"Zachary!"
"It's me, Qingfeng."
Danielle's smile vanished. "What do you want?"
Her tone immediately turned cold.
Qingfeng frowned. "Danielle, I already told you—I'm marrying Dora. Can you stop bothering me? There's no way anything will happen between us."
Danielle froze. "Qingfeng, are you crazy? When have I ever bothered you?"
Was he joking?
She was so busy now, she had completely erased this man from her mind.
Qingfeng gave a cold laugh, his handsome face on the screen filled with sarcasm.
"If you're really over me, then why did your man come and attack me?"
Danielle's expression tightened immediately. "Zachary's with you? Where are you?"
Her anxious face clearly gave Qingfeng the wrong idea.
He curved his lips in a smug smile. "Danielle, and you still say you don't like me? Then why are you so nervous?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm worried about my man. Qingfeng, I'm warning you—if anything happens to Zachary, I won't let you get away with it."
Her heart felt like it was being crushed by a hand, aching so much it made her tremble uncontrollably.
Seeing her with red eyes, Qingfeng felt annoyed for no reason.
He snorted. "If you care about him that much, come pick him up. Room 1001, Sky Azure Hotel. I'll be waiting."
The screen went black—he had ended the call.
Danielle immediately raised her hand and hailed a taxi.
Sky Azure Hotel was located near the teleportation array that connected the middle zone and the core zone. It was a place used by the elite from the core zone. People from the middle zone normally couldn't even step foot inside.
The moment Danielle entered the hotel, a piercing alarm went off.
"Middle-zone citizen has entered. Alert. Middle-zone citizen has entered."
Rows of strong, armed guards surged out quickly.
A large, fierce-looking woman rushed straight at Danielle, ready to grab her.
Danielle didn't flinch. "Qingfeng told me to come."
The moment she said "Qingfeng," all the guards went silent.
The woman even looked at Danielle with envy. Tsk, such good luck—she got noticed by someone from the Qing family.
With a flattering smile, the woman said, "You must be Miss Danielle. This way, please. The young master already gave orders."
Danielle gave off the full aura of a Duo Family heiress, and the pressure she exuded made the guards unable to lift their heads.
Without even glancing around, she walked into the elevator. As the doors slowly closed, they shut out the envious and resentful gazes.
1001.
Top floor.
Just one number.
When the elevator doors opened, Danielle saw two guards standing emotionlessly at the door.
The room door was wide open.
Without hesitation, Danielle stepped inside.
She didn't bother admiring the luxurious room. The moment she saw the figure lying on the floor, all her calm shattered.
"Zachary!"
She rushed forward. Zachary was covered in blood, looking almost like a corpse.
She pulled him into her arms. "Zachary, wake up. Look at me. Look at me!"
Zachary seemed to hear her voice in his daze. His eyebrows tightened in pain, and he mumbled softly.
"Danielle, don't be afraid. I'm here."
"You're here, my ass! Open your eyes and look at me—I'm right here!"
Danielle couldn't even see his face anymore through her tears, which fell endlessly.
Qingfeng, who had been sitting relaxed nearby, got more annoyed the longer Danielle ignored him. She hadn't looked at him even once since she walked in.
With a loud crack, he threw his cup to the ground.
The dark tea splashed across the carpet like a messy map.
"Danielle, you've really impressed me," he said coldly. "Crying over a low-class man like this. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Danielle raised her red eyes and stared at Qingfeng furiously.
"You did this to him?"
Qingfeng opened his mouth, as if to explain something, but instead changed his tone.
"Yes, I did it. So what? Are you angry at me because of him?"
Danielle stared at him for a few seconds. Then she grabbed Zachary tightly, lifted him in her arms, and turned to leave.
Qingfeng was stunned by the intense hatred in her eyes.
It wasn't until Danielle stepped out the door that he came back to his senses, then shouted angrily, "Danielle!"
Swish!
In an instant, Danielle and Zachary were surrounded.
Danielle calmly placed Zachary into her space device. A long black blade appeared in her hand out of thin air.
She looked at Qingfeng coldly, like he was just a stranger.
"What? Want to fight? Then come on."
Qingfeng's face turned red with anger. "Danielle, are you insane? I was planning to ask Uncle Duo to take you back. And this is how you treat me?"
Danielle's face didn't even twitch. Her expression stayed blank, her eyes icy cold.
"My business has nothing to do with you. Are you letting me go, or are we fighting? Decide."
"You…"
Qingfeng's jaw tensed. Just when the guards around them thought he was going to give the order, he suddenly waved his hand.
"Let her go."
Danielle turned around without another word and stepped into the elevator. As the doors slowly closed, Qingfeng slumped onto the sofa.
A man wearing glasses came over beside him.
"You okay, Young Master?"
"Chen Yi… Do you think she really loves that man?"
Qingfeng didn't know why this question bothered him so much.
He had already made up his mind to marry Dora. So why did he care this much about Danielle?
Chen Yi's eyes flickered. "Young Master, it's probably because she heard you were going to get engaged to Miss Dora. She's just doing this to upset you."
Qingfeng suddenly realized something.
"Yes! That's it. She must love me. Otherwise, why would her man try to attack me? She must have said something to him."
He started pacing the room, energized by this thought.
Seeing his mood lift, Chen Yi let out a small breath of relief.
"Then, Young Master, can we go back now? Tomorrow is the engagement with Miss Dora."
Qingfeng paused, looking at the closed elevator door with a sigh.
"Danielle, I know how you feel about me. But it's your fault for not awakening a plant-type power."
"Chen Yi, send her a check for five million. Tell her there's no chance between us. She should give up on me."
Sigh, my charm is just too deadly.
Qingfeng flipped his smooth hair. "Alright, let's go."
Danielle didn't care at all about Qingfeng's drama. She didn't stop running toward the hospital.
She was so desperate, she forgot to get a car. She ran until she was out of breath, finally arriving at the hospital doors.
"Please, help him! I'm begging you, help him!" she shouted, holding Zachary tightly in the hospital lobby.
The people nearby turned their heads, their numb expressions shifting slightly. When they saw Zachary's chest caved in, they quietly shook their heads.
This young man was probably done for. With injuries that bad, his internal organs had to be crushed.