Let me go!

Was she cursed by the zodiac gods this year? How else could she be this unlucky? She had merely returned home to celebrate her birthday, yet she managed to get dragged into this godforsaken mess.

"I will protect you." He held her in his arms, his eyes flashing as he murmured sincerely into her ear, "I will never let you suffer any harm again."

"Again?" Though Tong Xiaoman's expression was frantic, her mind remained sharp. She reached out to grip his collar tightly, her suspicious gaze fixed directly on him. "We didn't meet for the first time on our wedding day, did we?"

"Little thing, I..."

Before Nalan Che could finish, the communicator on his body flashed. He released her, stepped aside, and activated the device. His subordinate's voice came through: "Boss, the men from the Dragon Shadow Gang have completely withdrawn."

Tong Xiaoman's mouth twitched. She stood quietly, careful not to interrupt his communication with his subordinate.

"Immediately deploy more men and keep a close eye on the Dragon Shadow Gang's movements," Nalan Che commanded into the communicator, his voice cold, authoritative, and resolute.

"Understood, Boss. The police are aware that we interfered in the Dragon Shadow Gang's affairs, and they have expressed their dissatisfaction."

"I will handle this matter. Just follow my orders," Nalan Che said in a deep voice before cutting the connection.

Realizing that the Dragon Shadow Gang members had retreated and hearing no further commotion outside, Tong Xiaoman immediately reached out to push the door open. The moment her hand touched the doorknob, she was pulled back into his embrace.

She struggled slightly and snapped angrily, "What are you doing? Let me go."

"It's no longer safe for you here. Until the matter with the Dragon Shadow Gang is resolved, you will stay by my side and go nowhere," Nalan Che declared tyrannically.

"Are you out of your mind? If their affairs are never resolved, does that mean I have to hide from them for the rest of my life?"

Damn it, this entire ordeal didn't have a damn thing to do with her. Why was she dragged into it?

"I will resolve it as soon as possible," Nalan Che replied, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

"How are you going to resolve it?" The Dragon Shadow Gang was a local tyrant dominating Jinse City, deeply entrenched for years. How could getting rid of them be easy?

"It's very simple. We just need to get someone onto the seat of the gang leader and find a scapegoat to take the fall. Then this matter is settled," Nalan Che said casually.

"You make it sound so easy. They have more than a dozen division heads alone, and every single one of them wants to be the boss without submitting to anyone else. Finding a scapegoat is easier said than done!"

It sounded simple in theory, but executing each step was harder than ascending to the heavens.

"You don't trust me?" He stared at her defiantly; was there anything he set his mind to that he couldn't accomplish?

"Are you planning to abuse your power? That probably isn't legal, is it?" Involvement with the underworld—wasn't he afraid it would ruin his reputation?

"I know where to draw the line." If he couldn't even handle a situation like this, what qualification did he have to sit in the chief's position?

"But my cousin has already registered me as a transfer student for high school. I'm supposed to start classes in a few days." She had originally planned to slip away, but she hadn't expected Zhao Yi to beat her to it.

Without a second thought, Nalan Che stated domineeringly, "Take a leave of absence."

"Are you insane? I'm in my senior year of high school. If I take a leave of absence, how will I ever catch up?"

Though she was bright, she hated studying, especially complex science subjects. Looking at all those numbers made her brain tie itself in knots.

"Knowing that your life is in danger, you still insist on going?" Nalan Che's brows furrowed so tightly he could have crushed a fly between them.