As everyone had finished their toasting and ‘conversing,’ the venue staff and professionals quickly entered to clear the tables and chairs. In less than ten minutes, over twenty tables had vanished without a trace, leaving a large open space. The dance officially began.
The main purpose of the ball was for wealthy businessmen to find female celebrities, female celebrities to find renowned directors, and renowned directors to find investors.
After Young Master Gu left, Mu Jiahe also took Xiao Xun and departed early.
Xiao Xun retrieved the key from the organizer and went to the parking lot to get the car. Mu Jiahe waited at the entrance. Once they were in the car, it slowly started to move.
The rain outside was still heavy and showed no signs of abating, but it couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the media and fans.
The cars of the business magnates held no attraction for them. Only when the celebrities' vans appeared did the crowd surge forward, taking pictures.
Driving the car, Xiao Xun asked Mu Jiahe, who was resting with her eyes closed in the back seat, "President Mu, where are we going next?"
"It's getting late. Let's go home!"
Xiao Xun was also exhausted. He hadn't slept the previous day and had a tiring day today. Thinking of going home immediately, taking a hot bath, and then sleeping comfortably, he pressed the accelerator, picking up speed.
Just as the sedan exited the city, two vans with flashing hazard lights blocked Xiao Xun's path ahead.
Xiao Xun reacted swiftly, slamming on the brakes. Good cars were indeed good cars; on such a slippery road, it stopped on command.
The doors of both vans opened simultaneously, and over a dozen people emerged.
Xiao Xun turned to Mu Jiahe and said, "It seems some people are here to cause trouble again. They're definitely after me; I've seen this once before."
Mu Jiahe's eyes were sharp. "It's alright. I want to see who they are today." With that, Mu Jiahe emerged from her elegant gown, donning a black jacket.
Just as Mu Jiahe was about to get out of the car, blinding lights suddenly flashed from behind. Two more cars with their high beams on blocked them from the rear.
"Looks like we won't be leaving easily today!"
The cars came to a halt, and eight burly men in black suits stepped out.
These eight men were sent by Young Master Gu. Their mission was to teach Xiao Xun a lesson, letting him know that the Gu family was not to be offended lightly and that he should show more respect to Young Master Gu in the future.
When they reached the side of the driver's seat, the group in front of them all brandished their knives. Mistaking the men arriving from behind for bodyguards sent by their target, they immediately attacked them.
These burly men were unarmed and were quickly at a disadvantage.
Xiao Xun watched the people fighting around them in astonishment. "What's going on? Aren't they on the same side?"
Mu Jiahe nodded, her hand on the door handle. "But it seems their target is the same."
Xiao Xun took out his phone. "Then I'll call the police!"
Mu Jiahe let out a soft hum. "I'm in a bad mood today. It's a good time to vent my frustration on them. You just wait in the car!"
Saying that, she forcefully pushed open the car door, knocking over one of the men and pulling out a customized umbrella from the door panel.
Those eight men in suits hadn't expected the opposing group to draw knives, nor that they were all top-notch fighters. Before they could even think of escaping, they were all cut down and fell to the ground.
Mu Jiahe thrust the umbrella towards a man in front of her. These people clearly had no chivalry; all of them raised their knives to attack simultaneously.
Unexpectedly, the umbrella concealed a sharp thin sword, and Mu Jiahe was an expert in Western swordsmanship. With several precise thrusts in a minute, all the men holding knives had their wrists struck and were forced to drop their weapons.
Initially, Mu Jiahe only intended to incapacitate them, not to take their lives. However, one of them unexpectedly pulled out a revolver.
Mu Jiahe launched a flying kick, sending a pointed knife skittering across the ground.
The sharp knife, moving with extreme speed through the rain, pierced the throat of the man holding the gun. The man opened his mouth, blood and foam gushing out, and instantly lost consciousness, not even having time to pull the trigger.
Mu Jiahe pointed the tip of her umbrella sword at the person closest to her. "Say it, who sent you?"
The man was defiant, his neck stiff. "It's the rules of the underworld. I can't tell you."
"Did you see what happened to the person just now? He's your example. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you all?"
A person behind him looked at Mu Jiahe. "President Mu, do you know why those who were beheaded in ancient times didn't dare to curse the emperor?"
Mu Jiahe scoffed. "Are you afraid of the entire clan being exterminated? What era is this? The 'Qing Dynasty' is long gone."
The person under her sword looked down at the tip. "Actually, threatening us is useless. It's not that we won't tell you, but we simply don't know."
"That's right."
All the people behind him nodded. Another one said, "We receive our tasks on the 'Deep Sea Dark Web,' and settlements are made through virtual currency. So, it's impossible for us to know who the other party is."
Xiao Xun, listening intently in the car, knew this was no simple matter upon hearing "Deep Sea Dark Web."
He quickly opened the door. "What's the other party's codename?"
Unexpectedly, this single question caused the person closest to Xiao Xun to immediately pick up a short knife from the ground and lunge at him.
Xiao Xun flinched backward in fright and kicked out. The rainy road was slippery, and the kick landed precisely on the man's eye socket, knocking him unconscious.
The others prepared to attack, but Mu Jiahe's angry roar stopped them. "Then what was your mission? How much were you paid?"
The person closest to her said, "You've seen the mission. It was to kill that kid. The reward is publicly posted on the entire network: twenty Detroit coins."
Mu Jiahe had never heard of such currency. Xiao Xun knew that one coin was currently worth between ninety thousand and one hundred twenty thousand. It seemed that the bounty was not from the organization he feared.
Lowering the car window, Xiao Xun asked, "President Mu, what should we do now? Hand them over to the police, or..."
Mu Jiahe glanced around. There were no surveillance cameras, and with the heavy rain, there were no other vehicles passing by at this hour.
She directly opened the door, got into the car, and said to Xiao Xun, "Don't worry about them. Let's go back! I'm tired."
Although Xiao Xun didn't understand Mu Jiahe's intentions, perhaps she didn't want to deal with these troublesome people. He trusted that the remaining 'professional assassins' would handle the situation properly.
After what had just happened, Xiao Xun was no longer sleepy. Instead, he felt a surge of adrenaline.
Upon returning home, he asked Mu Jiahe, "President Mu, are you hungry? Would you like me to make something for you to eat?"
Mu Jiahe glanced at her watch. "Then cook some noodles. Hurry, I can barely stay awake."
Xiao Xun went into the kitchen, thinking: It's no wonder people can earn a lot of money; their psychological resilience is incredible. They can kill someone and still be so calm. If I killed someone, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep for days.
While contemplating, he searched for noodles, but after a long search, he couldn't find any instant noodles. With no other choice, he decided to cook some macaroni and, while it was cooking, stir-fried a tomato and shrimp sauce to mix with the pasta.
Mu Jiahe glanced at her watch, looking impatient. "No need to go through so much trouble. Just a quick bite will do."