Chapter 578 - 480: Is It That Obvious That I Like You?

Chapter 578: Chapter 480: Is It That Obvious That I Like You?

Fu River fired the shot himself.

The dose was pre-measured. A crack shot, he accurately hit Nan Ji in the neck, right behind her ear.

The enraged Nan Ji barely seemed to react, as if it were just a mosquito bite.

At that location, the tranquilizer would take effect in four or five minutes.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes of rampaging, Nan Ji’s steps started to become unsteady.

She dropped a log and staggered toward the warehouse.

’I must be dying,’ she probably thought. ’If I’m going to die, I want to be with my child.’

Finally, she collapsed beside the white elephant and didn’t get up again. Her trunk kept trying to reach for the little one until she finally went still.

Only then did Fu River shout for the drug dealers to come down.

They jumped down from the broken staircase one by one, hands in the air, then bolted outside, their hearts still pounding with fear.

Faster than rabbits.

The drone approached, spotting Fan Liping in a corner on the second floor.

He waved at the drone and shouted with false bravado, "Where’s Shen Xin? Is he here? I want to talk to him!"

Normally, they could have just rushed him.

But Nan Ji had destroyed the staircase, making it difficult to get up there.

Everyone looked at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I don’t want to talk to him."

’He’s a dead man walking. What’s there to talk about?’

’Besides, who says I have to talk to you just because you want to talk to me?’

Fan Liping raised his gun, fired a shot at the drone, and yelled again, "Shen Xin! What, are you still scared, even now?"

Shen Xin was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can I go beat him up?"

Shooting him dead at this point was obviously out of the question.

But if he could give him a good thrashing, Shen Xin wouldn’t mind.

Tang Youkun and the others exchanged glances. In Fan Liping’s condition, he probably wouldn’t survive a beating.

"Then what am I supposed to say to him?"

Shen Xin turned and walked away.

He’d rather worry about Ding Yuwei’s hand than waste time chit-chatting with Fan Liping.

’She needs to get that treated immediately,’ he thought. ’I hope there are no lasting effects.’

Upstairs, Fan Liping was still yelling, completely unaware that Shen Xin had already left.

Pan Wenhai, who had been following silently, could no longer hold back. He shouted, "Li Ping, stop yelling! He’s gone! Put down your gun and surrender!"

On the second floor, Fan Liping’s eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief that Shen Xin didn’t even want to say a single word to him.

The next moment, Fan Liping screamed at the top of his lungs, "Shen Xin, you win! Don’t give up on your idea! Your idea can work! Do you hear me? You must not give up!"

The force of his shouting aggravated the gunshot wound in his abdomen, sending him into a violent spasm.

There was no response from outside. As if all the air had gone out of him, Fan Liping stared up at the ceiling, reflecting on everything he had done in his life.

Downstairs, Pan Wenhai walked out from behind cover and shouted up, "Li Ping, just listen to me this once! Surrender! Stop causing trouble."

Fan Liping heard him loud and clear. With a bitter smile, he struggled to his feet and went to the window.

He glanced outside and, sure enough, Shen Xin was nowhere to be seen.

’That bastard. He really just left.’

"Uncle Pan."

Fan Liping looked down at Pan Wenhai. "I’m not causing trouble. You’re a good man, and I’m grateful to you. But you don’t understand me."

Shen Xin, on the other hand...

They’d only met briefly and barely exchanged a few words, but Fan Liping felt that he and Shen Xin were kindred spirits.

Those words, "you don’t understand me," left Pan Wenhai stunned.

Fan Liping took one last look at the distant scenery. The sun was bright, the trees provided lush shade, and the faraway mountains were hazy.

’If it weren’t for the drugs, this place would actually be quite beautiful.’

"Uncle Pan, I’m sorry to trouble you, but please take care of my body. Don’t bury me with my parents. I’m too ashamed to face them."

As his voice fell, Fan Liping raised his gun, pressed it to his chin, and pulled the trigger.

With the sound of a gunshot, he disappeared behind the balcony ledge.

