Chapter 41

Xiang Wanqing put on a helpless look: "What can we do? My topic has already been approved, and it’s airing next week. You can’t expect me to lose my job, can you?"

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment and said, "I can have Wei Shijie come for your interview. His matchmaking story is very exciting and will definitely boost the show’s ratings."

Xiang Wanqing looked at Chu Tianshu distrustfully: "What if he doesn’t want to be on our show, just like you?"

Chu Tianshu continued to flatter Xiang Wanqing: "I think you’re so excellent that you’ll definitely find a way to persuade him."

"Ah, you really have me cornered," Xiang Wanqing sat down, took out a business card from her bag, and handed it to Chu Tianshu, saying, "Once you’ve contacted your classmate, call me immediately."

"No problem." Chu Tianshu took the card and then stared at Xiang Wanqing’s small bag, saying, "So, can you delete the recording from the button camera?"

"No way," Xiang Wanqing flatly refused: "If you don’t bring your classmate, or if he refuses to be on the show, I’ll have nothing in my hands."

Ah? Chu Tianshu finally realized that female journalists were even tougher than policewomen. He was completely at her mercy, with no chance to bluff his way through.

Chu Tianshu could make the seemingly fierce Du Yufei spin around, but in front of the seemingly gentle Xiang Wanqing, he was at a loss and helpless.

"But..." Chu Tianshu had no confidence in persuading Wei Shijie.

"There are no buts," Xiang Wanqing firmly held the upper hand, warning with a smile: "Mr. Chu, your wisest choice now is to get Wei Shijie to come for my interview as soon as possible and willingly share his story with the public."

"Can we sit down and discuss this further?" Chu Tianshu was still looking for an opportunity. "We haven’t even paid the bill yet."

"There’s nothing to discuss," Xiang Wanqing sat still but spoke with determination: "If you have trouble paying the bill, you can consider letting the lady go first."

Chu Tianshu was at a loss. He straightened up to call the waiter, but at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Before Chu Tianshu could make a sound, a loud noise like a firecracker erupted at the entrance of the hall.

In the café, the piano music suddenly stopped, followed by several sharp screams. The young lady in the front booth was startled and sprayed her coffee all over the bald man, splattering him with spit.

A chaotic sound of footsteps and screams followed.

Xiang Wanqing’s view was blocked by Chu Tianshu. She stood up to look, but Chu Tianshu pulled her down.

The young lady in the front booth peeked out, screamed "Oh my God," clutched her chest, and turned pale, trembling in the corner of the booth.

The bald man, ignoring the coffee on his head and face, cowered and nervously stared at the entrance of the café.

Xiang Wanqing pushed Chu Tianshu and said angrily, "Move, I’m a journalist, I need to work."

However, two loud bangs drowned out her voice.

They were gunshots.

Accompanied by the gunshots, a rough male voice echoed throughout the café: "Everyone, get up, get up, roll over there! Damn it, close the door! Tell the police outside that if they rush in, we’ll shoot!"

"There’s a robber!" The journalist’s instinct made Xiang Wanqing stand up again.

"Bang." A bullet whizzed by.

"Are you crazy?" Chu Tianshu jumped up without hesitation, grabbed Xiang Wanqing, and tightly hugged her, shielding her with his body.

The bullet flew past their heads.

Xiang Wanqing pressed against Chu Tianshu’s chest, feeling a manly scent. She felt her eyes moisten and her heart tremble.

Imagine, if a man is willing to risk his life for you, even the hardest heart would be moved.

"Take out the button camera." In the chaos, Chu Tianshu whispered in Xiang Wanqing’s ear.

Xiang Wanqing obediently took out the button camera from her bag and handed it to Chu Tianshu.

Chu Tianshu turned on the camera and slowly extended it above the seat, positioning the lens just above the back of the chair.

While doing this with his right hand, Chu Tianshu’s left hand still tightly held Xiang Wanqing, completely shielding her with his body.

Xiang Wanqing felt suffocated in Chu Tianshu’s tight embrace.

Soon, a group of well-dressed men and women were herded to the corner where Chu Tianshu and Xiang Wanqing were. The young lady who had been sitting in the front row, with tears in her eyes, looked at Xiang Wanqing enviously.

At this moment, which woman wouldn’t want a man to protect her with his strong arms?

After a while, the young lady and the bald man crouched down with their heads in their hands at the robbers’ orders.

Then, Chu Tianshu and Xiang Wanqing, along with the other guests, were guided by a pistol to crouch beside the piano, huddled together under the robbers’ control.

