Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Falling from the High Altitude

Shi Qingze immediately notified the staff and quickly packed up to leave the scene.

The assistant hurried over and asked in a low voice, “Do I need to take Master He to the car first?”

Shi Qingze shook his head, his tone very cold: “Take the bodyguards with you, contact the media immediately, and block the news.”

Xinglou was still staring at his communicator, his limbs so stiff he could barely walk. When Shi Qingze took his hand, he realized it was ice-cold, almost entirely devoid of warmth.

Shi Qingze’s face darkened further. He beckoned the assistant closer and whispered: “Detain all the reporters who contacted him privately just now. Jam their signals. Interrogate them one by one to find out exactly who leaked the information.”

The assistant went to handle it immediately.

“Stop looking at it, Brother.” Shi Qingze pulled He Xinglou tighter, practically carrying him off his feet back to the car.

“They won’t be sending any more messages.”

Seeing that He Xinglou didn’t respond, Shi Qingze explained further: “Someone must have leaked your contact information. I will handle it. This will absolutely never happen again.”

But He Xinglou only sat on the sofa with his eyes downcast, as rigid as a still statue.

Shi Qingze sensed something was wrong and called out hesitantly: “…Brother?”

“Are you listening? Brother? Are you angry?”

Shi Qingze panicked instantly, his hands hovering, not daring to touch him again.

After a moment, He Xinglou blinked, looking somewhat dazed as to why he was sitting there. He looked left and right before focusing his gaze on Shi Qingze in front of him.

He recovered from his emotional dissociation and finally remembered what had just happened.

“Will they publish all my information on the Star Network?” He Xinglou asked softly.

Shi Qingze immediately promised: “No. I’ve already had people handle it. Disclosing private information without authorization is a serious crime. I will sue those media outlets until they are bankrupt.”

Though even if they didn’t publish it, he would make sure they met a miserable end.

Since they dared to flaunt their actions in front of him, it meant those people had picked the wrong side and bet on the wrong horse; it was only right that they suffer the consequences.

Afraid that He Xinglou was still in a bad mood, Shi Qingze added: “Brother, you can check again. Is anyone still harassing you on your communicator?”

Indeed, since getting into the car, He Xinglou had not received any more messages from strangers. However, as his gaze fell on those lines of text from earlier, his heart sank.

Technically, he had married into a powerful family; his future was destined to be turbulent. Countless people would know his name, see his face, investigate his past, and treat him as a topic of gossip. No amount of precaution could fully protect his privacy.

The contract marriage with Shi Qingze was the only choice when driven to a dead end, but it was certainly not a good choice.

He feared that when they eventually divorced, it would stir up another storm. By then, He Xinglou would likely have to hide in a remote star system for a while.

“Brother?” Shi Qingze was still softly calling him.

He Xinglou returned from his future plans and found that Shi Qingze had, at some point, knelt down. He placed his hands lightly on He Xinglou’s knees like someone who had done something wrong, as if begging for mercy.

He hurriedly pulled him up: “Why are you kneeling on the floor? Get up quickly.”

As he pulled, He Xinglou discovered that Shi Qingze was actually shaking.

He frowned deeply: “Shi Qingze, what’s wrong?”

However, Shi Qingze only stared at him with wide eyes, his hands hanging limp, not daring to move or step forward.

“I will handle it. I will never let Brother be harmed in any way,” he promised, his voice heavy with conviction.

But such things aren’t decided by one person alone. He Xinglou felt helpless in his heart.

He had no choice but to soften his voice and say perfunctorily: “Okay, I believe you. I’m not taking this to heart.”

Shi Qingze nodded, finally stood up, and began contacting people incessantly on his communicator.

Shortly after, the luxury van stopped in a secluded alley. He Xinglou looked out the window and saw three identical hovercars parked ahead.

“Brother, let’s get out. To prevent anyone from following us, we’re switching cars to go home.”

Class distinctions on the Capital Star were sharp. The lower class lived crowded in slums with zero privacy, while the upper class not only had strictly managed wealthy districts but also invisible hovercar tracks reserved for great families. Once entering a specific high-altitude flight path, others had no chance of following.

Shi Qingze intended to switch cars as a diversion and enter the Shi family’s exclusive flight path as quickly as possible before the media noticed them.

After switching cars, Shi Qingze drove himself. Escorted by the other two cars, they entered the invisible track. The high-altitude channel, which was usually bustling, instantly became quiet and empty.

He Xinglou let out a silent sigh.

“I’m sorry, Brother. I failed to protect you,” Shi Qingze said slowly. “I thought I had made perfect preparations, but I didn’t expect your information to be leaked anyway.”

“It’s not something you can control. You don’t need to blame yourself.” He Xinglou looked sideways and saw Shi Qingze’s brow furrowed tightly; he didn’t look comforted at all.

