Peach-Orange! – Chapter 422 – The One Who Will Surely Die

Time passed quickly, leaving less than three minutes remaining.

The plainclothes man slowly walked over, completely ignoring the faint hostility Su Tao displayed. “Have you decided? Will Miss Chi come with me, or….”

He didn’t finish his sentence, merely glancing back at the building where the sniper was positioned.

Police sirens echoed around the villa, so someone must have noticed something amiss.

But it didn’t matter. Two or three minutes were enough for the sniper to take a shot.

The choice was simple, wasn’t it?

Si Chen let out a soft sigh and looked at the plainclothes man. “Brother, sorry about this.”

The answer was refusal.

The plainclothes man wasn’t angered. He smiled faintly. “I understand. If you plan to run, I suggest doing so in half a minute. The sniper will confirm in these final moments whether I can capture Miss Chi. He might not wait until the last second to shoot.

“Once he realizes it’s impossible to take her, he might pull the trigger decisively.

“But rest assured, that guy values his life. After one shot, he’ll definitely flee rather than stay and risk his life trying to complete the mission.”

After listening to the plainclothes man’s words, Si Chen fell into silence.

“Thank you.”

Those were the only two words he could muster.

Helplessness….

Back when he was still being ostracized by the Si family, hadn’t he also been left with no choice?

Si Chen turned to Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao. “Run in half a minute. Sprint as fast as you can, and keep some distance between each other. Head straight for the villa. As for the rest….”

“Leave it to fate.”

He let out a long sigh.

The words left both Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao silent.

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Leave it to fate?

Neither Chi Xiaocheng nor Su Tao liked that phrase at all.

Fate? The will of heaven?

Wasn’t that just the world’s will?

Chi Xiaocheng had nearly died several times because of it.

And Su Tao… needless to say, she no longer believed in so-called fate.

If fate had truly been on her side, why did her Xiaocheng always end up hurt because of her?

This time was no exception.

Those people had no reason to target Chi Xiaocheng.

Whether it was Chu Lingfeng, Xiao Ming, or the already-dead Ye Liang, their focus on Xiaocheng was all because of her.

The source was Su Tao herself!

And Chi Xiaocheng was always the one getting hurt!

The atmosphere grew heavy, but no one spoke.

There had to be a better solution, but….

Both Su Tao and Chi Xiaocheng were unwilling to let the other take the risk, each hoping the other would survive and live well.

A stalemate.

As for Si Chen, he was indeed the male lead, but his narrative weight had diminished drastically.

Accustomed to strategizing before acting, this gamble had ruined his character’s integrity, further reducing his role.

Time ticked away.

Then, the plainclothes man patted himself down before extending a hand toward Si Chen. “Young Master Si, mind sparing another cigarette?”

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Si Chen glanced at him and tossed over the entire pack. “If we all make it out of this alive, come work for me. I’ll find a way to bring your family over, and I promise they’ll be safe.”

The man smiled faintly without responding, simply lighting the cigarette. “Time’s up.”

According to the original plan, one person among them was destined to die.

The plainclothes man looked at the three, already poised to run. The moment Si Chen shouted, “Go!”, they bolted.

Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao didn’t hesitate, sprinting forward with everything they had as agreed.

Si Chen deliberately lagged two steps behind them.

He still believed in his own luck.

Believed he was still a protagonist.

The determination on his face never wavered, even as he ran.

The plainclothes man took a deep inhale, the smoke carrying a bitter almond sting as it seared his throat, spreading through his lungs like countless transparent blades.

He had always been obsessed with this gentle torture, the way nicotine’s thorns grew wildly in his chest, crushing any soft emotions that had no right to exist.

His gaze slowly settled on Si Chen’s resolute profile.

“How pitiful….”

He meant himself, but also Si Chen and the others.

Even a lofty young master like him was still bound by something, willing to risk his life for it.

“Bang—!”

A deafening gunshot rang out in the distance.

The sniper had fired.

He’d seen them running.

In that case, one of them would die, and he himself would perish for failing the mission.

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So, who would it be?

The plainclothes man’s gaze drifted forward.

Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao skidded to a halt. At the sound of the gunshot, their first reaction was to look at each other, relief freezing on their faces when they saw the other unharmed.

Si Chen not only stopped but turned back to look at him, his expression one of shock.

Huh?

If they were all fine, then who had died?

The plainclothes man’s hand trembled as he held the cigarette. He looked down and saw a bloody hole in his chest.

In the distance, atop that building—

Countless dark figures swarmed toward his sniper companion’s position.

‘So, in the end… the only pitiful one was me.’

His mind flashed with memories: his mother recovering and leaving the hospital, his wife and daughter moving into a big house.

The head maid had promised that if he died, they’d live even better lives.

Maybe… he wasn’t so pitiful after all.

Even though he’d prepared for this long ago, when the moment came, he still couldn’t help but feel reluctant.

A gust of wind pressed against his shoulders like a gentle push. His strength left him, and he collapsed backward.

In his final moments, his dimming eyes settled on Chi Xiaocheng.

How nice… if his daughter grew up, would she be just as lovely?

In the end, the outcome wasn’t bad. His family was unharmed, and the three of them were safe.

Among them, someone was destined to die.

And he, a minor character without the protection of fate, was the only one.

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With a dull thud, the man’s body hit the ground.

Si Chen stopped and looked up at the building.

Along with the sniper’s shot, other gunfire had rung out.

The sniper had been subdued. Perhaps in his final panic, he’d pulled the trigger without proper aim.

Silently, Si Chen walked to the corpse. The man wore a faint smile, his expression peaceful.

The cigarette he’d failed to hold had just burned out.

Si Chen’s sharp eyes caught a corner of white paper peeking from the man’s sleeve.

He pulled it out.

Two words were written on it: “Last Will.”

Perhaps from the moment he’d accepted the mission, he’d known his chances of survival were nearly zero.

Si Chen flipped it over and found a note on the back with a signature.

Yu Hui.

The plainclothes man’s name.

Si Chen clenched the will tightly, removing his glasses with a solemn expression. “Rest easy. I’ll find your family and take care of them.”

This was a man’s promise.

He turned, the warm light casting sharp contours across his face.

The afterglow of sunset was always behind him.

But what he faced now was—

The dawn.