Horror in the Underground Garage

For the next three days, Li Xingruo walked on eggshells.

The sticky feeling of being watched from the shadows not only failed to diminish after she changed the route of her van, but instead grew stronger.

Sometimes it was in the safety passage outside the recording studio, sometimes in the rearview mirror of the underground garage. She could always feel a pair of eyes staring at her. But every time Xiaoya and the driver, Lao Wang, went to check, they found nothing.

Li Xingruo's nerves were stretched to the breaking point. She had lost weight, and even the makeup artist couldn't help complaining that concealer could barely cover her dark circles.

Eleven thirty at night.

After finishing a magazine interview, Li Xingruo leaned wearily against the back seat of the van.

The car drove smoothly into the underground garage of "Yunding Tianchen."

"Xingruo, we're here," Xiaoya gently nudged Li Xingruo, who was almost asleep.

Li Xingruo woke with a start, instinctively gripping her bag tighter, a flash of terror in her eyes. It wasn't until she saw the familiar reserved parking spot through the window that she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Lao Wang, you can go back first. Xiaoya, help me take the clothes that the brand sent from the trunk upstairs." Li Xingruo pushed open the car door and stepped out in her high heels.

The underground garage was quiet, except for the low hum of the exhaust fans.

Xiaoya walked around to the back of the car to get the clothes, while Li Xingruo stood alone in front of the elevator, waiting for it to descend from the top floor.

The numbers ticked down one by one.

"Ding—"

Just as the elevator doors were about to open.

A very faint but unusually rapid sound of rubber-soled shoes scraping against the ground suddenly came from behind the load-bearing pillar on the right side of Li Xingruo!

The hairs on the back of Li Xingruo's neck stood up. The vigilance she had developed over the years in the entertainment industry made her whip her head around.

A man in a black hoodie, wearing a mask and a cap, was lunging toward her in a twisted, fanatical posture!

He had no knife, but held a miniature high-definition camera in his hand, letting out a chilling, harsh panting sound from his mouth.

"Xingruo... Xingruo, I'm finally this close to you... You smell so good..."

A disgusting greed flickered in the man's eyes. His hand was almost touching the hem of Li Xingruo's dress.

"Ah—!"

Li Xingruo let out a terrified scream, her mind went blank, and she instinctively stepped back but tripped over her high heels, falling backward uncontrollably.

"Xingruo!" Xiaoya, who had just taken out the clothes, heard the scream and was scared out of her wits.

Just when Li Xingruo thought she would be tackled by this pervert, in the nick of time,

a black figure like a ghost darted out of the shadows beside her without warning!

It was so fast that even the camera couldn't capture it.

There was only a thud—an extremely muffled sound of bodies colliding!

The man in the hoodie didn't even have time to scream. He was hit like he was struck by a speeding train, flew through the air, and crashed heavily against the concrete wall two meters away.

The camera shattered into pieces, parts scattering everywhere.

The man slid down like a pile of mud, clutching his chest, groaning in pain.

Li Xingruo didn't fall onto the cold ground.

A strong, rough, burning hot hand firmly caught her waist and pulled her into a broad, hard chest.

The familiar scent of fir and tobacco instantly enveloped her.

Li Xingruo looked up dazedly.

Under the dim garage lights, Qi Lie, wearing a black windbreaker, his chiseled, cold face now filled with palpable murderous intent and brutality.

One of his hands was protectively around her, the other clenched into a fist, veins bulging on the back. His deep, dark eyes stared at the pervert on the ground as if he were already dead.

"Qi... Qi Lie?" Li Xingruo's voice trembled uncontrollably, tears blurring her vision.

What was he doing here?

Qi Lie didn't answer. He released Li Xingruo and strode over to the hooded man, who was trying to get up.

Without a word, without any unnecessary movement.

Qi Lie raised his long leg and stepped down with extreme precision and ruthlessness onto the man's right ankle.

A sickening crack of bone.

"Ah—!" The man let out a blood-curdling scream.

There was no warmth in Qi Lie's eyes. He bent down, grabbed the man by the collar, and half-lifted him.

"Which eye looked at her?" Qi Lie's voice was low, hoarse, like a death knell from the depths of hell. "Which hand wanted to touch her?"

The man, convulsing in pain, looked at the man before him like a god of death descending, and extreme terror finally filled his eyes.

"I... I'm just a fan... I love her too much..."

"Fan?"

Qi Lie sneered. With a swift, professional joint lock, he dislocated the man's right shoulder joint.

Another piercing scream.

"Qi Lie! Stop!"

Li Xingruo finally came to her senses. Seeing the violent aura radiating from Qi Lie, she rushed over in fear and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist from behind.

"Don't hit him anymore... You'll kill him! He's not worth it!"

Li Xingruo cried. She knew Qi Lie used to be a special forces officer; if he really wanted to kill, this pervert wouldn't survive the night.

But she couldn't let Qi Lie get into trouble over this! He was just the owner of a security company now. She couldn't ruin the peaceful life he had now!

Feeling the soft warmth and hot tears on his back, Qi Lie's tense muscles relaxed slightly.

He threw the man to the ground like trash and turned around, pulling Li Xingruo tightly into his arms.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Qi Lie's chest heaved violently, his voice filled with restrained heartache and anger.

"For three days, you've had nightmares every night, coming back every day like a frightened bird. If I hadn't been secretly following you, how long were you going to hide it from me?" Qi Lie cupped her tear-streaked face.

Li Xingruo sobbed uncontrollably.

All her defenses and strength crumbled before this man.

"I didn't want you to worry..." Li Xingruo choked, her fingers gripping his clothes tightly. "Your security company has just started... Those haters and perverts would do anything. I was afraid they would hurt Xiaolu... I didn't want to drag you into my mess..."

Hearing her broken sobs, Qi Lie's heart clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.

So this is why she had been trying so hard to hide and bear it all alone—because she thought he was an "ordinary person who needed protection."

How could there be such a foolish woman in this world?

Qi Lie took a deep breath and closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the violent urge to overturn the entertainment industry.

"Stupid woman."

He cursed softly, but his tone was incredibly gentle.

He bent down and, without hesitation, lifted Li Xingruo into his arms.

"Starting tomorrow, fire all those useless security guards arranged by Xingyao Media."

Qi Lie carried her as he strode toward the private elevator, his domineering, unquestioning voice echoing through the garage.

"I'll take over your safety personally."

Li Xingruo, nestled in his arms, froze: "But... the company won't agree to me changing personnel at will, and you still have your company to manage..."

"Company?" Qi Lie sneered. "I'll make them agree."

Li Xingruo looked at the man's resolute jawline. Though she still had concerns, the unprecedented sense of security wrapped around her made her unconsciously snuggle deeper into his embrace.

"But... if you become my bodyguard, what if the paparazzi catch wind of our relationship..."

"Then we'll set some rules."

The elevator doors opened. Qi Lie carried her inside, his deep gaze locked onto her face, a secret, aggressive curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Outside, I'm your bodyguard. We act like we don't know each other."

"Back home, behind closed doors, I'm your husband."

"Miss Li, do you accept these terms?"