My Angel, My Guardian (GL) - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“Jingchun, eat something.”

Xiao Zetong placed a bowl of noodles in front of Jingchun. It had been two days since Jingchun arrived, and she hadn’t touched a drop of water or a morsel of food, leaving everyone deeply worried.

“Jingchun, Mingxi did this for your own good. You have to understand that we aren’t facing just anyone this time it’s Long Xun and the entire Long family. Being by Mingxi’s side right now would only make you a burden and a liability. You know how much you mean to her; if anything happened to you, how could she go on? Be good, eat your noodles, and wait patiently for Mingxi to take you home.”

With Zetong’s gentle persuasion, Jingchun finally picked up her chopsticks and began to eat slowly. Seeing this, Zetong felt a weight lift from her heart. After the meal, she led Jingchun to the garden, where they sat on the grass to talk.

“Jingchun, if we get through this crisis safely, what’s the first thing you want to do?” Zetong asked. Unlike Jingchun’s constant frowning, Zetong remained calm and composed.

I will apologize to Long Xun, Jingchun signed earnestly. This guilt had haunted her for over a decade. Once the grievances were settled, she wanted to offer a sincere apology, hoping Long Xun could forgive Li Mingxi, Ying Jia’en, and Xiao Zetong. She felt it all started because of her; without her, none of this would have happened.

“Apologize to Long Xun? Why?” Zetong frowned. If anyone was to blame, it certainly wasn’t Jingchun.

Everything started because of me, Jingchun ‘spoke’ through signs. Long Xun wasn’t wrong I am a mute. Yet, because she spoke the truth, Mingxi humiliated her so cruelly. If I were her, at that age, being thrown from heaven to hell… it’s only natural she’d want revenge.

“Jingchun, it was her fault for not knowing how to respect people. What we did later was also wrong. If blame must be assigned, it belongs to the four of us, not you. You were the victim at the start, and later you were kept in the dark. Don’t blame yourself. Instead of wasting time on guilt, why not think about when you’ll finally accept Mingxi’s pursuit?”

Zetong teased her to lighten the mood. Jingchun’s face flushed at the mention of Mingxi, but her eyes quickly clouded with worry again.

“Trust me,” Zetong said firmly. “The Ying family won’t let anything happen to you, and I won’t let Mingxi get hurt. We grew up together four of us, and we stay four. I promise you.”

The Calm Before the Shot

While Jingchun fell into an uneasy sleep in the garden, Li Mingxi was heading to the office in a car provided by Ying Xing’er. Three other cars followed her—one from Xing’er, and the others likely from the Long family. Everyone knew who the others were, but they maintained a tense distance; their only mission was to watch Mingxi.

Mingxi arrived at the Guang Qiang company and went straight to the office of the Vice President, Shen Jingwen. Finding it empty, she asked the secretary.

“The Vice President went to submit the tender documents; today is the deadline,” the secretary replied.

Mingxi called her own secretary, Wang Yi, into her office to review the day’s schedule: a high-level meeting at 9:30 AM, a supermarket renovation inspection at 1:00 PM, and a charity gala at 8:00 PM. It was a grueling day with no time for a proper meal.

By late afternoon, Mingxi’s stomach began to ache from hunger and stress. Wang Yi entered with a lunch box and some medicine. “General Manager, I ordered some food for you. Please eat a little; there will be a lot of socializing at the gala tonight. Here is your stomach medicine.”

Mingxi felt a flash of gratitude. Whether Wang Yi was acting out of genuine care or a desire for promotion didn’t matter; at least she wasn’t a threat. “Go eat as well,” Mingxi said. “Then get ready to accompany me to the gala tonight.”

After Wang Yi left to change, Mingxi finished her meal and took her medicine. She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the three black cars parked below. One is Xing’er’s… are the other two Long Xun’s? Or another family entirely?

Suddenly, a glint of light from the office building across the street caught her eye. Instinct took over. She threw herself onto the floor just as the sound of shattering glass exploded in her ears. Shards rained down around her.

Below, the bodyguards scrambled toward the opposite building, though they would find no trace of the shooter. Lying on the floor among the glass, Mingxi felt a cold shiver of fear. It seemed Long Xun truly couldn’t wait another day for her to die.