Hearing this, the man instantly withdrew his smile. "If that's what you're saying, Mr. Mu, then this conversation is pointless."
"Release the person."
"Absolutely not."
The two men stood in a standoff, and the atmosphere in the warehouse grew increasingly tense. After a few seconds of silence, the man was the first to break it. "Mr. Mu, you really don't plan to leave?"
Meng Nianchu could tell that the man was wary of Mu Junze. Although she didn't know what had happened between them before, seeing that the man didn't dare to act rashly, she knew it was to her advantage.
Summoning her courage, she stepped beside Mu Junze, looked directly into the man's eyes, and calmly said, "If you want something, just say it directly."
"What do I want?" The man leered at Meng Nianchu, his face twisted in a disgusting expression.
Sensing his lascivious gaze, Mu Junze immediately pulled Meng Nianchu behind him.
"Ah!"
The man, who was about to speak, suddenly let out a scream.
Bailing had sunk her teeth into his arm.
"You crazy woman!"
The man yanked Bailing away and slapped her across the face.
At that moment, Mu Junze quickly grabbed the man's collar and punched him hard in the face. Seeing their leader being attacked, the three men standing beside him immediately rushed towards Mu Junze.
Fortunately, Mu Junze was quick on his feet. Seeing the man on the right charging at him first, he dodged to the left, then elbowed him hard in the neck.
He then managed to dodge the attacks of the other two men. But this time, before he could regain his balance, a man with a knife was already in front of him.
Meng Nianchu, who was standing nearby, was terrified by the sight.
Although Mu Junze managed to dodge to the side as quickly as possible, the knife still sliced across his arm, leaving a gash that began to bleed.
The sight of the blood on the ground made Mu Junze's eyes turn red. He grabbed the man's head and slammed it into his knee, then kicked him to the ground.
The remaining man, seeing Mu Junze's fierce expression, didn't dare to approach. The two men on the ground helped each other up and stood there shakily, their eyes fixed warily on Mu Junze as they slowly backed towards the door.
The tall man clutched his chest in pain and gritted his teeth. "You just wait for me!"
Then, supported by the other three men, he quickly left the warehouse.
"Li An!"
Bailing called out anxiously, but Li An, who was lying on the ground, showed no sign of response.
It was only after Bailing's call that Meng Nianchu snapped out of her shock. She walked over to Mu Junze, tore a strip from the hem of her dress, and tried to calm herself as she tied it around Mu Junze's wound to slow the bleeding.
Seeing that Li An wasn't responding, Bailing was on the verge of hysteria. Meng Nianchu walked over, helped Bailing up, then slung Li An's arm over her shoulder and staggered towards the warehouse door.
"Let's go to the hospital first."
Seeing that Meng Nianchu was determined to carry Li An out on her own, Mu Junze frowned. He bent down and hoisted Li An onto his back, then strode towards the black car outside the warehouse.
Meng Nianchu knew that Mu Junze was stubborn, and once he made a decision, there was no changing his mind. So she supported Bailing from behind and followed Mu Junze out of the warehouse.
With Mu Junze's arm injured, he couldn't drive. Meng Nianchu volunteered to be the driver.
Mu Junze had no idea that Meng Nianchu could drive. So when he saw her smoothly navigate through the commercial street and park the car steadily in front of the hospital, he was extremely shocked.
What he didn't know was that Meng Nianchu had learned to drive a long time ago. Back then, because of Meng Rong's instigation, they had separated, and Meng Nianchu had forced herself to learn how to drive out of necessity.
But those things were so long ago that even Meng Nianchu herself was a bit hazy about them now.
Li An was rushed to the emergency operating room. Bailing, covered in Li An's blood, waited anxiously outside the door, her eyes filled with worry.
Mu Junze's wound on his arm was also very serious. Meng Nianchu was worried, so she followed him.
The doctor prepared the ointment, carefully removed the strip of cloth from Mu Junze's arm, disinfected the wound, and then gently applied the ointment.
Mu Junze's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat from the pain.
Meng Nianchu couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with tears. Unable to hold back, she said softly, "Doctor, maybe I should do it."
"Sure." The doctor readily agreed and handed the ointment to Meng Nianchu, then stepped aside.
"If it hurts, just bear with it a little." Meng Nianchu's voice was choked with sobs.
Mu Junze looked down at her, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Just then, someone ran into the office to say that there was another emergency patient at the hospital. The doctor gave Meng Nianchu a few instructions and then rushed out in a hurry.
In the quiet office, Meng Nianchu sniffled.
Mu Junze raised his uninjured left hand and ruffled her hair. He didn't say a word, but that simple gesture said it all.
I'm okay. Don't cry.
Meng Nianchu threw herself into his arms and sobbed for a while before finally regaining her composure. "You scared me to death."
When she saw the man charging at Mu Junze with a knife, she wanted to rush over to protect him, but her legs seemed to be rooted to the ground and she couldn't move.
Suddenly, she remembered the fire at Shangting. She realized how much courage Mu Junze must have had to rush into the burning building. Tears streamed down her face and landed on Mu Junze's chest.
Mu Junze gently patted her on the back.
Remembering that Bailing was still waiting alone outside the operating room, Meng Nianchu forced herself to hold back her tears. She focused on applying the ointment and blew gently on Mu Junze's wound, as if soothing a child. "Blow on it and it won't hurt."
When Meng Nianchu and Mu Junze left the doctor's office after applying the ointment, Li An had already finished the surgery and was sent to the ward.
Bailing was sitting beside the bed, waiting anxiously.
Meng Nianchu walked up behind her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry too much."
"The doctor said he'll wake up soon."
Those people had really laid into Li An. Almost every blow had landed on his bones. But fortunately, they had arrived in time, so Li An's injuries weren't too serious. There was no major problem.
This reassured Bailing a little. She held Meng Nianchu's hand tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mu Junze standing to one side. After some thought, she finally asked, "Mr. Mu, do you know those people?"
"I've had some business dealings with them." Mu Junze leaned against the white wall and replied coldly. After a moment's thought, he added, "Those people probably have connections in the underworld. They're not just ordinary hooligans. We'd better find out how Li An got involved with them."