Peach-Orange! – Chapter 419 – Why Does Everyone Want to Snatch My Xiaocheng!

Perhaps because he met Chi Xiaocheng’s gaze, the man gave her a gentle smile. Noticing the tense expressions of the three, he said calmly, “Don’t be so surprised. The Head Maid already knew that Chu Lingfeng would cause trouble, so she left a backup plan. Didn’t expect it to actually come in handy.

“And, I advise you not to act rashly.

“If I can wait here, it means I’ve long stopped valuing my life. This neighborhood is indeed hard to infiltrate, but in the building across from us, we have snipers watching.”

The plainclothes man confidently holstered the pistol he had pointed at Si Chen, appearing completely unruffled. “If I die, one of you three will accompany me to the underworld. Care to test that?”

He didn’t seem to be allied with Chu Lingfeng or intent on killing Su Tao and Chi Xiaocheng.

With the gun no longer aimed at him, Si Chen’s rationality quickly returned, and his mind raced.

Moreover, the man had mentioned the “Head Maid.”

Who was that?

It was unclear, but at least this man seemed willing to talk.

Si Chen subtly gestured behind his back, signaling Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao to stay silent for now.

At the same time, he asked, “Since you didn’t attack us outright, what’s your goal?

“Who’s pulling your strings?

“If you’re not with Chu Lingfeng, then any misunderstandings between us can probably be resolved through discussion.”

Si Chen fired off three questions in quick succession.

Rеаԁ oո КatRеaⅾіոgСаfе

His intent was obvious.

But the plainclothes man saw right through him. “No need to stall for time with small talk. Ten minutes.”

He raised a finger. “If I don’t leave this villa safely within ten minutes, whether I’m alive or not, that sniper will fire. As for who gets shot, I can’t say.

“And my goal?”

The plainclothes man slowly turned toward Chi Xiaocheng.

This triggered a dangerous instinct in Su Tao.

Frowning, she stepped in front of Chi Xiaocheng. “What do you mean?”

The plainclothes man replied calmly, “My mission is to take Miss Chi Xiaocheng away.”

“Over my dead body!”

Su Tao raised her voice, still blocking Chi Xiaocheng firmly. Her breathing grew slightly ragged as her gaze flickered between the man and the building opposite them, scanning for the sniper he mentioned.

Unfazed by Su Tao’s hostility, the man said, “Miss Su, I know you’re upset. You maybe even hate me enough to throw a punch. But what can I do?

“I’m just a small fry following orders. If I fail, I die. If you want to fight me right now, go ahead.”

The plainclothes man seemed utterly fearless. He even tossed the pistol in his pocket to the ground in front of Su Tao and raised his hands.

Rеаd oո KatReαdiոɡCаfe

“The countdown has already started. You’ve got nine and a half minutes left. Discuss it among yourselves. Call for backup to take out me and the sniper, or brainstorm a plan. Either way, I still need three minutes to walk out of here.”

This meant the trio only had seven minutes to decide whether to hand over Chi Xiaocheng.

Even if they surrendered her at the ten-minute mark, the sniper would still fire if the plainclothes man didn’t return to the rendezvous point in time.

Lighting a cigarette, the man stepped aside, no longer paying attention to Chi Xiaocheng and the others.

Su Tao felt like she’d punched cotton.

This was the first time she’d encountered someone who treated life so carelessly. He truly was just a pawn. The real mastermind was whoever stood behind him.

But why?

Why was it always Xiaocheng?

Ye Liang had once tried to kill Xiaocheng. Dragon King Xiao Ming had also targeted her. Even Chu Lingfeng had wanted to harm her.

And now, this “Head Maid” also wanted to take Xiaocheng away!

Why was everyone after Xiaocheng?

Su Tao couldn’t understand, nor did she want to. It felt like the whole world was against her.

But rather than cursing them, she wanted to curse herself.

Rеaⅾ on КαtRеаdіոgСаfе

She hated her own weakness. How she could never protect Xiaocheng when it mattered, always relying on Dongfang Yang, Chi Song, or Si Chen to step in.

Xiaocheng was the one being protected.

But wasn’t she the same?

Her self-doubt spiraled.

Unconsciously, her expression darkened.

Then, Si Chen’s voice snapped her out of it. “Don’t panic yet. If what he says is true, we still have a few minutes to think of a way out. As long as we don’t run, the sniper probably won’t shoot.”

He hated the feeling of leaving their lives in someone else’s hands.

What shocked him more was that their enemies had somehow anticipated his plan to bring Su Tao and Chi Xiaocheng here. This was a plan only known to few people.

Had they guessed?

Or was there a traitor among them?

Either way, now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

Noticing Su Tao’s distress, Si Chen patted her shoulder, then turned to Chi Xiaocheng. “Chi Xiaocheng, I’m out of ideas. He wants to take you away. What do you want to do?”

Su Tao snapped back to attention and immediately pulled Chi Xiaocheng into a tight hug, glaring at Si Chen. “We can’t hand Xiaocheng over! We don’t even know who’s behind this. If it’s not Chu Lingfeng, could it be Ye Er or Xiao Ming?

Rеαⅾ оո КаtRеaԁіnɡСаfe

“Handing Xiaocheng over would be like sending a lamb to the slaughter. What if she gets hurt?

“It’s like giving them a hostage. If Xiaocheng is taken, they’ll have leverage over us. This is a death trap!”

Si Chen gave Su Tao an appraising look.

Despite her panic, she was still reasoning clearly.

Helplessly, he said, “I get what you’re saying. But what other choice do we have? We don’t know how many snipers there are or how many shots they’ll take. At this distance, picking us off would be effortless.”

Glancing back at the smoking plainclothes man, Si Chen lowered his voice.

“At the very least, if Chi Xiaocheng goes with him, once we’re in a safe location and she’s inside a building, she can take down this guy and escape.”

This was the best plan Si Chen could think of.

It relied entirely on Chi Xiaocheng’s combat abilities after her Darkening.

A petite girl barely over 1.5 meters tall taking down a trained, 1.8-meter-tall man?

It sounded absurd, but Si Chen knew Chi Xiaocheng could do it.

As for how….

He turned to Chi Xiaocheng, who had been silently gritting her teeth, deep in thought.