However, Chu Tianshu secretly held the button camera with his right hand, while his left hand still held Xiang Wanqing, using his body to shield her.

Xiang Wanqing finally saw clearly that on the other side of the piano, two robbers were holding a little boy hostage.

The leader, around forty years old, was waving a pistol over the heads of the crouching guests and waiters. Although he was cornered and desperate, he moved quickly, his face tense but more cruel, clearly an experienced criminal.

The other one, in his early twenties, held a sharp knife to the little boy’s throat. His eyes were bloodshot, his head sweating, and his face showed a lack of experience. His cruel demeanor was a result of a sudden surge of violence in a desperate situation. From the side, his hand holding the knife was trembling.

The little boy, about five or six years old, looked exhausted and pale, having been in their hands for some time. He was so scared that he couldn’t even cry, only sobbing.

Outside, a woman’s cries grew clearer: "Ruirui! Ruirui!"

"Don’t hurt my son! I’ll agree to anything you want." It was a fashionably dressed young woman trying to rush into the café, but the police held her back tightly.

"Police, police, please save my child!"

The police tried to calm the woman and stabilize her emotions.

The woman continued to shout: "Ruirui, don’t be afraid, the police will save you, don’t be scared!"

The police forcibly took her away from the scene.

For a few seconds, there was silence, and Chu Tianshu and Xiang Wanqing could hear each other’s heartbeats.

The young lady crouching beside them looked up, trembling, and said, "Brothers, let us go..."

"Damn it, shut up." The middle-aged robber’s pistol instantly turned, and a gunshot rang out. The young lady fell to the ground, blood flowing from her leg.

Chu Tianshu handed the button camera to Xiang Wanqing, helped her, and tried to stop the bleeding.

The bald man hesitated for a moment but then crouched back into the crowd.

The lady was hit in the thigh, and the bullet only grazed her skin.

Xiang Wanqing took off a belt from her waist and threw it over.

The pistol pointed at them again.

Xiang Wanqing grabbed Chu Tianshu’s arm, shook her head frantically, and moved the button camera under her skirt.

Chu Tianshu, facing the gun, knelt down and used Xiang Wanqing’s belt to tie the lady’s thigh.

The young lady gritted her teeth and gave Chu Tianshu and Xiang Wanqing a grateful look.

At this moment, outside the café’s glass door, heavily armed riot police began to enter systematically. Each large glass window was filled with a forest of gun barrels and shiny bulletproof helmets.

The middle-aged robber herded the crouching group to the front of the piano and directed the young robber to hide behind the piano with the little boy.

It seemed the middle-aged robber was experienced. He chose a position backed by the stairs, facing the entrance, making it impossible for snipers to shoot from the sides or behind.

Chu Tianshu and Xiang Wanqing exchanged a glance, their bodies tense, observing the two robbers through the gaps in the piano.

Without a doubt, at this moment, multiple police snipers’ submachine guns were aimed at the robbers from various angles, the sights fixed on the robbers’ foreheads, adjusting as the robbers moved.

Chu Tianshu could clearly see the young robber’s trembling legs and even hear his teeth chattering.

Outside the glass door, the police used a handheld megaphone to negotiate with the robbers.

Chu Tianshu listened carefully and recognized Du Yufei’s voice: "Don’t hurt the people in the café. What are your demands?"

The middle-aged robber, more experienced, waved his gun and shouted, "In ten minutes, we want a fully fueled off-road vehicle with the license plates removed, parked at the café entrance. Also, all police must retreat fifty meters."

Du Yufei remained calm: "Alright, we’ll prepare it, but ten minutes might be difficult. Can we have thirty minutes?"

The middle-aged robber roared: "Only ten minutes. If you can’t do it, I’ll kill one person for every minute that passes, and finally, we’ll kill the kid. I’m telling you, there are over twenty people in the café, enough for us to kill for a while."

Chu Tianshu was secretly alarmed. The guy had even counted the number of people they controlled. If the police couldn’t meet the robbers’ demands in ten minutes, the first to be harmed would be the café’s guests.

The middle-aged robber’s pistol moved over the men’s heads, and it was clear that the little boy was their biggest trump card.

Du Yufei, responsible for the negotiations, had the police outside retreat. She walked alone to the glass door, spread her arms to show she wasn’t armed, and raised the megaphone to continue negotiating with the robbers.

However, the two desperate men wouldn’t listen to a word.