Shen Qianqian straightened her chest and spoke haughtily, "If you know what's good for you, you'll let us go. I'm the daughter of Shen Corporation, and if you dare harm me or Lin Xuan, my father won't let you off."
Lin Xuan clicked his tongue inwardly.
She's putting on quite a show.
While other men might be moved by such a display of courage, Lin Xuan was no longer a naive youth.
This trick wouldn't work on him.
The leader of the thugs sneered, "Oh, here's another one who overestimates themselves. Little lady, I wasn't raised to be scared easily."
He stroked his chin and examined Shen Qianqian.
"Those necklace, earrings, and bracelets, along with that outfit, you clearly come from a rich family. Since you've volunteered yourself, don't blame us."
The thug leader shouted an order, "Deal with this woman first and strip her of all her valuables!"
Several thugs charged forward, reaching out to snatch Shen Qianqian's bracelet.
"Get lost, don't touch me!" Shen Qianqian struggled, "Get away from me!"
"Bitch!"
The thug leader suddenly grabbed Shen Qianqian's hair and jerked it back. "Bitch, you still dare to resist?"
"Smack!"
The thug leader slapped Shen Qianqian across the face.
Shen Qianqian's eyes welled up with tears.
This was the first time she had ever been hit in her life.
Shen Qianqian bit her lip in grievance and looked in Lin Xuan's direction. As soon as she saw Lin Xuan's handsome face, her heart began to flutter again. For Lin Xuan, enduring this beating was worth it.
Shen Qianqian spoke with righteous indignation, "Lin Xuan is my friend, and no matter what you do to me, I will never let you harm him."
"My bodyguards will be here soon, and then you'll be in trouble. What you're doing is a crime, and if my bodyguards catch you, you'll be in big trouble!"
"Little lady, you've got quite a fiery temper. Alright, then I'll wait, it's rare to see such an interesting woman these days."
The thug leader pulled out a knife and aimed it at Shen Qianqian's face.
"Look at this delicate skin, you’re truly beautiful. Tell me, what if I scratch your pretty little face? Wouldn't that be fun?"
Shen Qianqian's eyes widened, "No! You can't do that to me! My father will never let you get away with it!"
"Hahaha, we'd love to see what your dad will do to us."
The thug leader pressed the sharp blade close to Shen Qianqian's face.
Lin Xuan remained indifferent.
Earlier, he had already noticed that these thugs were being excessively aggressive with Shen Qianqian but were hesitating.
If they truly intended to rob, they wouldn't be acting so restrained.
Lin Xuan stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued to watch the show.
"Little lady, remember, don't move around, or I can't guarantee that this knife won't scratch your face."
Shen Qianqian glanced at Lin Xuan surreptitiously and frowned in confusion.
Why was Lin Xuan taking such a detached and aloof attitude?
Her original plan was for Lin Xuan to charge out and confront these thugs. One of the thugs would stab at Lin Xuan, and she would step in to block the attack, officially becoming Lin Xuan's savior.
But Lin Xuan wasn't behaving according to her script.
"Enjoy your pretty little face while you can, little sister," the thug leader said with a mischievous smile.
Lin Xuan couldn't help but inwardly complain.
So much talk.
No wonder they were hired for this charade.
If actual robbers and kidnappers were this verbose, they'd have been caught a thousand times over.
Lin Xuan took out a small bag of sunflower seeds from the bag he was carrying and began leisurely munching on them.
Shen Qianqian gave the thug leader a subtle signal. Understanding, the thug leader suddenly raised his hand, brandishing the knife and fiercely stabbing toward Shen Qianqian.
Shen Qianqian's eyes lit up; the opportunity to get injured had come!
Her hand shielded her face.
The knife pierced Shen Qianqian's arm.
"AAAAH!" Shen Qianqian screamed in agony as blood gushed from her wound.
Lin Xuan shook his head.
Shen Qianqian was really going all out, even for a staged act.
The thug leader swiftly withdrew the knife from Shen Qianqian's arm.
Lin Xuan's lips curled into a mocking smile.
The time was right; it was time for him to step in. Or else, Shen Qianqian's bodyguards would soon make an appearance.
Lin Xuan walked steadily toward the thugs.
Shen Qianqian's eyes sparkled.
Was Lin Xuan coming to her rescue because he couldn’t stand seeing her hurt? Was he starting to feel something for her?
Shen Qianqian's heart raced with excitement.
The thug leader looked at Lin Xuan and scoffed, "You think you're going to be the hero here? Ha, with your skinny frame, you're overestimating yourself!"
Shen Qianqian feigned anxiety, "Lin Xuan, don't bother, I'm fine."
Lin Xuan didn't even spare her a glance.
His focus remained on the thugs.
"I'm not here to be a hero." Lin Xuan chuckled, "I've just picked up a few new martial arts moves and thought you would make good practice dummies."
Lin Xuan stepped up to the thug leader and kicked him away with a single powerful kick.
The thug leader's back smashed into a broken water tank.
"Clang." The broken tank shattered.
The thug leader coughed harshly, clutching his chest in agony.
Lin Xuan stepped on the thug leader's chest.
"Consider switching to a legitimate line of work in the future."
The thug leader grit his teeth and yelled, "You all just standing there? Get up and fight!"
The remaining five thugs surrounded Lin Xuan.
At that moment, three bodyguards of Shen Qianqian arrived, "Miss, are you alright?"
Shen Qianqian clutched her arm, shaking her head in pain, "I'm fine."
"Go save Lin Xuan, quickly!" Shen Qianqian urged anxiously.
The thugs, seeing the towering, sunglasses-clad bodyguards, weren't too frightened.
These bodyguards were on their side; they were merely acting out the scene. They wouldn't hurt them.
The thugs sneered, "We have five of us, and you think you’re going to take us down? Laughable."
"We’ll just have to see about that." The three bodyguards moved to take down the thugs.
Lin Xuan frowned, "Stay out of it."
Shen Qianqian interjected, "Lin Xuan, don't worry, these are professional bodyguards from my family. They’ll handle it, just let them take care of it."
With that, she turned and ordered, "Go now, and ensure you don't let anyone harm a single hair on Lin Xuan’s head, understand?"
Lin Xuan glanced at Shen Qianqian with a frown but didn’t bother explaining.
He darted around the thugs like a ghost.
In a short time,
"Bang!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
One after another, the thugs were punched by Lin Xuan and flew backward like broken kites, landing heavily on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Lin Xuan was like a man possessed.
Even Shen Qianqian's bodyguards weren't spared.
Soon, the ground was littered with people, each clutching their chests in pain.
One bodyguard survived and retreated several steps silently.