He Xinglou had already calmed down, but ironically, Shi Qingze was the one still bothered, his face full of unhappiness.

He Xinglou couldn’t help but find it a bit funny, so he joked half-seriously: “Could it be because I’m just unlucky? You show your face in public all the time, why don’t reporters harass you?”

Shi Qingze had made quite a scene at the coffee shop earlier, yet that didn’t seem to have made the news.

“I have never shown my face in public, nor do I allow my photos or data to leave a trace on the Star Network.”

Saying this, Shi Qingze became even more guilt-ridden: “As soon as I decided to marry Brother, I set up privacy protection and public opinion monitoring for you. But I didn’t expect…”

He Xinglou said with a light laugh: “That’s why I said I’m just unlucky. Don’t worry about it anymore.”

Shi Qingze shook his head: “There is something fishy about this. Ordinary people couldn’t have obtained that data. There is a high probability of an internal mole.”

His tone deepened, his eyes clearing into a misty gray: “Perhaps I truly shouldn’t have brought Brother to the banquet and let those people from the Shi family see your face.”

He Xinglou’s expression shifted: “You suspect them?”

Shi Yu? Or Shi Zhao and Shi Qing?

“The truth will only be known after an investigation.” Shi Qingze tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Just as he finished speaking, a video signal suddenly came through on his communicator.

Shi Qingze answered. On the other end was a strange, panicked face.

“Boss, I can’t find the parent companies for those reporters. I suspect they are impostors!”

Impostors? He Xinglou sat up straight.

What did that mean?

Shi Qingze’s expression changed instantly, and he immediately manipulated the hovercar to accelerate.

But immediately following that, their hovercar was hit hard from behind, as if by a rear-end collision.

Fortunately, He Xinglou was wearing his seatbelt. He was just a bit startled, his heart pounding this was at a high altitude! If they fell from a rear-end crash, would they survive?

He hurried to look in the rearview mirror and saw a black car, like a ghost, that had caught up at some unknown point. It was clearly accelerating to hit them again.

Just before the second impact, Shi Qingze veered sharply. A gap appeared in the high-altitude track. The black car, unable to stop, shot straight past them to the front.

The moment the two cars crossed, He Xinglou saw that the driver’s seat of the black car was empty.

Autonomous driving was premeditated!

Fortunately, the flight tracks were one-way. Since that car had flown ahead, it couldn’t turn around to continue the attack.

Shi Qingze made a split-second decision and manipulated the car to reverse, intending to back out of the invisible track entirely. Xinglou’s heart was in his throat; he remembered the way they came. As long as they left the invisible track, they could resume low-altitude flight, and safety would increase significantly.

A piercing sound of grinding metal came from ahead. He Xinglou looked up and discovered that the unmanned car was actually forcing a U-turn within the narrow one-way track!

Sparks flew from the front and back of the black car. Its front end pressed against the track wall, getting crushed into fragments that fell from the sky, quickly vanishing from sight.

If a person fell from here, they would likely be shattered to pieces.

He Xinglou couldn’t help but look at Shi Qingze. The latter looked solemn, his lips pressed tight as he continued to accelerate in reverse. Only at his temples could a bit of sweat be seen.

The hovercar in front wobbled and finally managed to turn around, its engine roaring as it charged toward them again.

The entrance to the invisible track was not far away. Shi Qingze ignored the approaching black car and dashed backward. Unexpectedly, another car suddenly charged into the track, heading straight for a collision with them!

Shi Qingze immediately unbuckled his seatbelt. After slamming the hovercar’s escape button, he lunged toward He Xinglou with all his might.

A faint mechanical sound clicked. He Xinglou was pulled into his arms, and a moment later, a violent sensation of weightlessness hit them.

“Don’t be afraid!” Shi Qingze held him tightly and shouted.

The violent sound of wind rushed in from all directions. He Xinglou was so terrified his breathing nearly stopped.

The two of them were falling rapidly from the high altitude. The mechanical sound from earlier had come from his waist; He Xinglou looked down and found a quantum safety strap binding him and Shi Qingze firmly together. Their bodies were pressed against each other with no gap.

Their hair was whipped into a mess by the wind. It was so cold. Xinglou could barely open his eyes, but he vaguely saw Shi Qingze in front of him suddenly smiling.

He saw Shi Qingze’s lips move, seemingly saying something, but the wind of the fall was too loud; he couldn’t hear it at all.

Are we going to die? You can’t survive a fall from this height, right? Is this a dream? Could it just be a nightmare?

He Xinglou’s heart was like ice. Terrified, he could only cling to Shi Qingze’s waist. He actually saw that Shi Qingze was still smiling.

Since they were both going to die, at least… let him hear clearly what the other wanted to say.

