Huo Rou had initially intended to make him wait outside, but after entering the warehouse, the visible emptiness ruled out the presence of others, so she didn't say much more.
In the spacious room, she immediately spotted An An on the bed in the corner.
The small child lay there, fast asleep. His usually clean and rosy cheeks were now incredibly pale and smeared with dirt.
She quickly stepped forward and cradled An An in her arms, stroking him gently.
The bed was damp, and a fever reducer was placed beside the pillow.
An An's body was burning hot, and he had fallen unconscious.
Qin Ningyi was also startled by An An's pale face at that moment. In just two days, An An had become like this.
He picked up the fever reducer from the bedside table and looked at it. It was not a children's fever reducer at all, and the corresponding symptoms were only for fever caused by the common cold.
A surge of anger ignited in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he coldly recited Giles's name.
He would make him pay.
"A Rou, let's go." The most urgent matter was to get An An out and safely to the hospital for professional treatment.
He stepped forward to pick up An An and take them out. Unexpectedly, as soon as he approached, An An mumbled, "Mom, Dad..."
As if sensing a familiar presence, he snuggled into Huo Rou's embrace dependently. Huo Rou felt immense heartache and gently coaxed, "An An, Mommy is here. I'm taking you home now."
Reason regained control. There was no time for further words. She scooped up An An and looked at Qin Ningyi, "Let's go."
Seeing her determination, Qin Ningyi led the way.
Unexpectedly, Giles appeared at the doorway.
"I knew something was wrong. That little girl was trying to lead me astray, but I'm not that foolish." Giles's Chinese had improved slightly. He cackled smugly.
It seemed he considered it a great achievement to have returned in time to block Huo Rou.
Qin Ningyi shielded Huo Rou behind him, his eagle-like eyes fixed on Giles. Thinking of An An's condition, his gaze grew even colder.
Giles was momentarily intimidated, but as he realized he had blocked their only exit, his confidence returned.
Didn't the Chinese have a saying, "One man guarding the pass, ten thousand cannot get through"? By blocking the door, he could stall them until Duan Xiang and Liu Chao returned.
Giles decided to stall for time rather than rush forward, opting to engage in conversation at the entrance.
"You are Huo Rou, aren't you? Although your appearance has changed, I know that every mother loses her reason and will do anything for her child."
Giles shamelessly exploited human weaknesses. He looked at Huo Rou's unfamiliar face and said, "I just didn't expect you to find this place. You truly surprise me time and time again."
"So much nonsense," Huo Rou certainly didn't have a pleasant expression for him, neither back then nor now, especially with An An in this state. She had no intention of chatting.
After saying this, before Giles could become enraged, she thrust An An into Qin Ningyi's arms and pulled a dagger from her bag, charging forward.
She could guess what Giles was thinking – he wanted to stall until his accomplices returned to help him.
This man was always so despicable.
Qin Ningyi watched as Huo Rou produced a dagger from her bag and charged. He was startled and about to step in to help, but An An in his arms put him in a dilemma.
"A Rou, you take An An and go. I'll deal with him!" Qin Ningyi had never felt so passive.
In the past, he was always the one charging ahead of his comrades. Yet, Huo Rou's speed was always astonishingly fast, making him feel outmatched.
This feeling of being treated as the weaker one needing protection made him quite frustrated.
He didn't seem that fragile, did he...
"None of you will leave today!" Giles shut the door and grabbed a metal rod from the side, charging forward.
With the terrain here, he didn't believe he couldn't hold off this girl.
Qin Ningyi looked at him wielding the metal rod, his eyes blazing with a fury that almost consumed him.
Huo Rou seemed to sense his thoughts. She dodged Giles's swing and calmly instructed him, "Protect An An. I can handle this."
Her body moved nimbly, closing in on Giles. His metal rod lost its effectiveness, becoming somewhat useless.
With the dagger, Huo Rou easily subdued Giles.
Americans generally have greater physical strength, so Huo Rou had to be very careful in close combat to avoid his attacks.
With Huo Rou's deliberate, subtle feigning of weakness, Giles became even more confident in his abilities and attacked more aggressively.
Qin Ningyi saw Huo Rou about to be hit by Giles's fist and could no longer hold back. He lunged forward with a sweeping kick, separating Giles by a considerable distance.
A brief pause.
"Take An An and go. I'll hold him off," Qin Ningyi said softly to Huo Rou.
Huo Rou shook her head.
On one hand, she was worried that Qin Ningyi wouldn't be able to handle Giles. On the other hand, she had a new consideration.
As a member of the BDD, Giles must know a lot. It was rare for the US to place him in China. If she captured him alive and handed him over, a lot could be interrogated.
Since the US dared to act so brazenly, she wouldn't be blamed for taking the opportunity to do something.
Huo Rou caught sight of Giles swinging the metal rod towards Qin Ningyi out of the corner of her eye. She pushed Qin Ningyi towards the door and stepped forward to meet the blow with her shoulder, taking the full impact of Giles's strike.
A dull thud, as if bones had dislocated.
Cold sweat instantly beaded on Huo Rou's forehead, but she remained outwardly unfazed, using her other hand to grab the metal rod, spin, and kick Giles away.
"Your arm!" Qin Ningyi wanted to return to check on her.
Huo Rou's arm hung limply. She seemingly cooperatively took the blow on her shoulder, while her other hand simultaneously opened the door.
"It's dislocated! Let's get out first, and I'll reset it." Qin Ningyi supported her and prepared to lead her out.
Concern clouded his judgment, and he didn't notice the deeper meaning in Huo Rou's eyes.
The moment the door opened, she used her dislocated arm to violently shove him out.
Qin Ningyi looked at her in astonishment. Such a reckless act made Huo Rou's face turn instantly pale.
Yet, she smiled gently, "You take An An out first. Be good."
"A Rou!"
Amidst his shouts, Huo Rou closed the door.
The last thing he saw was Giles, who had gotten up behind Huo Rou, pulling out a gun from under the bed.
He desperately tried to push the door open, but Huo Rou had locked it completely from the inside.
An An's weak, uneasy voice came from his arms, "Dad..."
He looked down. An An's eyes were slightly narrowed, as if trying to discern the person in front of him.
"It's me."
As Qin Ningyi finished speaking, the muffled sound of a suppressed gunshot echoed from the warehouse.