Love Assault - Chapter 17

The heavy rain continued to fall.

Lin Che and Chen Mo sat in the dilapidated room all night without rest. The village’s outdated facilities meant there were no hotels or inns. Lin Che had secretly rented this run-down house after Zhao Xiaomao returned, stationing her people here to monitor his every move.

Zhao Xiaomao had been brought to Lin Che after 8 PM. He had been planning to flee, but Lin Che’s men had hidden him in a basement, where he received regular meals. The two had just finished a hasty meal. He looked utterly dejected, his hair grown long, his stubble sparse, his eyes dull, and his clothes soaked through. Chen Mo held a recorder, meticulously documenting Zhao Xiaomao’s testimony, while also taking detailed notes on paper, which Zhao Xiaomao signed. Though she recorded every detail, Zhao Xiaomao’s knowledge proved limited. Beyond confirming that someone had bribed him to frame Dingsheng, he couldn’t provide any real names or concrete evidence. By now, the time on their phones showed it was past 10 AM the next day.

Lin Che hung up the phone with a frown. He turned to Chen Mo and pursed his lips. Team Leader Chen, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?

Lu Qingqing talked?

Lin Che paused, then smiled. You guessed it.

Chen Mo opened her eyes. The first thing that imposter will do after returning is probably use his fake identity to lure Lu Qingqing into a trap. Judging by the time, it’s likely already happened. So, what’s the bad news?

Lin Che stretched lazily and took off his jacket. The bad news is… with this heavy rain outside, I wonder if we’ll catch a cold from getting wet. He glanced sideways at Chen Mo. They’ve sent people here. Probably not many, but I underestimated them. I thought since they couldn’t find Zhao Xiaomao and my friend led the trackers away, they wouldn’t send anyone else. I never imagined they’d be crazy enough to target you… I thought it would be safer here… I’m sorry… He took a breath, rubbed his hands awkwardly, and looked at Chen Mo. Team Leader Chen, did you bring your gun?

Hearing her words, Chen Mo already had a good idea of what was happening. I came here of my own volition, and this has nothing to do with you. I didn’t bring a gun, but is it absolutely necessary to have one?

Ha ha… Lin Che clapped his hands. How amusing.

Zhao Xiaomao cowered in the corner, trembling like a leaf as he listened to their conversation. G-General Manager Lin… are they… are they really going to kill me?

Lin Che scoffed. Kill you? That’s the least of it. Thanks to you, my own life is probably in danger now.

Zhao Xiaomao trembled even more violently, dropping to his knees and kowtowing to Chen Mo and Lin Che. Officer Chen, General Manager Lin, I’ve told you everything I know! Please, you have to save me! I’ll go to jail, I just don’t want to die…

As he spoke, Chen Mo stood up, grabbed Zhao Xiaomao by the collar, and dragged him out the door.

Lin Che followed with a smile, still managing to quip, Team Leader Chen, where are we going? Running away?

There are too many villagers. I don’t want to harm any innocents. His safety is the priority now, Chen Mo said, pushing Zhao Xiaomao into the back seat. She quickly started the car, stepped on the gas, and sped out of the village, gradually merging onto the secluded stone road they had taken earlier. The immediate priority is to get him back to the bureau.

The bureau? Lin Che rolled his eyes. I don’t think it’s much safer there.

Now that Lu Qingqing has confessed, we have evidence to make an arrest.

Lin Che sighed heavily. I’m sorry, Team Leader Chen. I can give you the evidence, but I can’t give you Lu Qingqing.

The rain continued to pour, yet the car remained eerily silent. Chen Mo’s foot didn’t ease off the accelerator, and the car’s speed steadily increased. Lin Che felt a palpable sense of pressure beside her, as if a low-pressure system were suffocating her. For some reason, she suddenly felt an urge to buckle her seatbelt—and she did. Just as she clicked it into place, a blinding light flashed ahead. The thick, dark clouds overhead made visibility near zero. The oncoming car’s high beams glared through the gloom, searing their eyes.

The car was approaching at high speed, and its intentions were clearly hostile.

The road was narrow, leaving less than half a meter between two vehicles passing side by side. Steep slopes flanked both sides, and the guardrails had long since fallen into disrepair, their sections scattered haphazardly. As the oncoming car charged straight toward them, Lin Che braced himself, gripping the passenger-side grab handle. In the back seat, Zhao Xiaomao had already ducked down, covering his head. Chen Mo calmly tightened her grip on the steering wheel, switched on her high beams, and, at the last possible moment, swerved slightly to the right. She didn’t turn the wheel sharply, just enough to nudge the car sideways. But the slick, snowy road caused the vehicle to slide further right than intended. From the passenger seat, Lin Che felt the car lose control for a split second, skidding sideways. He laughed heartily, exclaiming, That was intense! He watched as Chen Mo effortlessly steered the car back on course, pressed the accelerator, and the engine roared as they sped forward.