Shen Xin heard the gunshot. He paused for a second and glanced back.

He frowned, but then quickened his pace toward Ding Yuwei.

Ding Yuwei’s right hand had already been bandaged.

But it was just a temporary fix. She really needed to go to a hospital.

What were they waiting for? They had to go now.

Shen Xin went to help Ding Yuwei into the car.

"I can walk." Ding Yuwei had twisted her ankle when she jumped down, but it wasn’t serious.

Besides, she wasn’t quite used to such an enthusiastic Shen Xin.

Shen Xin snapped, "Cut the crap. You want me to carry you?"

Ding Yuwei quickly shook her head.

After getting in the car, she saw Shen Xin trying to climb in too and quickly stopped him. "You should stay. What about Nan Ji? You can’t just leave her. If you’re not here, who can handle them?"

Besides, Ding Yuwei had heard that they only found her because of Nan Ji.

’She saved my life. How can we just abandon her like this?’

Shen Xin started to argue, but Ding Yuwei held up a hand to stop him. "Alright, that’s enough. I’ll be fine. We can talk later."

Shen Xin hesitated, then finally nodded. He told the driver, "Hey, drive fast."

"Ah, no, be careful. Safety first. Also, don’t get her treated in Mian Guangzhi. Go straight back to the country. Their medical skills can’t be that good, right?" Shen Xin urged anxiously.

The driver didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he nodded and gave a reassuring gesture.

But just as the driver stepped on the gas and started to pull away, Shen Xin called out again and ran after the car.

’I already told you I like you, so why haven’t you given me an answer?’ he wanted to ask.

But the words felt a little childish as they reached his lips.

’Even if she doesn’t like me back, I can still pursue her. It doesn’t change anything.’

Ding Yuwei gave him an exasperated push. "Alright, you. Go on now."

Then she quickly told the driver to go.

The driver floored it. He glanced in the rearview mirror and couldn’t resist playing matchmaker. "You know, I could tell the whole way here. He was worried sick."

A faint blush crept onto Ding Yuwei’s face. She glanced in the rearview mirror and said softly, a hint of pride in her voice, "I know."

As she spoke, her eyes were already filled with happiness.

When Shen Xin returned to the scene, the cleanup was already underway.

Although there had been some unexpected incidents, the outcome was good.

All the drug dealers were captured, and on Fu River’s side, not a single person was injured.

Fu River couldn’t help but think that if Nan Ji hadn’t caused such a ruckus, it probably wouldn’t have been this easy.

Tang Youkun contacted his superiors to report on the situation.

Meanwhile, Fu River was directing his men to collect the bodies.

The most gruesome was the guy Nan Ji had trampled. He was truly flattened, impossible to even pick up.

Chen Lei ran over to help check on the baby elephant. There were no major issues; it had simply been tranquilized.

The same went for Nan Ji.

He called Shen Xin over, planning to find a way to right Nan Ji’s body.

Lying on her side for too long could damage her internal organs.

Fortunately, the sawmill had the right kind of machinery for the job.

They brought over an excavator. By then, the body from the second floor had already been brought down.

Fan Liping’s words, "you don’t understand me," had hit Pan Wenhai hard. Seeing the body, he couldn’t hold back his grief and stood silently to the side, his mind in turmoil.

Fu River and the others said a few comforting words to him, but Shen Xin didn’t go over.

Shen Xin was still angry about the whole thing.

Besides, in the end, Fan Liping had brought this on himself.

’We’d already given you a way out. You could have just gone to prison quietly for ten or twenty years and still had half a lifetime left when you got out.’

’But you just had to go and get yourself killed. You can’t blame anyone for that.’

Later, Wan Xiaoyang, Guan Baofeng, and Mianguang’s own Song Zhi all arrived after hearing the news.

Tang Youkun had reported Nan Ji’s unexpected rampage over the phone, but seeing the utter devastation at the scene, they still couldn’t help but marvel at the elephant’s destructive power.

Fan Liping was dead, but this wasn’t over.

A few of the surrendered drug dealers had already confessed that Fan Liping had sent someone to Pakang to kill Shen Xin.

