Ye Fan and Su Qingxue returned home and went to their separate rooms to rest, one upstairs and one downstairs. Although it was late, Ye Fan remained vigilant even in his sleep.
In the dead of night, Ye Fan detected the faint presence of several intruders sneaking into the villa.
At this hour, anyone breaking into the villa was either a thief or an assassin. However, he ruled out thieves; after all, the intruders could suppress their breathing and moved as softly as if stepping on snow. They were definitely Martial Artists, and thieves simply didn't possess such skills.
A frontal attack would surely alert the assassins, so Ye Fan jumped out of his window and headed straight for Su Qingxue's room instead.
Waking with a start, Su Qingxue was about to scream, but Ye Fan leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, preventing her from alerting the intruders.
Of course, this didn't exclude the possibility that he was also taking advantage of the situation.
OOF!
Suddenly, Ye Fan grunted as he took a devastating kick to the groin. Sure enough, this move is Su Qingxue's signature technique, my nemesis. It's shockingly accurate.
"Assassins have broken in," Ye Fan whispered quickly. "Let's see what they're planning."
Though skeptical, Su Qingxue managed to calm down.
Ye Fan recovered just as two assassins approached her door. He suddenly swung it open and threw a punch.
BANG!
AARGH!
He struck one of the assassins, sending him tumbling down into the living room on the floor below.
The second assassin, shocked, tried to conceal herself, but the lights flipped on at that moment, leaving her completely exposed. She quickly leaped down into the living room as well.
Ye Fan vaulted down from the third floor to confront the pair.
The uninjured assassin spoke. "I never expected to find such a skilled bodyguard here. You truly impress me!"
Ye Fan jested, "There's much more about me that will surprise you. Your movement technique is swift, like a shadow. You must be Iga Ninja, right?"
"Who are you?"
The two were stunned. The fact that he knew their origin meant he was no ordinary man. They were, in fact, the infamous Iga Ninja from the assassin rankings. Their individual strength wasn't exceptional, but they had honed their Ninjutsu to a high degree. They came and went like phantoms, earning the reputation of being seen only as shadows during a kill.
"Surprised?" Ye Fan said. "Iga Ninja. Shinzo Abe and Xiao Quan Yilang. You're third-rate international assassins, but whoever hired you must have paid a hefty price."
"Who are you? How do you know our identities!" Shinzo Abe demanded, shocked. He knows who we are and still looks down on us. He can't be just a simple bodyguard. We must have stumbled upon a powerful adversary.
"You don't need to know who I am," Ye Fan stated coldly. "You only need to know that you are about to die."
Shinzo Abe sneered, "Oh? You're strong, I'll give you that. But are you faster than a bullet?" She drew a handgun and aimed it directly at Su Qingxue.
Su Qingxue's face went pale. Standing on the floor above, she was shocked to find herself held at gunpoint.
Ye Fan smiled. "If you dare to shoot, you're dead."
"And why wouldn't I dare?" Shinzo Abe retorted.
Xiao Quan Yilang struggled to his feet. Although severely injured, he wasn't dead yet. Together, the two assassins seemed to have the upper hand. Their confidence, however, stemmed from their ignorance of who they were truly facing.
"Believe it or not," Ye Fan stated, "I'm faster than your gun."
"I don't believe you," Shinzo Abe scoffed. How many people in this world could possibly be faster than a bullet?
Xiao Quan Yilang spoke up. "Hand over the documents, or we'll be forced to take action." They were after the documents that held the fate of the Su family.
From the floor above, Su Qingxue declared firmly, "I would rather die! You will never get the documents; they represent my father's life's work!"
What a strong-willed woman.
Shinzo Abe turned her attention back to Ye Fan. "It's your move."
"My move starts now!"
The words had barely left his lips when he appeared in front of her in the next instant. As Shinzo Abe stared in shock, his fist slammed forward, shattering her handgun. He followed up with a kick to her abdomen, sending her flying backward to smash violently against the wall, utterly defeated.
Xiao Quan Yilang had no time to react before Ye Fan's fist met him as well, taking him to the brink of death. He promptly collapsed, unconscious.
"Who… who are you?" Shinzo Abe gasped. Having been a warrior for half her life, she had never encountered a Martial Artist who was so suffocatingly powerful. She couldn't even begin to guess the true extent of Ye Fan's strength.
Ye Fan hauled her up. "This isn't the time for your questions. It's my turn to ask: who sent you?"
"Since you know who we are, you should know the assassin's code!" Shinzo Abe said with difficulty.
"Is that so?" Ye Fan laughed. "In front of me, your rules don't apply!"
He then used his Capture Hand technique on her thigh.
CRACK!
AARGH!
Shinzo Abe screamed, her body drenched in a cold sweat.
"Don't disappoint me," Ye Fan said. "The fun is just getting started."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" she cried out, unable to endure the torture any longer. "We were sent by the Jintian Group!"
"And here I thought you had some backbone," Ye Fan mocked. "Turns out you're just spineless."
He threw the barely conscious Shinzo Abe to the ground and turned to the terrified Su Qingxue. "They were sent by the Jintian Group."
"That's an enemy of my father's… a corporation from Japan!" Su Qingxue said, her voice trembling. The night's events had been utterly terrifying for her; moments ago, she had been staring death in the face.
"What should we do with these two?" Ye Fan asked.
"My father has people for this sort of thing," Su Qingxue replied, her heart still racing. "Someone will be here soon to deal with them." Without Ye Fan, she knew she would have been in mortal danger tonight.
Then, she looked at him and pleaded, "I'm so scared… Can you stay with me?"
Such a vulnerable, enticing request was one Ye Fan couldn't possibly refuse. "My pleasure," he replied.
Sure enough, a clean-up crew arrived shortly after and dragged the two assassins away. Ye Fan had disabled them completely; they were no longer a threat.
Having survived two attacks in one night, Su Qingxue's nerves were shot. Even tucked in bed, she was still shivering.
Ye Fan moved to her side and pulled her into an embrace. Normally, such a move would have earned him a swift, crotch-destroying kick, but tonight Su Qingxue was completely docile, as his embrace gave her a sense of security.
"Don't worry," Ye Fan said softly. "With me here, you're safe."
"Mm, thank you," she whispered, nestling into his arms.
After a moment, she asked, "Why did my dad ask you to be my fiancé?"
I'd love to curse that old bastard out. He just didn't want to spend a dime hiring a top-tier bodyguard like me! But since the old man in question was her father, he chose a more diplomatic approach. "Maybe it's because I'm so handsome," he said.
"Be serious!" Su Qingxue retorted, clearly unsatisfied.
"Alright, here's the story," Ye Fan began. "One of my most capable subordinates saved your father's life four years ago. Your father, wanting to show his gratitude, offered him a reward.
"But he refused the reward. Instead, he decided to screw over his superior. He asked your father to promise this marriage alliance as the reward, and your father agreed.
"Four years later, on his deathbed, he made his superior swear to see this promise through. So, that superior came to the Divine Land to marry you. After all, that superior is a man who greatly values loyalty and his promises to his brothers."
Ye Fan explained it all with a sigh of resignation.
At that, however, Su Qingxue's expression turned icy. "So, you were forced into marrying me," she said coldly. "Fine. In that case, get out! I don't want you here!"
Ye Fan was speechless. He never expected her to go off-script like this. Shouldn't she be happy? She doesn't even like me, and I'm just here following orders, putting on an act. We were supposed to go our separate ways eventually! My explanation should have been exactly what she wanted to hear! So why did she suddenly get so angry? Man, women really are fickle. The old saying is true: a woman's heart is an ocean of secrets.