Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

A footprint was stamped on Kuang Tianhao's face. The bridge of his nose was broken, and blood spurted everywhere as he let out a piercing scream.

"Zhao Dong, I'm going to kill you!"

Zhao Dong gave a cold smile, lifted his foot, then crouched down and patted Kuang Tianhao's cheek. "Kill me?" he said with a half-smile. "Do you believe I could cripple you right now?"

Zhao Dong was smiling as he spoke, but his eyes were filled with an icy chill.

Kuang Tianhao shuddered, a chill rising from the bottom of his heart. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he said, "Zhao… Zhao Dong, I advise you to be sensible and release me immediately. I am a Dragon Captain of the Binding Dragon Office. If you lay a hand on me, you are opposing the Binding Dragon Office!"

"Oh, is that so? The thing I hate most is being threatened. The more someone threatens me, the more I want to see what happens."

Zhao Dong's hand shot out, grasping Kuang Tianhao's throat and lifting him clean off the ground.

Kuang Tianhao's body dangled in the air. He struggled fiercely, choking as his airway was cut off.

Zhao Dong's eyes were filled with a terrifying darkness. "I had no quarrel with you, yet you gave me so much trouble last time. If I wasn't so tough, you might have crippled me! I don't like making enemies, but you forced my hand."

Kuang Tianhao struggled with all his might. His eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets—a gruesome sight. He rasped, "Zhao Dong, let… let me go… I know I was wrong now! I know I was wrong!"

Kuang Tianhao was terrified now. The feeling of death closing in made him wet his pants.

"You know you were wrong?" Zhao Dong sneered. "You don't know you were wrong. You're just scared."

"Weren't you so cocky before? Didn't you enjoy insulting people? Weren't you so arrogant just now, calling people 'trash' left and right and even trying to harm my friend? A scumbag like you is a waste of air!"

Despair filled Kuang Tianhao's face, and his voice was as hoarse and ragged as a broken bellows. "Zhao Dong, I truly know I was wrong… I can't… breathe… Let… let me go. I was wrong. I shouldn't have provoked you. I was blind; I failed to recognize a great man when I saw one. And I shouldn't have harassed your friend. It's all my fault…"

From the side, Song Zixuan cried out in terror, "Zhao Dong, let my Senior Brother go! If you dare touch him, you'll be making an enemy of the Binding Dragon Office! It'll cost you your life!"

Zhao Dong shot a cold glare at Song Zixuan and barked, "This is all because of you, woman! Shut up!"

Startled by his glare, Song Zixuan's face turned deathly pale.

Gu Moning's trembling voice piped up. "Zhao Dong… you should let Kuang Tianhao go. The Binding Dragon Office is extremely protective of its own. They're powerful, and they're an official organization of China. You really can't afford to oppose them."

Zhao Dong narrowed his eyes and then, suddenly, let Kuang Tianhao go.

Kuang Tianhao collapsed to the ground. His courage instantly returned, and he snarled at Zhao Dong with venom, "Bastard, so you know fear after all, huh? Just you wait!"

A corner of Zhao Dong's mouth twitched. He glanced at Song Zixuan and said indifferently, "You see? He was asking for it. Don't blame me."

As he spoke, a sinister chill flashed through Zhao Dong's eyes. He raised his foot and stomped down hard on Kuang Tianhao's leg.

CRACK! CRACK!

A spray of blood mist erupted!

Kuang Tianhao's right leg was brutally crippled.

"AHHHH! My leg!"

Kuang Tianhao let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, tears of agony streaming down his face.

Song Zixuan turned pale with fright and shrieked, "Zhao Dong, are you insane?!"

"I'm not insane. I just don't like being on the losing end. I don't bother anyone unless they bother me. And if they do…" Zhao Dong shrugged and grinned. "This is what happens."

Song Zixuan was trembling with fury, her lips quivering. "Zhao Dong… you… you've truly lost your mind! My Senior Brother is a Dragon Captain of the Binding Dragon Office and one of their most promising talents! He's also highly regarded by Commander Sun Feichen and is considered one of his men. What you've done… you've just ruined your future!"

