My Contract Husband Won't Behave - Chapter 69

The abandoned industrial zone lay north of the city, a wasteland of unfinished buildings and chest-high weeds.

Bo Jiusi’s car stopped downstairs. The moment he stepped out, his phone rang.

“Upstairs, Master Jiu. Third room on the left,” Pang Kun said. “Come alone. I can see the car behind you. Tell whoever’s inside not to move.”

Bo Jiusi looked up. A shadow stood watching from a third-floor window.

He ended the call. “Wait in the car for my signal.”

Feng Wu glanced at the second-floor windows and nodded warily. “Be careful, Master Jiu.”

Bo Jiusi shut the door and entered alone.

The third-floor factory was cavernous. Half the windows were shattered, and the wind carried the smell of rust through them.

The instant he entered, his gaze found Nie Jingzhi.

She was bound to a chair, tape over her mouth, hair disordered. Yet her eyes were calm. Only when she saw him did something stir in them—worry and trust.

She had known he would come. And he knew she would protect herself, refusing to show fear.

Pang Kun stood by the window, both hands in his pockets. The smile on his face was not triumph but hatred twisted to its limit.

“Master Jiu came after all.”

Noticing where Bo Jiusi was looking, he strolled behind Nie Jingzhi and patted her shoulder. “Relax. I didn’t touch her. The seed in her belly is still there too.”

Bo Jiusi’s gaze chilled. “Release her. You’ll get every cent.”

“Your wife and child are in my hands, and you still think you can bargain? Transfer the money. I’ll release her when it clears.”

“Pay first and trust you afterward?” Bo Jiusi scoffed. “Do you want the money or not?”

Pang Kun bent close to Nie Jingzhi’s ear while staring at Bo Jiusi. “That is your seed in her belly, isn’t it? What do you think would happen if I kicked her there?”

“Touch one hair on her head, and I’ll bury your wife and children here as funeral offerings for you.”

Pang Kun knew exactly how ruthless Bo Jiusi could be. He straightened and spread his hands. “Fine. No more jokes. We exchange the woman and the money at the same time.”

At his signal, a bald accomplice approached with a dagger, cut the rope around Nie Jingzhi’s wrists, and hauled her up with the blade against her neck. He stopped one meter from Bo Jiusi.

“Sincere enough for you?” Pang Kun asked.

Bo Jiusi took out his phone and moved swiftly. The ransom had been prepared before he arrived—account, amount, authorization, everything.

Pang Kun stared at the long string of numbers on his screen, a grin slowly splitting his face.

“Release her.”

Pang Kun waved. The bald man withdrew the knife and shoved Nie Jingzhi forward.

She stumbled into Bo Jiusi, who caught her at once. His arms were steady and powerful. Her cheek pressed to his chest, where his heart beat fast but even.

She looked up and caught the trace of tension beneath his ice-hard gaze. Her eyes reddened. “Master Jiu…”

“Never thought I’d see the day, Master Jiu.” Pang Kun’s sinister laugh sounded behind them. “When you destroyed me, did you ever imagine you’d fall because of a woman?”

His voice sharpened. “If you two can’t bear to be apart, then die together!”

Bo Jiusi saw the movement in his peripheral vision. Pang Kun pulled a black pistol from his pocket and aimed at Nie Jingzhi’s back.

There was no time to think. Bo Jiusi spun, wrapped her completely in his arms, and placed his own back before the muzzle.

Bang!

The shot thundered through the empty factory. The bullet punched into his left shoulder. Scalding pain burst through it and swept across his back. His body locked; cold sweat sprang along his temples and ran down his face.

Nie Jingzhi felt him go rigid, and all the blood in her body seemed to freeze. She lifted her face to find him pale, lips pressed into a hard line, veins standing at his temple.

“Bo Jiusi…” Her voice shook.

Then her hand touched the blood on his back—hot and sticky, welling between her fingers. Horror crossed her face. He immediately seized her hand.

After two coughs, he rasped, “Pregnant women shouldn’t get too emotional. It’s bad for the baby…”

Before he could finish, Pang Kun raised his gun for a second shot.

Bang!

Pang Kun never fired. A bullet from another direction struck his gun hand. The pistol spun away across the floor. He staggered back, clutching his arm as blood poured through his fingers.

“Who?!”

Feng Wu charged in from the stairwell with a team.

“Don’t move! Police!” The lead officer trained his weapon on Pang Kun.

“You called the police?!”

Bo Jiusi knelt on one knee, still shielding Nie Jingzhi. Blood had soaked through the back of his shirt. He stared coldly at Pang Kun, his breathing slow and steady.

Cornered, Pang Kun sneered. “I used to admire you, Master Jiu. You could destroy your own father and siblings without mercy. Few people could be so heartless. I thought you had no weakness. Yet today you took a bullet for a woman.”

He gave a contemptuous laugh. “Softheartedness will ruin you. One day, you’ll die because of this woman.”

He suddenly yanked out a lighter, struck it, and tossed it behind him.

Gasoline had already been poured over the floor. Flames erupted and raced outward.

Feng Wu’s face changed. “Master Jiu! Get out!”

Bo Jiusi pushed himself upright, seized Nie Jingzhi’s hand, and dragged her toward the exit. Fire chased them, its heat blistering, smoke burning their eyes.

Pang Kun watched them flee and laughed, the sound swallowed and distorted by the flames. Then he vaulted through a window into the river below. A speedboat waited along the bank. He swam desperately, climbed aboard, and the engine roared to life.

At the window, Feng Wu watched the boat race away. “Go after him!” he shouted to the police.

The officers rushed downstairs. Feng Wu turned toward the far end of the corridor.

Bo Jiusi had reached his limit. The moment he pulled Nie Jingzhi out of the building, his knees buckled and he pitched forward. She braced him with all her strength, and they fell to their knees together.

His left arm hung uselessly at his side, fingers faintly curled. His right hand pressed to the ground, still fighting to keep him upright.

“Bo Jiusi…”

“Don’t,” he interrupted hoarsely. “You’re pregnant. Don’t kneel on the ground.”

Her red-rimmed eyes glared at him. “You’re almost dead, and you still care whether I’m kneeling?”

“I won’t die. Stop cursing me.”

Blood continued seeping from his back. Her lips trembled. “Why are you so stupid?”