That person had to be caught.

And there were still Fan Liping’s remaining followers to deal with.

After such a major incident, they had to keep digging to uncover his men and the people backing him.

One of their own had been kidnapped. The Mianguang authorities owed them an explanation.

A little over two hours later, the baby elephant was the first to wake up.

Youthful bodies recover quickly. It rolled over, got to its feet, and immediately spotted Nan Ji suspended in the air. It charged right over.

The chains hadn’t been removed yet, as they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to control her if they did.

It circled around Nan Ji, calling out urgently.

When there was no response, it grew extremely agitated.

This was why Shen Xin had stayed behind. He stepped forward and tried to calm it.

And it actually worked.

Although no favorability icon appeared above the baby elephant’s head, at least it didn’t attack Shen Xin. It just stayed close to Nan Ji, warily watching the stranger before it.

Another hour or so passed before Nan Ji slowly regained consciousness.

The first thing she did was struggle, making the excavator tremble.

Fortunately, she immediately spotted her baby and calmed down, calling out with joy.

[Child]

The word spammed his vision.

They slowly lowered her to the ground. She immediately used her trunk to pull her child close, nuzzling it affectionately.

After a long moment, she suddenly turned her head and called out to Shen Xin.

[Thank you]

The favorability meter above her head shot up by a full seven bars.

"Don’t mention it. I should be thanking you," Shen Xin said with a smile, walking over and patting her massive leg.

If it weren’t for Nan Ji, who knows how long it would have taken to find Ding Yuwei.

Seeing Shen Xin approach and speak with its mother, the baby elephant grew jealous and swung its trunk at him.

Nan Ji immediately swatted it with her trunk, as if to say, "That’s our benefactor!"

The white elephant hid beside its mother, curiously sizing up Shen Xin as an icon slowly materialized above its head.

Shen Xin didn’t pay it much mind.

’Honestly,’ he thought, ’they say this white elephant is sacred and holy, but to me, it looks like a newborn rat. There’s nothing holy about it; it’s just plain ugly.’

But that wasn’t important.

The white elephant was recovered, Nan Ji had found her child, and Ding Yuwei was rescued.

The mission was complete.

It was a happy ending for everyone.

He turned his head to see the baby elephant already suckling eagerly.

After it had its fill, arrangements were made to load the two elephants onto a truck.

They had to be transported back first, then they could figure out what to do with them.

As soon as the elephants were loaded, Shen Xin immediately drove back.

By the time he passed through Zhangfeng Port and re-entered the country, it was already afternoon.

Ding Yuwei had been sent to a hospital in Mengwan.

When Shen Xin rushed over, she had already finished her examinations and undergone surgery on her injured hand. She was now lying in a hospital room with an IV drip.

CLANG! When Shen Xin burst in, she was staring out the window, lost in thought.

On the way back, Shen Xin had prepared a lot of things to say in his mind.

But now that he was actually seeing Ding Yuwei, he couldn’t get the words out.

He stood beside her bed, their eyes meeting for a long moment. "Why do I feel so awkward?" Shen Xin said uncomfortably.

It felt like they knew each other so well that taking this one step forward made everything feel strange.

Ding Yuwei smiled faintly, shifted over, and patted the spot on the bed next to her, gesturing for Shen Xin to lie down.

When Shen Xin lay down, she leaned against his chest quite naturally.

"Do you know why Fan Liping kidnapped me?" Ding Yuwei asked softly, after Shen Xin had wrapped his arm around her.

Shen Xin shook his head.

’Because she’s a woman and easy to control?’

Ding Yuwei looked up, her eyes fixed on Shen Xin. "He said it was because he could tell I like you. Shen Xin, is it that obvious that I like you?"

’So obvious that even a drug dealer I just met could see it?’

Shen Xin froze for a second. Looking at the beautiful face so close to his, he hesitated briefly before leaning in and kissing her.

Just then, Liu Baoquan, who had come to check on her, pushed the door open. He saw what was happening inside, froze, and quickly backed out.