Chapter 36: You're Going to Be Expelled

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion startled everyone in the hall! From the windows of the hotel tower, seven or eight masked men dressed in black rappelled down from the rooftop and smashed their way inside.

The faces of the guests turned pale, and the security staff surged forward to intervene. The intruders threw several smoke bombs and tear gas grenades around the hall. Smoke filled the air, screams erupted in every direction.

In the chaos, Xianyu Qing and Nangong Lü were separated. Instinctively, she ran toward the second floor, where the smoke was thinner.

Upstairs, she saw most of the masked men rushing toward the auction stage, aiming for the “Purple Starry Night” gown. Madame Xi tried to protect the dress at first, but Xi Junle pulled her away.

Security staff were struggling to evacuate the guests and fight off the intruders at the same time. Yet, panic had seized everyone; no one listened to instructions, and they crowded by the exits, unable to escape, coughing and tearing up from the smoke.

Xi Junle shielded Madame Xi and hurried upstairs to seek refuge. The masked men moved swiftly; after grabbing the gown and a few precious auction items, they attempted to escape through the windows again.

Security blocked their path, fighting desperately to stop them. A few masked men abruptly changed direction and dashed up to the second floor. Spotting Madame Xi and Xi Junle, they wasted no words and tried to seize them as hostages.

Xi Junle acted instantly, pushing Madame Xi aside and tearing off his tailcoat to use it as a shield against the attackers.

Xianyu Qing was not far away. She could no longer stay hidden; she emerged to help Madame Xi, who had fallen, and led her into a corner.

Madame Xi watched as Xi Junle was surrounded by several masked men wielding gleaming knives. Her eyes reddened with anxiety. “Junle!”

A security guard noticed the commotion and rushed to assist, but the masked men tossed two more smoke bombs at the stairway. The acrid haze grew even worse!

Xianyu Qing tore off a large piece of her dress, split it in two—one half for Madame Xi to cover her mouth and nose, the other for herself.

“Madame Xi, stay put and don’t come out.”

With that warning, she grabbed a chair, smashed it hard, and broke it into several pieces.

Xianyu Qing picked up two chair legs and crept toward Xi Junle.

Through the dense smoke, a hand reached from behind and pulled her aside.

“Don’t go!”

Xianyu Qing recognized the voice!

She peered through the haze at the shadowed face before her; the frantic beating of her heart suddenly calmed.

“Wait here for me!” Jiang Mohe’s deep voice sounded in her ear. “Don’t rush out.”

“Alright,” Xianyu Qing replied obediently.

The pressure on her arm eased.

The smoke hadn’t cleared, and Xianyu Qing couldn’t see clearly. She heard muffled grunts and the sound of weapons hitting the ground.

Soon, the second floor fell quiet.

Cries of pain echoed from below.

Xianyu Qing moved to the railing and leaned out, peering down.

She saw a figure, swift as black lightning, weaving through the fading smoke. She couldn’t even discern his movements, but the masked men on the first floor were swiftly knocked down.

Xianyu Qing’s almond eyes widened.

Such a scene she’d only witnessed in movie effects! How could a normal person move at such speed?

As she marvelled, Madame Xi shouted again, “Junle!”

Xianyu Qing turned to look. One of the masked men who’d fallen earlier struggled to his feet, gripping a short knife, and lunged at Xi Junle.

Xi Junle, already injured from the earlier fight, had a deep gash on his right arm, blood streaming down. With only his left hand, he could barely defend himself.

Suddenly, with two sharp thuds, the masked man groaned and collapsed.

Xi Junle looked toward Xianyu Qing; the sound had come from her, striking with the chair legs.

Though not particularly skilled in combat, Xianyu Qing was agile!

She walked up to the unconscious attacker, kicked him twice to make sure he wouldn’t get up, then moved to Xi Junle’s side.

Her dress was already torn short, so she ripped off the sleeve from Xi Junle’s uninjured left arm and wrapped it around his wound to staunch the bleeding.

Xi Junle watched her deft bandaging and the precise force of her earlier throw, his gaze puzzled. “You… know martial arts?”

Xianyu Qing finished tying the bandage. “Just a little.”

Her skills were only enough to protect herself—not much better than Xi Junle’s.

She hadn’t expected that the elegant, refined Xi Junle could fight so fiercely.

Madame Xi limped over, her face bright with gratitude and excitement. “Thank you for saving Junle!”

She’d always thought the young lady from the Nangong family was just a gentle girl, never imagining she could stay so calm in a crisis!

Madame Xi raised Xianyu Qing’s score in her heart, and couldn’t help but praise her in front of her son. “Junle, thankfully Miss Xianyu helped you. You must thank her properly.”

Xi Junle was grateful, of course, but more urgent matters demanded attention.

He thanked Xianyu Qing, then went downstairs to check on the situation. Most of the attackers had been subdued by security staff.

The guests had been evacuated, the stolen auction items recovered.

Xi Junle directed the security staff to bind the intruders together. Before long, the police arrived.

After a brief investigation, the officers took the masked men and a few organizers back to the station for questioning.

Xi Junle instructed the staff to store the auction items safely and accompanied Madame Xi onto an ambulance bound for the hospital.

So, the charity ball ended with a fright but no real harm.

Xianyu Qing went downstairs to the hotel lobby, where Nangong Lü and Su Cha were anxiously searching for her among the crowd.

When they saw her, Nangong Lü breathed a sigh of relief.

“Qing, I’m sorry…”

The chaos had been so overwhelming that Nangong Lü hadn’t been able to look after her. Luckily, she was unharmed—otherwise he wouldn’t know how to explain to his elder brother or grandmother!

Su Cha’s face was full of guilt. She had been waiting in the lobby when the trouble began upstairs, and by the time she heard the commotion, it was too late to go up.

No one could have guessed that such a sudden attack would occur in the carefully guarded Dihong Tower.

When the eldest young master returned, he was sure to be furious!

Originally, Nangong Lü wanted to escort Xianyu Qing back to the residence, but upon hearing that Nangong Xin and the others had suffered minor injuries during the chaos and were sent to Angel Hospital, he hurried over to visit them.

Xianyu Qing naturally followed. Upon arrival at the hospital, the VIP wards were already full.

Though the smoke bombs weren’t lethal, inhaling too much smoke left people with discomfort in their lungs. The guests were all wealthy or prominent, so the hospital dispatched plenty of staff for treatment.

Nangong Xin and her companions were placed in a special ward reserved for the Nangong family. As Nangong Lü and Xianyu Qing stepped out of the elevator, they heard Nangong Xin’s voice erupting.

“What do you mean, 'no serious injury, no need for hospitalization'? Which department are you from? Call Deputy Director Chen here—I want you fired!”