"Apologies, Madam, we arrived late."
The man at the forefront walked over, addressing Meng Jingwei with a respectful attitude.
Meng Jingwei recognized him. He was one of Qing Muyue's brothers, whom she had met before in the Hidden Clan.
His name was Jin Yi.
She hadn't expected Qing Muyue to have arranged for people to protect her secretly all this time.
"You arrived just in time," she replied with a smile.
Jin Yi had witnessed her skills and was well aware of her background, which made his attitude even more deferential.
"Madam, you're injured." He pointed to Meng Jingwei's left arm. In the dim light, the dark fabric concealed any bloodstains, but blood was flowing from her hand, with droplets falling from her fingers.
"It's a minor injury, I'm fine," she shook her head.
It was likely a sword cut sustained during the earlier fight.
Meng Jingwei gripped her baton, her expression grave as she looked at the people pinned to the ground. "Did the Tang family send you?"
She stepped forward and questioned one of them.
"What Tang family? I don't know them," the slightly overweight man sneered dismissively.
Meng Jingwei wasn't angered. She crouched down, lightly tapping the man's head with her baton. "You won't talk?" she tilted her head and said to Jin Yi beside her, "If they won't talk, then send their corpses to Tang Nian."
With that, she stood up, turned, and walked towards her car.
Jin Yi nodded and, with a wave of his hand, ordered, "Kill these few, and dump their bodies for Tang Nian."
"Yes, Brother Jin," Jin Yi's subordinate replied.
Meng Jingwei's ruthless demeanor had terrified the people on the ground, making them tremble and wail.
"I don't want to die, I'll talk, I'll talk."
"I'll talk too."
"Big brother, we were just doing this for money. Damn it, we don't have to throw our lives away for it."
"It's Tang Nian. The Tang family paid us to kill you, preferably in a way that leaves no witnesses."
Several of them spoke one after another, their desire to live driving them to confess everything.
Meng Jingwei stood beside the sedan, glancing back at the men, and finally said to Jin Yi, "Chop off that man's hand and send it to Tang Nian. Tell him it's a gift from me."
After that, ignoring their curses and pleas, she walked around to the driver's seat, got in the car, and drove away.
She reached the hotel parking lot safely.
Sitting in the car, seeing that Lan Shu had not yet woken up, she waited quietly for a while.
At some point, Lan Shu in the back seat reached up to touch her neck, gasping in pain. "Hiss… it hurts." Suddenly, Lan Shu seemed to recall something, sat up abruptly, and pushed the car door open, preparing to get out.
"What are you doing?"
Meng Jingwei immediately called out when she saw her about to get out.
Lan Shu turned back, tilting her head to look at the person in the driver's seat, and was stunned. "Weiwei? Are you alright? Where are those people? How did we get back?"
Meng Jingwei turned back to her with a helpless look. "You're asking so many questions, which one should I answer?"
"Tell me one by one."
"Ah Ye arranged for people to protect us secretly. They arrived in time, so naturally, we're fine." Meng Jingwei was fully capable of dealing with those few individuals alone.
If the subsequent twenty or so people were also Tang Nian's men, Meng Jingwei couldn't imagine the consequences.
Perhaps...
She wouldn't have lived to see the sun rise tomorrow.
"Phew… That's good," Lan Shu leaned back against the rear car seat, closed the car door, and let out a long sigh of relief.
After a moment, she asked again, "The Tang family has come looking for us. What do you plan to do?"
"What must be, will be. What cannot be, will not happen." Meng Jingwei finally understood that running away was never a solution.