Chapter 24: Wan Caixuan’s Apology

She had never imagined that Lin Xiao could turn the tide in such a hopeless situation, eliminating all the assassins on his own. What made it even more astonishing was that they were heavily armed—while he had fought them bare-handed.

This completely surpassed Wan Caixuan’s wildest imagination.

After a while, Wan Caixuan managed to regain her composure and inquired, “Are you… okay?”

“Rest assured, I’m fine,” Lin Xiao responded with a shake of his head.

He squatted to inspect the identities of the assassins. After removing their masks, he turned to Wan Caixuan.

“President Wan, it would be best to call the police and have them verify the identities of these individuals.”

Wan Caixuan’s eyes swept over the bodies strewn across the ground, betraying the calm facade she tried to maintain. Her clenched fists, trembling slightly, gave away the storm churning inside her.

Despite being the president of a large corporation, Wan Caixuan was merely a twenty-year-old girl who would ordinarily never encounter such horrifying scenes of carnage. Especially considering that these people had planned to assassinate her. This terrifying situation would send shivers down the spine of any adult, let alone a young girl.

Her composure under such circumstances was impressive.

“I’ve already alerted the police from the car. They should be arriving soon,” Wan Caixuan assured. “But since I’ve only recently moved to Jinghai City, I’ll call Ning Xi for assistance. She’s familiar with the local departments.”

Lin Xiao nodded in agreement. Dealing with the aftermath of such an event, especially explaining the deaths of numerous individuals, even if they were assassins, would be troublesome when the police arrived. Having someone familiar with local procedures would be best.

After dialing Ning Xi, relaying the address, and urging her to hurry, Wan Caixuan hung up the phone.

Once the call ended, Lin Xiao suggested, “We should move the car to the intersection up ahead and wait for the police there.”

Wan Caixuan gave Lin Xiao a meaningful look, realizing he had seen through her fear. However, her status as a president didn’t permit her to show weakness in front of others, so she simply nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself.

Lin Xiao didn’t press the matter. After receiving Wan Caixuan’s consent, he parked the car near the intersection.

As Lin Xiao prepared to exit the vehicle, Wan Caixuan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, hesitated before saying, “I apologize for my earlier misunderstanding.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lin Xiao, a hint of confusion crossing his face.

Wan Caixuan showed him a message on her phone instead of answering verbally. It read, “Thank you so much. My brother’s life is no longer in danger. If you hadn’t rushed him to the hospital, the doctors say he might not have made it. You saved my brother’s life.”

When Lin Xiao knocked Wan Caixuan down to dodge the bullets, his phone fell next to her. She’d picked it up to call the police and came across the message. That’s when she realized why Lin Xiao had been half an hour late.

Thinking back to how coldly she had treated Lin Xiao for arriving late—and how she’d even considered asking Ning Xi to replace him—Wan Caixuan now felt a deep pang of guilt. Compared to his selfless actions, her earlier thoughts seemed petty and shameful.

“It’s okay. Regardless, I was indeed half an hour late,” Lin Xiao said with a nonchalant shake of his head and a smile.

Wan Caixuan’s remorse deepened. However, she was not one to express herself well verbally, and due to her status, she rarely apologized to anyone.

After a brief silence, she could only say, “Regardless, you were late because you were saving someone. We can forget about the fine according to the company’s rules.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with relief. “Thank you, President Wan.”

He was currently strapped for cash. Yuan Yu’s education and her mother’s medical bills were substantial. Although he had already paid a significant amount for treatment yesterday, the ongoing treatment was like a bottomless pit.

Everything required money.

According to Wan Caixuan’s previous penalty, being half an hour late would result in a ten percent deduction from his salary. This meant he had just saved 15,000 from his monthly salary of 150,000.

While they were conversing, a red car approached from a distance and parked next to the Rolls-Royce.

Exiting the vehicle, Ning Xi half-ran to Wan Caixuan’s side.

“Sorry, Miss. It was my mistake. I told Lin Xiao the wrong time, he shouldn’t be blamed.”

As she spoke, she stealthily winked at Lin Xiao.

“Ning Xi, when did you learn to lie?” Wan Caixuan asked. On any other day, she would be livid. But there was no trace of anger within her now, and she instead showed a faint smile. “However, you did well this time.”

“What?” Ning Xi was taken aback.

When Wan Caixuan first called, Ning Xi had felt something was off. After enquiring with the logistics department, she found out that Lin Xiao had been late in picking up the president. This made her both furious at Lin Xiao’s tardiness and worried about him losing his job.

Still, despite her worry, she felt helpless and could only wait at the office, hoping to speak on Lin Xiao’s behalf once Miss Wan returned.

To her surprise, Wan Caixuan called again, asking her to hurry over with a grave tone. She thought Lin Xiao had committed another mistake. As such, the moment she stepped out of the car, she was prepared to take the blame for Lin Xiao’s tardiness and then beg for the president’s mercy.

But Wan Caixuan knew the truth and expected to be reprimanded. Instead, Wan Caixuan complimented her.

Ning Xi knew that lying was something that the president despised.

Wan Caixuan did not continue the topic, instead, she shared what had just happened.

“What? Miss, are you okay?” Ning Xi was shocked and then looked at Wan Caixuan with concern.

“I’m fine, but if it weren’t for Lin Xiao, who knows…”

Wan Caixuan’s voice trailed off as she glanced at Lin Xiao, who was calm, displaying no signs of pride or arrogance.

“Thank you, Lin Xiao. Thank you.”

Now, Ning Xi understood why Wan Caixuan had complimented her.

“It’s nothing. Since I’ve become President Wan’s bodyguard, protecting her is my duty. You don’t have to worry about it,” Lin Xiao said with a smile.

He had seen Ning Xi taking the blame and pleading for him. While he didn’t need it, he appreciated the gesture.