Both of their bodies suddenly stiffened. The twisted faces of Liu Cuilan, Zhou Zhaodi, and their gang immediately flashed through Chuntao's mind.
Her small face instantly turned pale as a sheet, and she shrank tighter into Zhou Zhijun's embrace, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Zhou Zhijun's large hand gently stroked the top of her head. He gave her a reassuring look and mouthed, "Don't be afraid, I'll go take a look!"
He rolled out of bed and walked barefoot toward the outside. Just as he reached the bedroom door, he heard a harsh male voice shouting outside, "Ma Laosan, you bastard, come out here..."
"Zhang Jinlian, you shameless slut! Are you addicted to seducing wild men? Get the hell out here!" This was followed by a woman's shrill voice.
...
Outside, men and women were shouting and cursing in a chaotic uproar.
Zhou Zhijun could tell that the people this mob was looking for were a man named Ma Laosan and a woman named Zhang Jinlian—it had absolutely nothing to do with them.
He turned and walked back to the bed, seeing Chuntao wrapped tightly in the blanket, shivering all over.
He hugged her tightly through the blanket. "Tao, the people outside have nothing to do with us."
He reached out and pulled down the edge of the blanket, revealing a small, panic-stricken face. "Listen, they are looking for Ma Laosan and Zhang Jinlian!"
Chuntao was already scared out of her wits. She didn't believe his words at all, not even daring to breathe loudly as she pricked up her ears to listen intently to the commotion outside.
"It's the middle of the night, what are you all doing here?" The motel owner's voice rang out. "Can you afford to compensate me for ruining my business like this?"
"Cut the crap! Hand over Ma Laosan and Zhang Jinlian right now, or I'll smash up this shady inn of yours today!"
"Oh, have you eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard? How dare you threaten to smash my inn... Hurry up and leave, the people you're looking for aren't here!"
"Do you think I don't know? They always use your place as a cover for their affairs! If you don't hand them over, we'll go to the police station and report you right now!"
"They are guilty of hooliganism, but your crime is even greater! Not only will this shady inn be shut down, but you'll also go to jail!"
"Tell that adulterous couple to come out, now!"
...
Chuntao heard it clearly; the people outside really had nothing to do with them. However, instead of relaxing, her heart clenched even tighter.
This motel didn't require a marriage certificate to stay. Weren't the people staying here all somewhat involved in shady relationships?
What was the difference between her and Zhou Zhijun, and the "adulterous couple" the people outside were looking for?
They were shouting about going to the police station to file a report. If the police came and checked her and Zhou Zhijun's marriage certificate, what would they do?
Chuntao wanted to leave immediately, but the courtyard was full of noisy people; there was no way they could leave.
"I'm scared... If the police come, we'll be ruined!"
"Don't be afraid, the sky isn't falling. Even if the sky falls, I'm tall enough to hold it up!"
"Open the door! Hurry up and open the door..."
A loud bang, bang, bang of knocking and chaotic shouting erupted outside their room again.
"Brother Zhijun, they are knocking on the door again!"
Zhou Zhijun gritted his back teeth and cursed, "Damn it!"
He finally had such a good opportunity to properly love and cherish Chuntao, but he never expected it to be ruined by these idiots.
Zhou Zhijun gritted his teeth again, rolled out of bed, and went out wearing nothing but his boxers.
The door to the north room was yanked open with a loud clatter. The few people who were pushing hard against the door outside were caught off guard and tumbled in, falling flat on their faces.
The crowd that surged in instantly dissolved into chaos, their groans and curses mingling together.
Zhou Zhijun stood at the bedroom door like a guardian deity. He reached out and pulled the string to turn on the lightbulb, and the chaotic crowd instantly fell silent.
When they saw the tall, imposing Zhou Zhijun standing at the door like a solid wall, they all subconsciously took a step back, unable to react for a moment.
"It's the middle of the night, what are you doing? I can't even get a peaceful sleep!"
He deliberately lowered and roughened his voice, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces like ice blades.
"We're here looking for someone, it has nothing to do with you!"
A man holding a sickle shouted. The veins on his forehead were throbbing, but his tone was noticeably weaker.
"Since it has nothing to do with me, then why are you disturbing my sleep?"
Zhou Zhijun clenched his fists as he spoke, his knuckles popping with a few crisp cracks.
He looked at the motel owner in the crowd, his tone stiff and hard.
"I paid money to stay at your inn. You can't just let people break in in the middle of the night and disrupt my sleep. Tell them to leave right now!"
"Brother, I'm so sorry, these people are just crazy! Please be the bigger person!" The motel owner squeezed out a smile.
Then she shouted at the crowd, "You all saw it, the people you are looking for aren't in here. Hurry up and leave, don't disturb the guests' rest!"
But the crowd wasn't willing to let it go. They surged into a few other rooms to search, but ended up not finding a single trace of them.
"Move aside and let us take a look inside!"
The man with the sickle still hadn't given up. He pointed his sickle at Zhou Zhijun, while the others stood behind him, backing him up.
Zhou Zhijun scoffed coldly, the hostility in his eyes growing heavier. "Search what? This is the room where I sleep!"
"If you won't let us search, it means you have a guilty conscience!" a woman in the back shouted.
"I'll say it one more time. The people you're looking for aren't in there.
If you insist on searching, I won't stop you, but let me make one thing ugly and clear right now!
If you find the people you are looking for, fine; but if you don't..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his gaze made the group shudder in fear.
They could tell that Zhou Zhijun was not someone to be trifled with. If they really couldn't find anyone, there would be big trouble. So, they didn't dare insist on searching anymore.
The group could only leave the main room resentfully and went to search the east and west rooms instead.
Zhou Zhijun closed the door to the main room, turned back into the bedroom, and slid into the bed, embracing the trembling little woman.
"It's okay now." He kissed her forehead, finding it covered in cold sweat.
"Tao!" He gently wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead with his hand. "Don't be afraid, it's over now!"
Suddenly, a woman's urgent shout came from the courtyard, "Look, this is that slut's underwear, and the bed is still warm! Hurry and chase them!"
That adulterous couple had run away? The chaotic footsteps and cursing grew further and further away, and the courtyard fell into dead silence once again.
Would they be caught? Chuntao felt cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice hole. She subconsciously drew closer to him, seeking a little warmth and peace of mind.
He held her tightly in his arms, using his body heat to warm her freezing body.
"Tao, people may bully the kind-hearted, but the heavens do not. God won't just watch you suffer forever..."
"I will definitely pull you out of this fiery pit... I, Zhou Zhijun, swear that I will protect you and treat you well for the rest of my life..."
"But I can't give you what you want... If you do this, you won't just ruin me, you'll ruin yourself too... and you'll even drag godmother and the others down with us..."
"I won't, Tao..."
Zhou Zhijun held the person in his arms tightly, his heart bleeding as well!
