Antina gritted her teeth against the pain, her left hand holding the gun unwavering. "You probably didn't know I'm left-handed, did you?"
She could use both hands to shoot, but her left hand's accuracy far surpassed her right.
Meng Jingwei's left arm took a shot. The pain of her skin bursting open made her stagger back a step, barely managing to regain her footing.
She raised her gun, aiming at Antina, who in turn aimed at her.
*Bang—*
*Bang—*
At almost the same instant, they fired at each other, their movements swift, precise, and without hesitation.
"Be careful!"
At the critical moment, a shout suddenly rang out beside her ear.
Before Meng Jingwei could turn to look, she was roughly pushed and fell.
As she fell, she clearly saw who it was.
It was Xiao Cheng.
He had truly taken a bullet for her. The projectile struck him in the left chest. As blood faintly splattered from his wound, he fell straight to the ground.
"Ah!!"
Across from them, Antina hadn't been so lucky. The bullet landed on her left collarbone.
Meng Jingwei had no intention of killing Antina, so she hadn't aimed for her heart.
After being shot, her left arm seemed to lose all its strength in an instant. The gun slipped from her hand. She staggered back a few steps, her face pale with pain, but her gaze remained fixed on the suddenly appearing Xiao Cheng, her cerulean eyes wide with disbelief.
Why was he here?
Why had he come?
He had risked his life to save her?
"Xiao Cheng?"
Meng Jingwei cried out in shock, scrambling to her feet and rushing to Xiao Cheng's side. "Are you crazy? Do you know that shot could kill you?"
Because Xiao Cheng was tall, and Antina had aimed for Meng Jingwei's heart, the bullet had struck a few centimeters below his heart.
But a large amount of blood immediately surged from the wound, soaking his black shirt and staining his dark blue suit.
Lying on the ground, he looked at the woman he thought of day and night, the woman who kept him awake at night. Her face was etched with panic and worry. A smile touched his lips. "Xiao Weiwei… are you… are you worried about me?"
Meng Jingwei froze, gazing blankly at Xiao Cheng, momentarily speechless.
She had changed her clothes and was now wearing a thin, dark cotton shirt over a white camisole. Seeing the blood gushing from Xiao Cheng's wound like a fountain, her expression turned horrified.
Meng Jingwei crouched beside him, pulled a sharp dagger from her waist, picked up the gun, unloaded a bullet, and held it in her hand. With the dagger, she forcibly cut open the casing at the base of the bullet.
Overwhelmed by nerves, the dagger deeply cut Meng Jingwei's finger as she pried open the shell. Blood dripped from her finger.
Xiao Cheng lay on the ground, watching her rare display of disarray, her body trembling uncontrollably, her face pale. He managed a weak smile.
"You're dying, why are you smiling?"
Meng Jingwei, overly tense, overlooked her stinging nose and slightly reddened eyes.
She trembled as she held the pried-open brass casing and moved Xiao Cheng's hand away from the wound. "Bear with it, I'll stop the bleeding."
She poured the gunpowder from the bullet onto Xiao Cheng's wound, but the small amount of powder could not stop the bleeding.
Xiao Cheng lay there obediently, watching her disheveled appearance. Even though it was getting dark, the dim light cast on her face somehow accentuated the distinct contours of her cheekbones, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
"You… you today… at the wedding… in your bridal attire, you looked… truly… truly beautiful."