Chapter 417: Chapter 417: Meeting in Yanjing

Ah Rong smiled faintly, "You’re coming down for a water break too?"

Xu Xiangbei grinned cheekily, "I’m going to ’release’ water. I drank too much in the office just now."

Xu Xiangbei and Ah Rong got out of the car and were about to walk into the service area hall when a blue Citroën slowly drove up behind them. Ah Rong couldn’t help but glance at the car’s license plate, and her face suddenly changed. She remembered that when leaving Earth Sea, she had seen this Citroën following her.

It had been almost a hundred kilometers since they left Earth Sea, and this car was still following them, a probability of only one in a million.

Just as Ah Rong became alert, a dark gun barrel suddenly extended from the Citroën’s window, followed by a soft gunshot.

Ah Rong used her body to shield Xu Xiangbei, letting out a muffled groan as she collapsed to the ground.

Xu Xiangbei’s hands lightly twitched, and two gleaming iron balls flew from his palms. Another bullet came, striking one of the iron balls with a crisp ’ding,’ sending a shower of sparks.

Realizing it was no longer possible to ambush Xu Xiangbei, the car suddenly stepped on the gas, sped out of the service area, and vanished into the dark night.

Xu Xiangbei hurriedly checked Ah Rong’s injury, relieved that although the bullet had hit her body, it hadn’t struck any vital organs. The bullet had passed through her lower right abdomen, leaving a gory hole.

Quickly applying acupuncture to stop the bleeding and using a towel to cover Ah Rong’s wound, Xu Xiangbei carried her back to the car and sped towards the nearest town hospital.

Ah Rong’s life was not in danger, but she couldn’t accompany Xu Xiangbei to Yanjing and had to stay at the local town hospital to recuperate.

As the anesthesia wore off, deep pain from the surgical wound persisted, and Ah Rong could only endure it with great effort.

Seeing Ah Rong’s face turn pale with pain, Xu Xiangbei felt deeply guilty, knowing that her suffering was solely because she took a bullet for him.

Xu Xiangbei cooked some soup for Ah Rong in the hospital kitchen, aiding her wound recovery, and gently fed her with a spoon.

"Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would probably be lying here, or maybe directly on the ground."

Ah Rong swallowed a mouthful of soup with difficulty, managing to squeeze out a faint smile, "No need to thank me. I’m just doing my duty. Since I took on the task to protect you, I was prepared to take a bullet for you. You don’t have to stay here with me, hurry to Yanjing. The more time you delay, the tighter the schedule is for delivering your documents."

Looking at the time, there were still two hours before dawn, but he was only halfway to Yanjing.

Xu Xiangbei gave a tip to the hospital aide, asking her to take good care of Ah Rong and promising to return from Yanjing to bring her back to Earth Sea.

Wiping the corner of Ah Rong’s mouth with a tissue, Xu Xiangbei said with concern, "Rest well here. If there are no issues, I can return from Yanjing by tonight. I’ve already paid the aide to stay with you 24 hours."

Watching Xu Xiangbei leave, Ah Rong’s eyes flickered with a hint of reluctance.

Her first impression of Xu Xiangbei was that he was an undisciplined rich man, a little rogue, but the tender care he showed while feeding her soup made him seem like a different person, stirring waves of emotion within her that wouldn’t settle.

Once he left the hospital, the silver Porsche sped like lightning along the highway, and by around eight in the morning, Xu Xiangbei saw the highway sign to the Yanjing exit, slowly descending the ramp and entering Yanjing city.

When Xu Xiangbei arrived at the Zijin Real Estate Yanjing office, it was ten in the morning, just in time to deliver the bid documents to the staff.

Learning that Xu Xiangbei was from Earth Sea Thunderbird Group, the staff member at Zijin Real Estate’s office, Xiao Wu, warmly greeted him, pouring him a cup of hot tea and engaging in casual conversation.

Xiao Wu, originally from Earth Sea, had been sent to Yanjing for real estate development and had not returned home for over half a year. Seeing a company from Earth Sea participating in the bid delighted him, and he even wanted Xu Xiangbei to stay for lunch.

Worried about leaving Ah Rong alone in the town hospital, Xu Xiangbei wished to return quickly, declining Xiao Wu’s kind invitation.

Xu Xiangbei quietly slipped Xiao Wu a thick red envelope, cheekily inquiring, "How many companies are bidding for this smart home chip project?"

This was a business secret, generally not to be disclosed to outsiders, but home ties were hard to resist, especially with such a thick envelope.

With only Xiao Wu on duty in the office, he secretly showed Xu Xiangbei a form.

It was a list of all the companies participating in the chip tender, including several strong competitors.

Xu Xiangbei snapped a photo with his phone; with this list, he could consult Manager Zhou upon return and assess how likely they were to secure this project for Thunderbird Group.

Grasping Xiao Wu’s hand, Xu Xiangbei expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for sharing this crucial information with us. Since I’m in a rush, I can’t treat you to a meal this time, but when I return for the bid opening, I will definitely take you out."

"We’re from the same hometown, no need to be so formal. Next time you come, I’ll treat you."

As noon approached, Xu Xiangbei prepared to leave, while Xiao Wu began to close the bidding submissions.

A familiar and melodious female voice came from the office door, "I’m from Jiangcheng’s Xiangyi Group, here to deliver the bid documents. Who should I give these to?"

Hearing that it was Jiangcheng Xiangyi Group, an unknown name, Xiao Wu glanced at his watch and said coolly, "Oh, it’s the deadline now, sorry, you’re late, we close at noon, and it’s exactly noon now."

Xiangyi Group, wasn’t that Gu Xiangyi’s company?

Xu Xiangbei slowly turned back, startled to see that the person delivering the bid documents was none other than Gu Xiangyi herself.

Wearing a blue Prada business outfit, standing elegantly, her face flushed with the rush, just like the vibrant sunset clouds on the horizon.

Realizing they had arrived at the deadline and knowing they were being impeded intentionally, Gu Xiangyi was about to say something nice when she noticed Xu Xiangbei sitting in the office.

Xu Xiangbei grinned at Gu Xiangyi, startling her so much she almost dropped her folder, "What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

Xu Xiangbei winked at Xiao Wu, "Director Wu, this beauty is a good friend of mine. Could you make an exception for her? She came all the way from Jiangcheng, not an easy feat. Besides, it’s just now twelve, hasn’t the deadline passed yet?"

With Xu Xiangbei’s intervention, Xiao Wu accepted Gu Xiangyi’s bid documents with a smile, "You’re lucky to have arrived at exactly the right moment, right at twelve. I’ll take your bid documents."

Gu Xiangyi relaxed with a sigh of relief and smiled generously at Xiao Wu, "Thank you."