "ouhuang" — slang for someone extraordinarily lucky).
It's not like she'd win the lottery every time, but wherever she went, she was favored.
For instance, a long time ago, both of them had been kidnapped.
Shen Yi was the type to be beaten up and tossed aside to fend for herself.
While Song Yi received good care because she was cute.
Shen Yi sometimes didn't understand what the standard for cuteness even was.
To think it could soften the hearts of kidnappers to that extent.
It was just too absurd.
Seeing the magazine was emptied, Shen Yi decisively kicked Song Guanyan in the face.
Putting all her strength into it, she sent the man sprawling to the ground, his head ringing.
She grabbed Shen Wenta's uninjured hand and made a run for it.
The girl's voice was urgent: "If you're out of bullets, stop showing off. Let Song Guanyan fend for himself here, let's go, brother."
Actually, the moment Shen Wenta pointed the gun at Song Yi, Shen Yi had a feeling things weren't going smoothly.
Sure enough.
At the critical moment, the bullets just ran out.
No matter how unwilling Shen Wenta was, it was useless. For once, he took on a reliable older brother demeanor, instructing Shen Yi to stay close behind him.
He was very familiar with this manor.
He used to be a frequent guest here; the initial construction of Hejing relied heavily on the Shen family's funding and manpower.
He could come and go on any floor as he pleased.
The pain from his fractured arm left him with no patience for anyone in their way as they fled.
Although he was a weakling.
He was a weakling who liked to throw his weight around, and one who was armed at that.
Even without bullets, he was fully justified in his bravado.
At this point, any semblance of gentlemanly demeanor was gone from Shen Wenta. Women, children, the elderly, men—anyone blocking the path was told in no uncertain terms to get out of the way.
With him shielding her so aggressively, Shen Yi was actually quite safe.
It was a stark contrast to being jostled and pushed when she first arrived.
After all, Shen Wenta held a "truth" in his hand.
Even the strongest man wouldn't dare argue with a gun.
And so, their escape turned out to be surprisingly smooth.
He had access to all the rooms. Pulling open a door, he found it full of people seeking refuge.
Shen Wenta pointed his gun at everyone inside and said coldly, "Get out."
Perhaps intimidated by the gun in his hand and his deranged appearance, after weighing their options, everyone in the room cautiously evacuated, leaving the space empty.
Just like that, Shen Wenta aggressively drove out all the refugees and slammed the door shut.
The chaos outside continued.
The room's furnishings reeked of money, with some fruit arranged on plates on the table.
Shen Yi hadn't eaten anything all day.
But right now, she wasn't hungry; instead, she felt nauseous.
Shen Wenta was pale from the pain, muttering curses under his breath.
The sad part was, his good upbringing left his vocabulary for swearing particularly impoverished.
He was mumbling things like 'I'll fire all the bodyguards here' and 'a bunch of idiots.'
Perhaps feeling insecure, once inside the room, Shen Wenta kept one arm tightly wrapped around Shen Yi, showing no intention of letting go.
Was she his security blanket or something? Holding on so tight.
And where did this scrawny guy get all this strength?
"......"
Shen Yi's mind wandered. After a while, she started feeling sleepy again.
Children are naturally sleepy at her age, and she hadn't had a moment's rest all day.
Either running into Song Guanyan or being terrified by scenes of death, the mix of emotions left Shen Yi utterly exhausted.
But whenever she dozed off, Shen Wenta, that lunatic, would gently poke her awake.
Shen Yi was so sleepy she felt like beating him up in the middle of the night.
But he was the injured one.
Shen Yi could only endure it.
After enduring for over ten minutes, she finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
No matter how much Shen Wenta tried to wake her, she wouldn't stir.
The young man could only anxiously check her breathing from time to time.
......
Those assassins vanished like the wind, their deed done, their fame unclaimed.
The rather useless bodyguards only arrived afterward, brandishing their guns at thin air. By the time everything was settled down, an hour had passed.
And Shen Yi was already lost in a sleep so deep she knew nothing of the world.
The bodyguard responsible for protecting Shen Wenta knew his employer had a gun and, moreover, held absolute authority within this manor.
Anyone else could be in trouble, but not him.
However, when the bodyguard led his team to break down the door, he was met with the sight of his employer in a wretched state.
The young man's lips were devoid of color as he sat on the edge of the guest room bed, holding a little girl with disheveled hair whose face was obscured.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up at them, his eyes filled with coldness.
"Let me take her." Noticing Shen Wenta's arm seemed injured, the bodyguard carefully chose his words. "Is that alright, young master?"
But Shen Wenta didn't seem to want to let go.
Not only did he not want to let go.
He was glaring at him with undisguised hostility???
As if he were some heinous criminal trying to snatch his sister away.
