reignition

It was probably because Jiang Mian's sudden outburst of emotions was too overwhelming.

The bodyguard paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're quite loyal; no wonder you were chosen."

Jiang Mian was so focused that she didn't notice the deeper meaning behind his words.

"But I'm not here for you today."

The bodyguard was very strong; with a wave of his hand, he threw Jiang Mian aside and then picked up Lu Chaochi.

The child is only five years old, has a weak constitution, and is naturally thinner and smaller than other children of the same age.

The bodyguard lifted him up in one go.

But he didn't struggle or scream.

Their facial expressions were quiet and somewhat indifferent.

It seems that once a certain emotion reaches its peak, all other emotions are simply shut down.

Not a trace of it was revealed.

When the child is acting childish normally, it's not noticeable. But at times like this, he really does look like Lu Bozhou's son.

That expressionless indifference was exactly the same.

“Just like your father, he’s a tough nut to crack.” The bodyguard gave Lu Chaochi a cold look.

His voice was mocking, "Young Master, thanks to you, we've had a lot of hard work these past two years."

"I'm giving you a lesson today as a way of thanking you for your 'care' over the past two years."

The bodyguard knew he could understand the sarcasm in those words. This kid was very smart, with an IQ that was comparable to, or even higher than, that of an adult.

But these words failed to elicit any expression from Lu Chaochi's face, nor did they elicit any sound from him.

He remained silent, just as he had when he first met Jiang Mian.

After the bodyguard finished speaking, he casually tossed him to the ground!

If that swing goes through, it's bound to hurt!

Lu Chaochi pursed his lips and closed his eyes, waiting for the expected pain to strike.

but no.

The expected pain did not come.

Instead of touching the dirty, hard ground, my body fell into a soft embrace.

Jiang Mian rushed forward! She caught the child and held him tightly in her arms.

"Well!"

Hearing a muffled groan from Jiang Mian behind him, Lu Chaochi suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes wide.

Before he could react, the bodyguards unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks.

But it doesn't hurt.

It doesn't hurt at all.

Tears welled up in Lu Chaochi's eyes. How could he be in pain?

He was so well protected...

No amount of punches or kicks could land on him.

The dull thuds of fists and feet striking flesh were incessant.

Each blow landed on Jiang Mian's body and back.

She was like a pangolin captured alive by humans, trying her best to curl up her body to protect the child in her arms.

Her heavy breathing, trembling slightly from the pain, fell on his ear.

Along with that, some warm liquid dripped down his neck.

He didn't want to think about what it was; he preferred it to be Mianmian's tears, he hoped it was just tears...

But I could smell a sweet, fishy odor.

The indifference on his face, so identical to that of Lu Bozhou, cracked in an instant.

The bodyguard's punches and kicks finally stopped.

Jiang Mian finally had a chance to catch her breath. She didn't relax at all and protected the child even more tightly.

Her voice trembled with pain as she whispered in her son's ear, "Shh, shh... Don't be afraid, little stone, don't be afraid."

Lu Chaochi bit his lip tightly, his eyes wide open, and tears slid down his cheeks.

The bodyguard stretched his wrists, tugged at his collar, and let out a long sigh.

"Jiang Mian, we're all just working people, it's not easy for us. I don't want to make things difficult for you, so please move aside."

The bodyguard bent over, his hands on his knees, looking down at the disheveled woman on the ground.

"You probably don't know how many people Lu Bozhou has offended over the years, do you?"

The bodyguard smirked. "You think Dingsheng has taken off like a rocket? How could it have developed so fast in the last few years?"

The bodyguard sneered, "He's ruined so many families. Otherwise, why do you think he protects his son so well? Because he knows he's made too many enemies!"

"You've already suffered enough injuries. I'll teach him a lesson, but it won't drag you down with me. You'll even have a better reputation with him afterwards, how about that?"

As the bodyguard spoke, he glanced at Jiang Mian with a half-smile, and began to negotiate with her.

He thought the offer was good enough, and Jiang Mian would definitely agree.

But then, the next second, they heard Jiang Mian chuckle.

"With only so many sheep, he would starve to death if he didn't snatch them from the other wolves."

Jiang Mian raised her blood-stained face and looked coldly at the bodyguard. Although her voice was weak, her aura was not.

It was even provocative.

"If you're not as skilled or capable as others, don't complain about how wronged you are, and don't try to morally blackmail others. In the business world, do you expect others to understand that you're poor, weak, and therefore right?"

As Jiang Mian spoke, she grinned, revealing a mocking smile, her white teeth stained red with streaks of blood.

Lu Chaochi trembled slightly in her arms.

He is afraid.

It's not just because of our current situation that we're afraid.

Rather, it's because... he could tell.

Lu Chaochi was indeed smart enough, so he quickly realized what was going on.

Mianmian did it on purpose.

She said it on purpose! She deliberately wanted to provoke this person; she wanted to transfer this person's anger... onto her.

She hoped to stall for time until her father came to rescue them.

It must be said that Jiang Mian's plan was very successful.

Her words likely struck a nerve with the bodyguard.

This enraged him.

"Bullshit! Bullshit!" He spun around in place like an angry, trapped beast.

"That was clearly our project! We had already smoothed things over with all the connections! It was him! He shamelessly stole it! If it weren't for him, how could I have ended up in this situation? Working as a bodyguard for some greenhorn?!"

Jiang Mian was clearly afraid of this person before.

But at this moment, faced with his anger.

She felt no fear at all.

On the contrary, I felt a sense of relief.

She curled her lips into a smirk, her voice even more mocking, "Don't be naive. In the business world, it's all about the winner taking all. There's no such thing as 'clear' or 'obvious.' If you don't have the ability, just admit it. There's no shame in that."

"Bullshit!" The bodyguard had been completely outmaneuvered by Jiang Mian, and he roared out this.

He suddenly slapped her across the face.

Jiang Mian gritted her teeth and endured it, subtly moving forward a little.

Lu Chaochi's tears flowed freely.

Mianmian handed herself over to the bodyguard's men, letting him vent his anger and beat her.

They placed him behind them, in a safe place.

All acts of violence have been eliminated.

Incredibly, despite experiencing such a horrific incident, Lu Chaochi remains completely unharmed.

Lu Chaochi thought anxiously, "Why isn't he here yet? Why isn't Dad here?!"

The violence, which had lasted for an unknown period of time, finally stopped.

Jiang Mian collapsed to the ground, silent and still, as if she had lost all consciousness.

The bodyguard glanced at his watch, cursed under his breath, and kicked Jiang Mian again.

"Damn it! It's all your fault for wasting my time, we're almost late."

As he spoke, he bent down and leaned closer to Jiang Mian, letting out a cold laugh.

"You don't actually think I didn't know this brat had a tracking device on him, do you?"