"You don't need to know who we are," the man said, cocking his gun with a sharp click. "Just sit quietly while we do what we were sent here to do."
Guo Min's fingers tightened around Lixi's hand.
"Take her," one of the men muttered, jerking his chin toward Guo Min. "She's the wife."
Another laughed, low and ugly. "Why rush? She's beautiful. Might as well enjoy it."
"No," a third cut in, eyes drifting lazily to Lixi. "The crying one's cuter. I want her."
Lixi stiffened, her breath catching. Guo Min felt the tremor run through her immediately.
The leader leaned back against the sofa, observing them like prey being discussed. "Fine," he said after a moment. "The crying one first. Go."
One of the men stepped forward.
Before he could reach them, Guo Min struck his wrist away hard.
"I dare you," she said coldly, rising halfway from her seat and placing herself squarely in front of Lixi. "Touch her and I swear you won't walk out of here."
The room was still for half a second.
Then laughter broke out.
"…Feisty?" the leader said, amused as he stood. "I like that." He walked closer, gun still loose in his hand. "You think you have a choice right now?"
Guo Min met his gaze without flinching. Her heart was pounding, her blood roaring in her ears, but her voice remained steady.
The leader chuckled. Then, without warning, his hand swung... The slap landed hard against Guo Min's cheek. The sound cracked through the room.
She hissed at the impact, stumbling half a step, but she straightened immediately, placing herself back in front of Lixi without hesitation. Blood welled in her mouth. She spat it straight at the man's face.
Her eyes burned, nearly red with fury. As long as they didn't touch the girl behind her, she could endure anything.
The man wiped his face slowly, smiling as though amused. "What are you to her?" he mocked. "Her mother?". He snapped his fingers.
"Since you're so arrogant…" He paused, savoring it. "…grab her." Hands seized Guo Min from both sides.
She struggled violently, nails scraping, elbows striking, but there were too many of them. They dragged her forward, ignoring her resistance.
"Beautiful," one of them said with a low laugh. "So beautiful."
The leader tilted his head, eyes crawling over her. "I wonder how long you'll scream."
Guo Min clenched her teeth, refusing to make a sound.
Then...
"Let her go!". Lixi's scream cut through the room. She had stood up. Everyone turned. The world seemed to be slow. A gunshot rang out. The bullet tore into Lixi's abdomen.
For a heartbeat, there was silence... then blood spilled rapidly, staining her dress, pooling onto the marble floor as she collapsed with a scream that tore the air apart. "Ahhhhh...!"
Guo Min's world shattered. "LIXI...!"
She wrenched herself free with a strength born of pure desperation, breaking out of their grasp and dropping to her knees beside Lixi. Her hands pressed instinctively against the wound, blood soaking through her fingers almost immediately.
"No, no, stay with me, look at me". Lixi's face was pale, her body shaking, her cries turning weak.
Guo Min's vision blurred.
Anger. Terror. Grief.
All of it exploded at once.
Rough hands yanked her up again.
"Huh?" the leader murmured, amused. "So you can cry after all. Good gir...".
He didn't finish, when Guo Min's hand plunged into the pocket of his jacket. Her fingers closed around cold metal.
A gun. She ripped it free and shoved it forward with shaking but determined hands.
"Everyone, stay back," she shouted, her voice raw but unbroken. "Stay back or I'll shoot."
The room froze.
She stepped backward carefully, never lowering the gun, positioning herself in front of Lixi once more, bloodied hands, trembling arms, eyes blazing with something feral.
"I won't miss," she said hoarsely.
Guo Min's hands were shaking. But her grip on the gun did not falter. "Stay back," she warned again, voice hoarse, eyes blazing through tears.
One of the men smirked and took a step anyway. The gunshot rang out. It echoed through the house, the sound was very sharp and final. The man dropped instantly.
For a split second, no one moved. Then the leader's expression changed. Furious. "You little...". He lunged.
The gun was ripped from her hand. A brutal shove sent her crashing against the chair, fingers scraping uselessly against the floor as he grabbed her by the collar and dragged her up again.
"You think killing one of mine changes anything?" he snarled, shaking her. "You just made this worse."