Lin Che glanced back to see the pursuing car had already turned around and was closing in again. Turning to Chen Mo, he asked, Team Leader Chen, are we racing today? Or is this going to be a brawl?

Chen Mo snorted. I’m not in the mood to play with them today. As she spoke, she accelerated, the car splashing through the snow-covered, muddy road, sending slush and water flying in all directions. The windshield wipers frantically swept across the glass, barely clearing the fogged-up view ahead. One wrong move, and the car could tumble down the steep slope, taking them with it.

Lin Che chuckled. Too bad you don’t want to play—they seem quite eager. He turned to Zhao Xiaomao. Hey, Zhao, you’ve really hit the jackpot. If you survive this ordeal, remember to stay away from greed when you get out of prison.

Zhao Xiaomao gripped the seat tightly, muttering something unintelligible. Lin Che scoffed. A big man like you, scared like this?

Just as he finished speaking, Chen Mo barked, Hold on tight!

Lin Che turned to see several bright lights flashing ahead, the roar of motorcycle engines already audible. Good grief! Who said there weren’t many of them? This is hardly ‘not many’! He shook his head, pulled out his phone, and muttered, No, no, we’re outnumbered. I need to call for backup.

Chen Mo didn’t have time to worry about Lin Che and Zhao Xiaomao. Four motorcycles, split into two pairs, were speeding toward the car from both sides, their high beams illuminating the riders in black gear and dark helmets, each wielding a half-meter-long club. They were about to strike. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, but the situation seemed to leave her no choice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lin Che swaying as he hunched over his phone. The clubs were clearly aimed at the windshield if one pierced through, Lin Che’s head would be in danger. She yelled, Watch out! and yanked the steering wheel left, dodging the right-side motorcycle and swerving toward the pair on the left. The car lurched, and the two left-side motorcycles skidded against the car’s body, their wheels buckling as they crashed to the ground. The clubs in their hands were clearly made of sturdy material. The two right-side motorcycles braked hard, but the slick road caused them to slide past the car and skid backward. As the left-side motorcycles toppled, the riders flung their clubs, which struck the left side of the windshield and the car’s side window.

The side window shattered with a crack. Chen Mo instinctively curled her left arm to protect her head, the glass shards tearing through her jacket sleeve. The windshield, struck squarely by a club, spiderwebbed with cracks. Fortunately, the club had struck flat against the glass had it hit vertically, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Lin Che held up his phone, watching two motorcycles tumble down the slope. Chen Mo lowered her left hand and shouted angrily, What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed? Bl00d gushed from a deep gash on the back of her left hand, where shards of glass had pierced her skin. Ignoring the wound, she slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The wind and rain whipped into the car, instantly drenching them both.

Lin Che frowned, exhaling as he glanced at Chen Mo’s bleeding hand. Sorry, Team Leader Chen. I was just calling for backup. Are you okay?

Two motorcycles and a car were closing in fast from behind. Chen Mo shook her left hand. General Manager Lin, could you please stop acting so flippant at a time like this?

Lin Che nodded. Alright. Then, with a hint of dissatisfaction, he added, These guys are going too far. Team Leader Chen, if you happen to witness me doing something… less than legal, could you pretend you didn’t see it?

No.

Lin Che groaned in exasperation and tapped his phone to answer the call. Me? I’m not doing so well. Where are you? Behind me? Behind me, my ass! Jian Xiaobai, I swear, if I get hurt—if my handsome face gets scarred and Xiao Momo stops liking me—you’re taking full responsibility! You… He trailed off, glancing at the windshield and chuckling dryly. Team Leader Chen, I think we have some bad news. As he spoke, he swiftly removed his long coat.

Chen Mo had already noticed it too. The windshield was vibrating slightly, and the cracks were slowly widening. The combination of high speed, fierce wind, torrential rain, and the extremely bumpy road was likely too much for the already severely damaged glass. If the windshield shattered under these conditions, the flying shards would be no joke. Yet the car behind was relentlessly tailing them, leaving them no chance to stop. They were approaching a major road with a sharp turn ahead. Chen Mo roared, Duck down! She yanked the steering wheel hard to the right, released the accelerator, and slammed on the brakes. The car, propelled by its momentum, swerved sharply onto the main road.

The pursuing vehicle clearly hadn’t anticipated Chen Mo’s driving skills and was immediately left far behind. As the car screeched to a halt, Chen Mo released the steering wheel and reached into her coat for her gun, ready to shoot out the windshield. But before she could act, Lin Che lurched forward, using his coat to shield the glass in front of Chen Mo. With his left hand, he delivered a brutal punch to the already weakened glass. The fragile windshield shattered with a crash, and a blast of icy wind and rain surged into the car. Lin Che wrapped his coat around himself and Chen Mo, glanced down at the gun in her hand, and chuckled dryly. Team Leader Chen, didn’t you say you didn’t bring a gun?