"How is this possible?"
In the villa's living room, He Qian's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
This young man in front of him was a brigadier general?
This was no way to joke!
He fumbled with the identification card in his hand, hastily handing it back.
"What, you still don't believe me?"
Song Qiao raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm in his expression.
He Qian was scared. He was certain the identification provided by the young man was genuine, even if it was obtained through some channel. That channel, however, must have been extraordinary.
So, despite his lingering doubt, his tone softened.
"I'm sorry... Mr. Song, I, I do need to confirm."
He Qian's face was pale as he spoke, his previous arrogance completely gone.
A brigadier general's identification had utterly stunned him. After all, the Security Department was his superior agency, and he had actually pointed a gun at a high-ranking officer from the Security Department?
This was tantamount to courting death.
Trembling, he returned the identification and quickly took out his phone to call the Security Department.
"Yes, he said his name is Song Qiao."
"What?"
"The Security Department... a trainer from the Security Department?"
Upon hearing this on the phone, He Qian couldn't help but glance at Song Qiao again, swallowing hard.
He had truly run into a brick wall today.
"Okay, I understand."
Soon, after the call ended, He Qian looked at Song Qiao with trepidation. This man was actually a superior officer from his own department...
Seeing his subordinates still holding guns pointed at the man, he nearly fainted from fear.
"You... what are you doing?"
"This is Trainer Song from the Security Department. Don't you have eyes? All of you, stand down!"
With a shout, his subordinates were a bit stunned.
What was going on?
Their deputy minister had been so full of himself just moments ago, and now he was acting like a subordinate in front of someone else?
However, the men quickly lowered their guns and retreated.
Soon, only a few people remained in the villa's living room.
He Qian rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile on his face.
"This, this is truly a case of the Dragon King's Temple being flooded by its own family. I was wrong today, it was my fault."
"I should have investigated more thoroughly before coming."
As he apologized, he couldn't help but resent the sudden appearance of Song Qiao, thinking he had ruined his plans.
Song Qiao raised his eyelids, losing interest in humiliating the other man when he saw his fearful and cowering demeanor.
Considering that the Security Bureau was a subordinate department of the Security Department, he couldn't help but lecture.
"If you wanted credit for protecting Miss Deng, you should have come earlier, not after everything was over. You show up with your men now, claiming to want to protect her, do you expect me to believe you?"
"If Miss Deng had relied on your protection, she would likely be dead already."
His words were stern, causing He Qian to swallow and hastily explain.
"We... we were just delayed on the way."
"I don't care what your reasons are. It only proves that your Security Bureau is incapable of protecting Miss Deng."
Song Qiao actually suspected that this fellow might have been bribed, otherwise, he wouldn't have taken one to two hours to arrive after the incident. No matter how slow they were, it couldn't have been this slow.
"I'll give you some advice. Don't engage in any dirty dealings or transactions in matters like these, or your end will be very unpleasant."
He Qian nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Although He Qian's face was full of respect at this moment, he harbored suppressed anger. The rank of brigadier general exerted immense pressure on him. Otherwise, he would have immediately retorted even to his superiors. However, facing a brigadier general, his own official position felt so powerless.
"Trainer Song, uh... if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
He asked tentatively.
"Mhm, scram."
Song Qiao waved his hand. He Qian, as if granted a great amnesty, hastily turned and left.
At this point, his subordinates who were waiting outside the door rushed to meet him.
"Officer He, are we really leaving?"
"It's such a shame. If we could have earned the favor of the Deng family, the benefits would have been immense."
One subordinate said with some unwillingness.
If they had taken charge of Miss Deng this time, they could have claimed credit for her protection and thereby gained favors from the Deng family.
"Shut up!"
He Qian glared angrily at the subordinate.
"Don't I know what you're saying?"
"He's a brigadier general, do you know what that means?"
"Are we staying here to embarrass ourselves?"
His furious reprimand made the subordinate shrink back. He Qian dared not vent his anger at Song Qiao, but he was not polite to his subordinates at all, especially this clueless fellow who was rubbing salt in his wounds. He could have benefited from the Deng family, and the Deng family alone – even a small amount of money from them would have allowed him to live comfortably for years.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He glared fiercely at his surroundings, and his subordinates all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
"Let's go."
He Qian then waved his hand, leading his entourage away in a dejected manner.
"Some people truly don't see the light until they're facing the coffin."
Inside the villa's living room, Song Qiao watched them leave before stepping forward and closing the door.
Deng Yihan stood behind him, her face filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Mr. Song. You protected me again. I don't know how to thank you enough."
Under the bright lights, her beautiful face was slightly flushed, making her look even more lovely. Looking at Song Qiao, she felt a complex mix of emotions. In less than a day, she had developed some feelings for this man. Perhaps it was the unparalleled sense of security Song Qiao provided, or perhaps it was his resolute demeanor in crisis.
The distance between them at this moment was very close, which caused Xia Xueqing, standing nearby, to blink her eyes. She felt a bit anxious.
She quickly stepped forward, as if to assert her claim, and hooked her arm around Song Qiao's.
"You don't need to thank him, Song Qiao is always kind-hearted."
Xia Xueqing was very clever. Unlike her elder sister, she didn't neglect her brother-in-law and instead pushed him towards others.
Song Qiao also seemed to realize at this moment that the girl beside him was jealous, so he smiled slightly and maintained a slight distance.
"You don't need to thank me, Miss Deng. It's actually what I should do. Since you chose to help me and the Ye Corporation, I will definitely protect your safety. I believe Ye Zhiwei would make the same choice."
"Mhm, I believe we will cooperate happily."
Deng Yihan couldn't say much more and could only nod.
This finally put Xia Xueqing at ease. After a while, once the mess inside the house was cleaned up, she came over to Song Qiao again.
"Brother-in-law, why don't we not stay at home tonight? If those people come back to the villa and try something, we'll all be in danger."
"Why don't we find a hotel and get a suite for tonight?"
Song Qiao thought about it. The enemy likely knew his address, and continuing to stay at home was indeed dangerous.
"Alright, we'll stay at a hotel tonight."
The enemy could find the villa at any moment. If the three of them continued to stay there, who knew what other sinister plans they might devise. Although his own safety was not an issue, he couldn't guarantee the safety of both women simultaneously.
So, the three of them tidied up and soon left the villa.
The next morning, in a top-tier suite at a hotel in the city center.
As Song Qiao finished his morning routine, he received a call from Ye Zhiwei.
"What's wrong, Miss Ye? Calling me so early, do you miss me that much?"
He teased, but the voice on the other end sounded anxious.
"Oh, stop your nonsense! I'm so worried. Don't you know?"
"Know what?"
Song Qiao's eyebrows furrowed. Ye Zhiwei's tone sounded very urgent.
"The leader of the Tongmen sect, Tao Fan, is dead. It's all over the news now, saying you killed him!"