Guo Min struggled, striking at him blindly, but grief and panic were catching up to her now. Her attention wasn't on him anymore because, behind her, Lixi's breathing had turned shallow... too shallow.
"Min'er…" Lixi's voice was faint. Barely there.
"I'm here," Guo Min choked, trying to break free. "I'm here... let me go!"
The leader raised his hand as if to strike again but unfortunately for him, sounds of gunfire exploded from outside.
Windows shattered inward. Armed men flooded the house with terrifying speed and precision. Within seconds, the attackers were overwhelmed, forced to the ground, disarmed.
And then, Zhu Zihan stepped inside, the temperature in the room immediately seemed to drop.
His eyes landed on Guo Min first, restrained anger at the sight of bruise and blood on her face.
Then they moved. To the floor. To Lixi. Something in his expression went completely still. "Alive," he said quietly to his men. "I want them alive." and they moved instantly.
Zihan crossed the room and pulled Guo Min free, hands steady but firm as he checked her quickly. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "Zihan... Lixi... ". He was already moving and they both dropped beside her.
Lixi's breathing was shallow. Wet. Her skin had gone frighteningly pale. Blood soaked through everything.
"Apply pressure," Zihan ordered calmly. One of his men pressed gauze to the wound. Another called for the car. Another for the medic team already rushing in.
Guo Min held Lixi's hand.
"Stay with me," she whispered. "Stay with me, do you hear me? You're not allowed to close your eyes. You're not allowed..."
Lixi's eyes fluttered open weakly. They found Guo Min. A faint, apologetic smile touched her lips. "…MinMin…"
"I'm here," Guo Min said quickly. "You're okay. You're okay."
"…Sorry," Lixi breathed. "I… made a mess… again."
"Don't talk," Guo Min said, tears spilling freely now. "Save your strength. You can apologize when you wake up, okay? You can apologize for the rest of your life if you want. Just please stay."
Lixi tried to laugh, It came out as a weak breath.
"…I am... sorry... Min" she murmured.
Her words slurred.
Her gaze drifted.
"Lixi?" Guo Min's voice broke. "Lixi, stay with me..."
Lixi's fingers twitched once in hers.
Then went still.
She was slipping.
"Move, quickly" Zihan said sharply as the medical team rushed in.
They lifted her onto a stretcher, oxygen mask already in place, hands working quickly to stabilize her as they rushed her out.
The house fell into heavy silence once they were gone.
Guo Min stood there, covered in blood that wasn't hers. Her hands were still shaking.
Zihan's hand settled on the back of her neck. "She's alive," he said quietly. "But it's critical."
---
Hospital, hours later.
The fluorescent lights were merciless, humming faintly above the sterile corridor.
The doctor stood in front of them, hands clasped, expression professional but heavy. "She survived the surgery," he said carefully. "The bullet caused severe blood loss and internal trauma. She's… stable for now."
Guo Min let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
The doctor paused. "And… she's lost the child." The words fell softly. They still shattered everything. For a moment, no one spoke.
Guo Min stared at him, her mind refusing to process what she'd just heard. "No," she said faintly. "I didn't know doctors make jokes too". She smiled, hoping she heard wrong while every eye on her looked at her like she was going crazy.
Her smile faltered.
Zihan's hand moved to the small of her back, steady and silent.
The doctor continued gently. "The trauma and blood loss were too severe. We did everything we could. I'm sorry." The hallway felt colder.
Somewhere down the corridor, hurried footsteps approached... then stopped.
Yang Yufan. He had arrived too late to hear the beginning, but not too late to hear enough. "…Lost what?"
No one answered immediately.
His gaze shifted from the doctor to Guo Min, bloodstains still faintly visible on her sleeve, then to the red ICU light glowing above the door.
"…No," he said under his breath.
The doctor spoke again, softer now. "Mr. Yang… your wife is in a coma. We cannot predict when she will wake. And the pregnancy… could not be saved."
Silence.
Yufan didn't react at first.
He simply stood there, as if something inside him had been unplugged. Then, slowly, he turned toward the glass window of the ICU.
Through it, he saw her. Still. Pale. Surrounded by machines that breathed and blinked for her. No tears came. His hand pressed against the glass, a bitter scoff escaping his lips.