Chapter 347: I Can Take a Bullet for You

Xu Shaochen left the hotel with Xie Wei and Zhou Sixian, and it was already 5 PM.

After dropping the two of them off, he finally headed home.

“Boss, where did the dirty clothes you changed out of over the past two days go?”

As soon as Xu Shaochen got home, Linda looked at him with a puzzled expression. She felt something eerie about the situation.

“I saw how hard you were working with the laundry, so I felt bad. I took them to be washed elsewhere.”

Xu Shaochen said to Linda without batting an eye, his tone full of affection.

Of course, those clothes were given to Zhou Sixian to be washed. Otherwise, how could he have had an excuse to visit her every day over the past two days?

“Boss, you’re so good to me.”

Linda smiled radiantly and kissed Xu Shaochen on the cheek.

“You little minx, if I don’t treat you well, then who will?”

Xu Shaochen pulled her into his arms, sweet-talking her with the ease of a seasoned scoundrel.

Linda was so charmed by Xu Shaochen that she decided to put in her best effort to serve him well tonight.

After some intimate moments with Linda, Xu Shaochen collapsed onto the sofa, completely exhausted.

At 9 PM, Xu Shaochen received a call from Zhao Qing.

“Hello? What’s up?”

Lying weakly on Linda’s lap, Xu Shaochen asked with little energy.

“Mr. Xu, the demolition in the old city has already started. Want to grab a late-night snack with us? Mei Liangxin and Lao Zhang are both here.”

“Sure, tell me the place. I’ll head out right away.”

Xu Shaochen raised his wrist to check the time, then agreed.

“At the barbecue shop next to Jiangzhou University. Mei Liangxin picked the spot—he said you know it.”

“Damn, he has the nerve to go there? Got it.”

Xu Shaochen hung up the phone. Mei Liangxin had some nerve; last time at Uncle Li’s barbecue, he even swindled a bottle of Wong Lo Kat. And now, he dares to go back.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

Xu Shaochen said to Linda, then drove off alone.

He didn’t bring any bodyguards. After all, it felt weird to have two bodyguards following him to a barbecue with friends.

Half an hour later, Xu Shaochen arrived at the place.

From a distance, he saw the trio, including Mei Liangxin.

“Yo, Xiao Xu’s here.”

When Li Defu saw Xu Shaochen, he quickly grabbed a stool for him.

“Uncle Li, business is booming, I see.”

Seeing the packed barbecue spot, Xu Shaochen smiled and greeted him, then sat down next to Mei Liangxin.

“Not bad. Have a seat. I’ll get to you in a bit.”

After saying that, Li Defu went back to grilling barbecue for his customers.

“Comrade Zhao, I heard that our Chairman Xu was the key to the success of the old city’s demolition. But why so stingy? Treating us to barbecue? It’s beneath my status!”

Mei Liangxin patted Zhao Qing on the shoulder and said.

“What status?” Zhao Qing brushed his hand off with a smack and handed Xu Shaochen a bottle of alcohol, “Mr. Xu, just make do with this today. I’ll treat you to something better next time.”

“Sycophants get what they deserve,” Mei Liangxin muttered.

Xu Shaochen accepted the beer with a smile, nodding. “It doesn’t matter what we eat, as long as the thought counts.”

“Even if it’s crap?” Mei Liangxin quipped.

“Get lost!”

Zhang Wei shot a look at Mei Liangxin and said, “Are you a contrarian? Do you always have to say something against everything?”

“I don’t want to deal with you,” Mei Liangxin rolled his eyes. Clinging to Xu Shaochen’s arm, he said with a fawning grin, “Shaochen, we worked together first. Why did you help him make a fortune and not me? We’re brothers. I’m the type who could take a bullet for you.”

“Get your greasy hands off me. I’ll be lucky if you don’t stab me with a knife,” Xu Shaochen forced Mei Liangxin’s hand away, thinking about his hundreds-of-dollars shirt.

The four of them weren’t meeting for the first time, so the atmosphere quickly became lively, accompanied by bursts of laughter.

At this moment, none of the four noticed that a man in a high-collared tracksuit, wearing a mask and baseball cap, was slowly approaching with his hands in his pockets.

Suddenly, the man stopped and pulled out a pitch-black handgun, aiming it at Xu Shaochen.

This man was none other than Sanzi.

“Shit!”

Mei Liangxin, who had just bent down to pick up chopsticks, was the first to notice this. His face instantly changed, and he cursed, pushing Xu Shaochen to the ground.

“Bang!”

Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out.

“Ahhh!”

In an instant, the pedestrians on the street were thrown into chaos, frantically running for cover.

“Protect Shaochen and get inside the shop! They’re after him!”

Mei Liangxin shouted to Zhang Wei and Zhao Qing. The four of them scrambled into the barbecue shop, disheveled and panicked.

“Damn it!”

After missing the first shot, Sanzi cursed under his breath and fired two more rounds.

“Bang! Bang!”

One of the bullets headed straight for Xu Shaochen’s heart. Mei Liangxin’s pupils shrank abruptly, and with a gritted teeth, he pushed Xu Shaochen out of the way.

The bullet instantly embedded in his shoulder, sending a spurt of blood into the air. Mei Liangxin staggered and fell.

“Mei Liangxin!”

“Old Mei!”

Xu Shaochen screamed in rage as the three of them dragged Mei Liangxin into the barbecue shop.

“Wooo~Wooo~”

At the same time, the sound of police sirens blared, drawing closer.

Hearing the sirens and seeing the chaos in the street, Sanzi reluctantly turned and ran away after seeing Xu Shaochen and the others safely inside the barbecue shop.

“Mei Liangxin, don’t you dare die on me! Mei Liangxin! Mei Liangxin, say something, damn it!”

Inside the barbecue shop, Xu Shaochen shook Mei Liangxin repeatedly, his face pale and lips trembling.

Just moments ago, if it weren’t for Mei Liangxin taking the bullet for him, he’d likely be dead right now.

Zhang Wei shakily dialed 911, yelling desperately, “There’s been a shooting at Jiangzhou University, at Lao Li’s BBQ! Send an ambulance, quickly!”

“Stop shaking me, damn it! I won’t die. The bullet only hit my shoulder. It just… hurts a bit,”

Mei Liangxin muttered weakly, his face pale as a sheet.

“Are you stupid? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Xu Shaochen breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t resist scolding him.

Mei Liangxin cracked a smile. “I told you I could take a bullet for you. Now do you believe me? Besides, who am I? I knew the bullet wouldn’t kill me.”

“Stop bragging, it’s no time for that,” Zhao Qing muttered with red-rimmed eyes.

Xu Shaochen gritted his teeth. “I don’t care who it is, I’ll search all of Jiangzhou if I have to. I will find him and make sure he dies without a burial place!”

By the time the ambulance arrived, Mei Liangxin had already fainted from blood loss. Things looked grim. Xu Shaochen, Zhang Wei, and Zhao Qing’s eyes were all bloodshot.

“Search for him! Turn the city upside down if you have to! Spread the word: Anyone who finds the shooter will get a three-million yuan reward from me!”

“Hello, it’s me, Xu Shaochen. Help me find someone…”

Outside the operation room, as Xu Shaochen made call after call, the entire city of Jiangzhou moved under the cover of night.