Xinglou, feeling utterly hopeless, raised his voice and shouted: “What were you saying just now?!”

The smile on Shi Qingze’s face grew wider. He cupped the back of He Xinglou’s head, bringing him closer.

“I said, can you let me kiss you one more time?”

Is this guy insane?! He Xinglou was in disbelief.

At this moment, the two of them spun uncontrollably in the air. The sky and the ground rotated before their eyes like they were encased in a crystal ball, with nothing but the wind, the sunlight, and each other.

…Whatever.

He Xinglou suddenly felt a wave of sadness. He leaned in toward Shi Qingze with force and proactively kissed Shi Qingze’s lips.

The next instant, a whoosh sounded from behind Shi Qingze. He Xinglou felt his waist jerk tight, and then their falling speed slowed down, leaving them swaying and floating in the air.

A massive shadow blocked the piercing high-altitude sun. Xinglou’s eyes widened, and he was dizzy for a long time before realizing the thing above them was a parachute.

Shi Qingze’s low laughter drifted over; his eyes were bright as he looked at him.

No wonder Shi Qingze was talking crazy just now!

Xinglou was so angry his head throbbed; he wanted to punch him.

“Is it fun to trick me!” He was incredibly aggrieved, his voice carried a hint of a sob.

He truly thought they were going to die; he was scared to death, and his heart was still aching with a rapid thumping!

“I’m sorry, Brother. I was wrong,” Shi Qingze said softly.

“What good is just an apology!” Xinglou’s tears fell, but since he was tied firmly to the other, he couldn’t even lift his hand to wipe them away.

So, Shi Qingze lowered his head slightly and kissed away the tears on his face, bit by bit.

He knew He Xinglou was truly terrified, so he didn’t dare tell the truth. Actually, what he had said just now was: “If I died here with Brother, I would feel very happy.”

But he wouldn’t.

“Brother, I won’t let you die. I absolutely won’t.” Shi Qingze swallowed those tears.

He Xinglou’s mood eased slightly. He turned his head to look at the ground and was so frightened he immediately turned back.

“All hovercars are equipped with escape gear, and I’ve practiced skydiving many times just to prevent this situation.” Shi Qingze paused before saying, “After all, I know there are many people who want to kill me.”

He Xinglou sniffed, his eyes red: “Then you could have told me in advance.”

Shi Qingze felt a bit helpless: “I didn’t expect someone would be so crazy as to be bold enough to choose this method to kill me. And…”

His tone turned several degrees colder: “They shouldn’t have targeted Brother.”

“What exactly is going on?” He Xinglou asked hurriedly. “I heard that person say the reporters were impostors.”

“Those reporters were just a cover. Their real goal was to get us alone. Given the efficiency of my intelligence network, it is absolutely impossible for Brother’s data to be leaked to the outside world, and no one should have known I was getting married today. Unless… the opponent is a member of the Shi family.”

Only at that banquet did the Shi family learn of He Xinglou’s existence, see his appearance, and learn of their past.

And only the Shi family could smoothly enter their exclusive invisible track, having made up their minds to kill Shi Qingze at a high altitude. Clearly, this murder was unscrupulous; they didn’t care at all if people guessed the culprit.

He Xinglou shuddered: “They think that as long as you are dead, the Shi family belongs to them. Even if people know they are the culprits, no one will pursue it or convict them.”

What kind of… cold-blooded family is this?

Shi Qingze’s tone was as calm as if he were discussing someone else’s business: “So, they definitely have a backup plan. They must kill me today.”

He paused and suddenly instructed: “Brother, when we reach the ground, you must immediately take my communicator, find a place to hide, and once you are safe, contact the person who just messaged me.”

He Xinglou realized something was wrong: “What about you!”

Shi Qingze didn’t answer but continued rapidly: “They specifically chose this stretch of road to strike. The place where we land will be a forest used specifically for hunting. Only a few great families have the right to enter. Since it’s currently the off-season for hunting, I suspect… They have people lying in ambush in the forest. So Brother, do not trust anyone you see. If you see traces of people, run immediately. Wait for the person on the communicator to contact you and come get you.”

He Xinglou shook his head vigorously: “Shi Qingze, don’t say things like that, it’s like.”

Before he could finish, the sound of a drone swarm approached from the distance.

He Xinglou held his breath. He saw a dense mass of countless drones closing in on them; soon, he could see the sharp blades on the drones.

Shi Qingze smiled gently: “Brother, remember what I said. You will definitely be rescued. And…”

“I love you. I have loved you so, so much since three years ago.”

After saying this, he held He Xinglou even more tightly. There was a significant difference in their sizes, so he could completely wrap He Xinglou in his embrace, protecting him well.

The next second, the sound of tearing fabric rang out. Their parachute was instantly destroyed by the drone swarm, and they plunged toward the ground once again.