The man standing outside wore a black cashmere coat, its collar slightly open, his expression colder than the late-autumn night.
Behind him stood two dense rows of men, all in black suits, backs straight and hands folded in front of them, looking for all the world like a security team for an international conference that had wandered into a villa complex.
Duan Qizhao let out a long breath, shoved the baseball bat into the shoe cabinet, and had a smile on his face by the time he opened the door. "Brother Huaixiao, you scared me to death! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were here to raid the place."
Jiang Huaixiao said nothing. He merely raised a hand, and the bodyguards behind him immediately dispersed without a sound. A few circled around the back of the villa, a few stayed at the front entrance, and the rest began taking up positions along the perimeter wall.
The sight sent a chill down Duan Qizhao's spine.
His family had bodyguards too, but he had never seen anything like this. These men moved like cats, their soles making no sound at all against the ground. They clearly weren't the sort an ordinary security company provided.
Jiang Huaixiao's gaze passed over Duan Qizhao's shoulder and settled on the person still curled up on the living room sofa, clutching a game controller.
Jiang Xun sat cross-legged in a corner of the sofa, his eyes fixed on the television, his fingers pressing the controller at an unhurried pace. He didn't even turn to face him.
"Why are you still staying here?" Jiang Huaixiao glanced at Duan Qizhao, who stood rooted in the entryway.
"I'm protecting Xun'er!" Duan Qizhao immediately puffed out his chest, the red marks from pinching himself in his earlier nervousness still