Ma Ledi pushed her sister into the car and then ran to start it, rushing out without hesitation, after her gaze swept over others who were also going to find their cars.
She didn't know the way, and in her current situation, she couldn't expect her sister to guide her.
Her sister had poor eyesight, it was pitch black, and she was constantly worried about her brother...
Ma Ledi drove recklessly by feel. She didn't know how long she had been driving until the car ran out of gas and stopped.
The pursuers were long gone. The night was thick and unyielding. In the boundless darkness, only the thumping of their hearts and their heavy breaths could be heard.
Her sister sat in the seat, looking out the window, then at Ma Ledi with confusion.
"The car broke down, right? We can't escape anymore, can we? Then what about my brother?"
Ma Ledi's mind was in chaos.
She had originally just wanted to come out and wait for death peacefully, but what had it turned into?
"Give me his phone."
After a moment of calm, she asked her sister for Long Yifei's phone.
Her sister obediently handed over Long Yifei's phone and unlocked it for her.
Ma Ledi searched inside and quickly found the businesses Long Yifei had undertaken.
It was true, just as he had said, the police couldn't save him even if they came; he was involved in work that couldn't see the light of day.
However, having formed a connection, Ma Ledi couldn't bring herself to abandon him and her sister at this point.
After much thought, she decided to call Lu Qingxu.
Even though she knew the consequences of making the call and what she would face, she dialed it anyway.
At this hour, Lu Qingxu was surprisingly not asleep yet.
The moment the phone rang, a familiar and cold male voice came through.
Ma Ledi's heart instantly felt at ease.
"It's me."
Lu Qingxu seemed to have already guessed it was her. His emotions didn't fluctuate much, and he wasn't as furious as she had imagined.
"Where are you? Whose phone is this?"
"I've run into some trouble. I'll send you my location. Please find someone to help me as soon as possible."
Ma Ledi didn't expect Lu Qingxu to arrive so quickly, in less than an hour.
He drove a car by himself, accompanied by two other vehicles. The cars' engines were not turned off, and their headlights illuminated their direction, making the eerie and cold night bright.
Ma Ledi took her sister's hand and got out of the car. Lu Qingxu leaned against his car, watching her, not coming forward.
Ma Ledi knew he was angry, perhaps even extremely disappointed in her.
But saving someone was urgent; settling scores could wait.
She led her sister towards him. When they were still a few steps away, Lu Qingxu stopped her.
"Stop."
His expression was blank, his voice cold: "Speak here. What's going on."
Ma Ledi concisely explained her relationship with the Long siblings, Long Yifei's current predicament, and her hope that Lu Qingxu would save him.
"Do you like him?"
After hearing the story, this was the only thing Lu Qingxu cared about.
Ma Ledi shook her head.
"I lived at their place for so long, eating and staying without paying. They didn't treat me poorly. At a time like this, I can't just abandon them."
"What if you abandoned them?"
"You know I don't like owing a debt of conscience. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left your side," Ma Ledi said, looking at him.
"I've always believed you understand me. Even if no one else does, you should know what I'm thinking."
He did understand her.
But understanding didn't mean he could accept her actions.
Ma Ledi had underestimated his love.
If he were a woman, he could have anyone; if he just sought the happiness of having someone by his side, why must he seek her out?
She seemed to have not yet realized how important she was to him.
Lu Qingxu was determined to make her realize it this time.
"I can help you with this, but not without a price."
After nearly two months apart, Lu Qingxu had changed. He dared to look at her with such an irrefutable expression. Ma Ledi knew he was serious.
Her heart felt both sour and sweet.
"Name it."
"Come back with me and have the surgery. From now on, you'll do as I say. Otherwise, not only will I not help him, but I will also expose everything he has done."
When Lu Qingxu arrived with his men, the house had already been reduced to ashes.
There was no need to rescue him; Long Yifei was lying on the open ground in front of the door, having already breathed his last.
As her sister got out of the car and saw that it was her brother, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Lu Qingxu took Ma Ledi directly back to Nancheng.
Zhan Beijue was unaware of Ma Ledi's runaway incident. Besides the group's major and minor affairs, he was also engaged in a battle of wits with Mr. Gao in his spare time. Lu Qingxu truly dared not disturb him.
He had originally thought that if Ma Ledi didn't return, he would atone with his life and accompany her.
But now that she was back, everything that had happened during this period could be turned into a joke.
Upon learning that she had been willful and had run away for so long, Zhan Mama gave her a stern scolding without Zhan Beijue saying anything.
Then, she quickly arranged for a hospital and had Ma Ledi admitted to begin the surgery as soon as possible.
Ma Ledi agreed to the surgery, but she had one last wish before entering: Long Yifei's sister.
"If I don't come out safely, if I die on the operating table, then Xiao Wu will be entrusted to you. She has no more relatives in this world. Please don't dislike her; treat her as your own sister."
Ma Ledi handed Long Yifei's phone and wallet to Zhan Beijue.
"These are his brother's belongings; please keep them for me. This is the password. I hope I can come out."
Zhan Beijue agreed, and she went into the operating room.
He and Lu Qingxu sat on opposite sides, idly browsing their phones.
As he was scrolling, Zhan Beijue discovered that Long Yifei's phone held many secrets.
His contact list was encrypted, but the password was easy to crack. Zhan Beijue deciphered it without much effort.
Then, he saw that all the contacts in his address book were identified by code names, and some of those code names were exactly what he was currently investigating.
Ma Ledi had mentioned that Long Yifei was not in a legitimate profession, but he hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence that it was precisely this industry.
Not only were there a large number of call records that had not been deleted, but there were also WeChat groups within their organization, with numerous brief and encrypted chat records that had not been deleted.
His subordinates were at a loss, worried about not being able to obtain evidence of Mrs. Gao hiring them. Now, it seemed, fate had delivered it to his doorstep.
Zhan Beijue immediately called Ah Zhong and asked him to come and retrieve the phone. Based on the code names in the phone, they would investigate these people one by one.
He didn't believe that everyone was a tough guy, that everyone was impenetrable, and that everyone had been dealt with in advance.
If they could find even one person and get him to talk, Mr. Gao's empire would inevitably collapse.
When Ma Ledi returned and was about to undergo surgery, Lu Mingzhe and Xiang Wan also found out.
They had been worried for two months, so they naturally rushed back to see her.
Thus, on the night Ma Ledi had her surgery, the long-unseen friends finally gathered together.