Chapter 9: The First Shot
930 Words
Night settled over Dragon Estate like a warning.
The air was too still. Even the koi pond seemed quiet, the surface unbroken by wind.
Liu Xiaoyu stood near the bedroom window, the distant skyline of Shanghai glowing faintly beyond the estate walls. Her instincts felt sharpened, stretched thin.
Behind her, Liang Zhen was finishing a call.
“Rotate the outer patrol every fifteen minutes,” he said calmly. “I want the west wall covered twice.”
A pause.
“No mistakes.”
He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.
“You’re certain it’s tonight?” Xiaoyu asked.
“Yes.”
He didn’t hesitate.
And that was what made her pulse tighten.
A sudden crack split the silence.
The window beside her exploded.
Glass shattered inward as a bullet tore through the room.
Liang Zhen moved before the sound fully registered.
He pulled her down hard, his body covering hers as another shot struck the wall behind them.
Alarms blared instantly.
Red security lights flickered to life.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway.
“Stay down,” Liang Zhen ordered, already reaching toward the bedside drawer.
He retrieved a handgun with practiced ease.
More gunfire.
Closer.
Not random shots.
Measured.
They had a vantage point.
“They breached the west perimeter,” a voice barked through the intercom.
Professional.
Xiaoyu pushed herself up slightly. “How many?”
“At least two confirmed. Possibly more.”
Liang Zhen’s eyes darkened.
He looked at her once.
“Lock the internal system,” he said to security through the panel. “Seal the east wing.”
Then to her—
“You are not leaving this room.”
She caught his wrist before he stepped away.
“Don’t treat me like glass.”
His gaze flicked down to her hand on him.
“You are not glass,” he said quietly.
Another shot rang out.
Closer now.
“You are mine.”
And then he was gone.
The Courtyard
Two masked men had scaled the west wall using grappling hooks.
They moved with precision, suppressors fitted to their weapons.
One guard already lay bleeding near the koi pond.
The second attacker fired toward the balcony again.
Inside the estate, Liang security responded fast—trained, disciplined.
Liang Zhen stepped into the courtyard without hesitation.
Gunfire erupted around him.
He didn’t run.
Didn’t duck.
He walked forward like death wearing a tailored suit.
A bullet grazed the marble pillar near his shoulder.
He raised his gun.
One shot.
The first attacker dropped instantly.
The second turned, firing wildly as guards closed in.
Liang Zhen adjusted his aim.
Another clean shot.
The man collapsed near the lotus trees.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Controlled. Final.
Security rushed forward, weapons still raised.
“Sir.”
Liang Zhen crouched beside one of the fallen attackers.
He pulled off the mask.
Mid-thirties. Foreign-cut features.
Not local street muscle.
He rolled the man’s sleeve back.
There.
A black serpent tattoo coiled around his wrist.
One of the guards stiffened.
“Southern Syndicate.”
Liang Zhen’s expression hardened.
“No.”
He stood slowly.
“They don’t act this boldly without backing.”
His jaw tightened.
“Someone hired them.”
His gaze lifted toward the bedroom window.
Toward her.
Inside the Bedroom
Xiaoyu stood barefoot amid shattered glass.
Her heart was racing—but her face remained composed.
She had heard every shot.
Counted them.
Measured the silence between them.
The door opened.
Liang Zhen entered.
Unharmed.
Controlled.
But something in him had shifted.
His suit jacket bore faint marble dust from the courtyard.
His eyes were darker than before.
He crossed the room in three strides and gripped her jaw firmly, tilting her face toward the light.
“Did they touch you?”
“No.”
He noticed a thin line of red near her temple where glass had grazed her skin.
His thumb brushed it.
His breathing changed.
Slower.
Colder.
“They fired at my window,” she said quietly.
“They fired at what belongs to me,” he corrected.
This time there was no subtlety in his voice.
It was possession.
Raw.
A knock interrupted them.
“Sir, we recovered a phone from one of the attackers.”
“Bring it.”
A guard entered and handed over the damaged device.
Liang Zhen glanced at the cracked screen.
“One outgoing call,” the guard said. “Five minutes before the breach.”
“To who?”
“Unknown. Burn number.”
Liang Zhen handed it back.
“Trace it anyway.”
“Yes, sir.”
The door closed again.
Silence lingered.
Not peaceful.
Charged.
“You expected this,” Xiaoyu said.
“Yes.”
“And you still let it happen?”
His eyes met hers.
“I wanted to see who would be bold enough.”
Her pulse tightened.
“You used the estate as bait.”
“I used myself as bait.”
A pause.
“And they aimed at you instead.”
That, clearly, was not part of his plan.
The air between them shifted.
He stepped closer.
Close enough that she felt the heat of him.
“You knew this life would be violent,” he said.
“I did.”
“You still want to stand beside me?”
Her answer came without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
Approval.
Respect.
Possession.
“Good,” he murmured.
Outside, bodies were being dragged away.
Blood stained the marble courtyard.
War had crossed the gate.
And this time—
It had her name on it.
- Writer
