"Put your dirty hands off of me if you still want them."

Time seemed to have froze when the ash-blonde haired beauty spoke. Her voice was laced with ice and venom, causing the hoodlum holding her to stagger for a second. ​​

"Hah?" The hoodlum leader regain his composure and roughly turned the woman around and pressed his gun on her forehead. "Care to say that again in my face, sweetheart?"

"Keep me, you say? Have fun, use us for ransom?" Empty, icy blue eyes that depicted the unforgiving blizzard. "You're courting death."

Bloodlust.

It was so potent that Han Taiyi nearly choked and collapsed from the sheer danger it emits.

She saw the hoodlum leader unconsciously stepped back, his eyes widen in fear for a split second, sweat started to excrete from his forehead.

"You, you little sl*t! Let me show you who's really courting death!"

Han Taiyi snapped out of her stupor. She was prepared to sprint towards them to block the punch awaiting the ash-blonde beauty.

Blinking once, she saw a figure flying across the room and smashing into the wall.

A resounding crack told everyone that it wasn't just an ordinary self-defense throw.

"Boss!" The hoodlums exclaimed when their leader stumbled on the ground lifelessly, blood pooling out of his head.

"You b*tch!" Guns pointed at the ash-blonde beauty. But before they pulled the trigger, the blonde man swept in like lighting and knocked the guns out of their hands.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid to say that you will never get to see tomorrow after threatening the eldest miss." The dashing blonde man's eyes glinted in malice at the now trembling hoodlums.

***

"Miss, forgive me for not acting immediately. Are you hurt?"

"I'm alright, Elliot, all is forgiven." Lillie dusted her hands off and straightened her clothes. "Could you pass me the hand sanitizer?"

"Of course. A moment, please."

Huh? What happened just now?

Unconscious bodies littered the extravagant VIP room in just a few minutes. They're not dead, as far as she could tell.

Despite the blonde man's—who she heard the ash-blonde beauty called Elliot—promise, he only pummeled the hoodlums to the ground and knocked them unconscious.

Han Taiyi was sure she heard him muttering, "be glad there are witnesses or else you're all dead."

She doesn't wish to think too much on that one.

On one corner, she saw the elderly businessmen all huddled up in one place, still shaken up from a near death experience, but nonetheless were calmer than before.

"Uh ehm..." Han Taiyi was astounded. Her tongue retreated behind her throat, uncertain of what to say in this situation.

"Taiyi!"

Note to herself: kiss Ah Zheng later on the cheek and treat him to barbecue.

"Ah Zheng!" She jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging on him like a koala. "Waah! I almost got everyone killed, you know! It's my luck that these hoodlums mess with the wrong rich people! Those pretty foreigners went all ka-pow and hai-yah!"

"That's why I told you don't be reckless and catch them quickly before they pull someone." Chu Lizheng sighed helplessly when Hai Taiyi showed him a kicked-puppy look. "Alright, alright. I won't scold you anymore."

"You two are from Soaring Dragon Academy, judging from your uniforms." The two freshly ranked Sun students whipped their attention to the speaker.

"Yes, miss. My sincere apologies for my incompetence in letting these outlaws threaten your lives." Han Taiyi deeply lowered her head. "I, Han Taiyi, take full responsibility if young miss would file a complaint to the Academy."

"I, Chu Lizheng, would take responsibility as well."

"Ah Zheng!" Han Taiyi looked at her partner, perplexed.

"We're partners, Taiyi. Both of us are responsible of whatever happens in this mission." Chu Lizheng gently smiled.

"That's not necessary. Please stand up, you two." Lillie interjected in a lenient tone. "Missions tend to change course from what we have in plan, that I understand. Although, I hope this oversight will be a lesson to not repeat it in the next ones."

The fresh Sun students straightened up and looked at the ash-blonde haired beauty in reverence.

"CEO Bai!" The owner of the bar rushed inside the trashed room and stood in front of Lillie. "Please, forgive me for involving you and your company in this plight. Was anyone hurt?"

C-CEO...Bai? The CEO Bai?!

"No one was harmed, Vincent. Elliot and I are fine. Although, these gentlemen, are still a bit shaken up." Lillie glanced over her shoulder. "Have you called the police and ambulance?"

"Already on their way."

Lillie nodded. "Good." She said before directing her attention to the Sun students again.

"I'll turn a blind eye on this small error. So, Vincent, I hope you won't blame them."

Their mission's client, Vincent, followed Lillie's gaze and just now noticed the people the Academy send for the mission he filed.

"If CEO Bai vouched for them, then who am I to oppose. I'll also turn a blind eye. Rest assured that your clumsiness won't be reported back to your Academy."

"We are grateful for your benevolence!" Han Taiyi and Chu Lizheng said in unison.

Lillie acknowledged their gratitude with a nod before turning her back against them to face the elderly businessmen.

"Which part were we again?"