9. Suspect

As the car glided through the city streets, Xu Fan's mind was racing, lost in thoughts about the weight of her father-in-law's words. The world outside blurred past in streaks of light, and she found herself staring out the window, trying to process everything.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sharp pain on her forehead as the car jerked to a forceful stop.

Her head snapped forward, and she barely managed to catch herself with her hands before colliding with the seat in front of her. She winced, her hand instinctively going to her forehead as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Father?" Xu Fan's voice was tinged with panic as she turned to Qin Yichen, who was already alert, his expression darkening. His eyes were sharp, scanning their surroundings with a practiced precision that only years of experience could bring.

Before Xu Fan could say anything else, the doors on either side of the car were yanked open, and she was suddenly face-to-face with a group of masked men dressed in black, their eyes cold and calculating. Everything seemed to slow down as adrenaline surged through her veins.

"Get down!" Qin Yichen barked, his voice commanding and urgent.

Without thinking, Xu Fan ducked down just as one of the men reached for her. A gunshot rang out, loud and startling, echoing through the confined space. Xu Fan squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Qin Yichen had pulled out a concealed firearm, the muzzle still smoking. The remaining men hesitated for a split second, just long enough for Secretary Su to take action. He launched himself out of the front seat, moving with a speed and precision that belied his calm demeanor.

Within seconds, the driver and Secretary Su had engaged the men in a fierce struggle, the sounds of fists meeting flesh and grunts of pain filling the air.

"Stay low, Xu Fan," Qin Yichen ordered, his voice steady as he reached for his phone with his free hand, dialing a number with practiced efficiency. "We need immediate extraction," he barked into the phone, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Now!"

Xu Fan's breath came in short, panicked gasps as she huddled on the floor of the car, the chaos around her feeling like a nightmare she couldn't wake from. She felt the car rock as more gunfire erupted outside. Her hands trembled, clutching her dress as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

Seconds felt like hours, but finally, she heard the distant roar of engines approaching rapidly. The sound was a strange relief, though the terror of the situation had not abated.

The masked men seemed to sense the change in tide and began to retreat, disappearing into the shadows as swiftly as they had appeared.

"Stay with me," Qin Yichen said, his tone now softer but still commanding as he grabbed Xu Fan's arm and pulled her up from the floor.

The car door was thrown open, and Secretary Su, blood on his sleeve, pulled Xu Fan out. "We need to go, now!" he urged, guiding them toward another black sedan that had screeched to a halt nearby. The vehicle was bulletproof, a safe haven amidst the chaos.

Qin Yichen quickly followed, and as they piled into the new car, it sped off into the night with screeching tires, leaving the scene of the ambush behind. Xu Fan's hands wouldn't stop shaking as she clung to the seat, her heart still pounding in her chest.

The car wove through the streets at breakneck speed, moving deeper into the city, away from the danger that had nearly claimed them. Xu Fan glanced over at Qin Yichen, who was still on high alert, his phone glued to his ear as he spoke in clipped, urgent tones.

"Where are we going?" Xu Fan finally found her voice, though it trembled with the remnants of fear.

"To a safe house," Qin Yichen replied, his voice steady and reassuring. "You'll be safe there until we figure out who's behind this."

Xu Fan nodded, though her mind was still reeling. The events of the night felt surreal, like something out of a movie. She had known the Qin family had enemies, but this...this was something else entirely.

The car sped on, leaving the city lights behind as they moved toward the outskirts. Xu Fan's thoughts were a whirlwind, but she forced herself to focus on what mattered—staying alive and staying safe.

Qin Yichen clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain composed as the car sped through the darkened streets. His left shoulder throbbed with a sharp, relentless pain, but he kept his face expressionless, unwilling to let Xu Fan see any sign of weakness.

Not fully trusting her and not wanting to appear weak in front of a woman were both of his reasons for putting up a strong front.

He could feel the warm, sticky wetness of blood seeping through his shirt, but the last thing he needed was for her to panic.

He glanced over at Xu Fan, who sat beside him, her wide eyes filled with lingering fear and confusion. She hadn't noticed his injury yet, and he intended to keep it that way. The safe house was close—just a few more minutes. He could endure the pain until then.

Qin Yichen's mind raced as he considered the ambush. It was too well-coordinated to be a random attack. Someone had been waiting for them, knowing exactly where they would be.

'But who? And why?' His thoughts turned to Xu Fan. 'Was it her?'

Xu Fan had become a prime suspect and had no idea the danger she was in, nor the thoughts brewing in Qin Yichen's mind. 

With a deep breath, Qin Yichen dialed the number of Wang Jun.

"Yichen?" Wang Jun's voice came through the line, a mixture of concern and confusion. "Where the hell did you go? You just left, and now you're calling me. Is everything alright?"

Qin Yichen winced as he sat up slightly, careful not to disturb his wounded shoulder. "We were ambushed," he said bluntly. "I didn't want to alarm anyone, but I had to get out of there quickly."

"Ambushed?" Wang Jun's voice dropped to a serious tone. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but we need to talk," Qin Yichen said, his tone low and urgent. "Whoever was behind this, they knew where I'd be. This wasn't random, Jun. Someone is after me, and if they knew about me, they could know about you and the others too."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Qin Yichen could almost hear Wang Jun processing the gravity of the situation.

"Chen Rui, Zhang Wei, and the others—they're still here at the hotel," Wang Jun finally said. "I'll gather them in the private suite. What do you want us to do?"

Qin Yichen glanced at Xu Fan beside him, who was still clearly in shock, and lowered his voice.

"First, make sure everyone stays put. Don't leave the hotel tonight. I want all of you to double-check your security and have your guards on high alert. I'll send my team over to help coordinate if needed."

Wang Jun's voice was laced with tension. "You think it's that serious?"

"It's worse than serious. They were professionals. Trained. This wasn't just a scare tactic—it was an assassination attempt."

"Shit." Wang Jun let out a breath, his voice tightening. "Alright, I'll lock things down here. What about you? Are you safe where you are?"

"For now," Qin Yichen said. "I'm heading to a safe house. Whoever did this will come again, especially since they've failed."

There was another pause on the line, and then Wang Jun's voice came through again, steady and resolute. "We'll be ready. I'll inform the others. We'll stay at the hotel tonight and take extra precautions. Keep us updated."

"Hmmm," Qin Yichen replied. "Just make sure no one does anything reckless. We don't know who we're dealing with yet."

"Understood." Wang Jun's voice softened slightly. "Take care of yourself, Yichen."

Qin Yichen ended the call and leaned back against the headrest of the carseat, exhaling deeply. His mind was still racing with possibilities.

'Who would want him dead? There were plenty of business rivals, enemies of the Qin family, but this felt different. It was personal.'