Zhao Dong's brow furrowed slightly. The last time he almost got into trouble at the Binding Dragon Office was because of that son of a bitch, Sun Feichen. If Ye Qingxuan hadn't shown up, he would have been a cripple.

His eyes turned frosty as he said coldly, "So the Binding Dragon Office can just be unreasonable? He provoked me first and harassed my friend. The Binding Dragon Office should have gotten rid of scum like him themselves!"

Although the Binding Dragon Office was formidable, Zhao Dong was no coward. He would never bow his head to them.

Song Zixuan hadn't expected Zhao Dong to be so unyielding, and her lips trembled uncontrollably with anger. Looking at Kuang Tianhao, who had fainted on the ground, she was overcome with regret. If she had known this would be the outcome, she never would have gotten him involved. And now, his leg was crippled.

Finally, with a complicated expression, Song Zixuan said, "Zhao Dong… congratulations. You've blown this up to a point where it can no longer be resolved. Just you wait. The Binding Dragon Office will come for you."

"I'm ready whenever they are."

Song Zixuan bit her lip, her face turning deathly white. She took one last look at Zhao Dong, then at Kuang Tianhao on the ground, and was consumed by endless self-reproach.

Her eyes reddened, and tears began to fall. She hated this; she truly hated it.

Why did I get Kuang Tianhao involved in this?

Fighting back tears, Song Zixuan struggled to haul Kuang Tianhao onto her back and turned to leave.

Zhao Dong remained silent. Beside him, Gu Moning wore a worried expression and sighed heavily. "Zhao Dong, the Binding Dragon Office is an official organization of China. No force can oppose the government. You… you might really be in trouble this time."

Zhao Dong shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I was never on good terms with the Binding Dragon Office anyway. Besides, just because he's from the Binding Dragon Office, he gets to bully people whenever he wants? I won't accept that."

Gu Moning bit her lip and looked at Zhao Dong deeply. "To be honest… I really admire you. You're very brave."

"Are you praising me or being sarcastic?"

"I'm genuinely praising you. I thought you would just lie low tonight and let Kuang Tianhao walk all over you. I never expected you to actually stand up to him and make him pay the price. I really do admire you for that."

There was more Gu Moning didn't say. At that moment, her heart felt warm. No matter how things turned out tonight, Zhao Dong had stepped in partly because of her, because Kuang Tianhao had been harassing her. So, in a way, Zhao Dong had done it for her, and that touched her. At the very least, he hadn't backed down. Instead, he had called her his friend and was willing to stand up for her.

Zhao Dong didn't overthink it. He finished his cigarette and smiled. "Alright, what's done is done. Don't dwell on it. Let's go back."

"Mm."

The two of them got in the car and left without another moment's delay, heading toward the city center of East Sea.

「Two hours later.」

They arrived outside the Gu Family mansion. Since it was Gu Moning's car, Zhao Dong got out. Gu Moning got out as well and smiled at him. "Why are you getting out? Come on, come in for a bit."

Zhao Dong shook his head. "No thanks. It's getting late. You should go get some rest. It's too late for me to impose."

Gu Moning gave him a deep look, a peculiar light flickering in her eyes. She had spent the whole day with him—from him saving her in the morning, to visiting the ancestral home, and then the conflict in the evening. She had come to understand him from many different angles and had developed a sense of admiration for him.

Gu Moning smiled slightly. "It's fine if you come up for a little while. Are you sure you won't?"

Zhao Dong smiled back. "I'm sure. You should head up. I'll just grab a cab."

"Take my car. I have plenty of them."

Gu Moning offered the keys to Zhao Dong, but he shook his head and didn't accept them. "No need. You should get back early. Oh, right, your family promised I could pick an item at the auction. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Gu Moning smiled radiantly. "Of course not. The auction is tomorrow. I'll come pick you up, and we can go together."

Zhao Dong rubbed his nose. "Thanks, then."

"No need to thank me…" Gu Moning finished, then pursed her red lips and said wistfully, "Zhao Dong, are the items at the auction more attractive to you than I am?"

Zhao Dong was taken aback and gave a wry smile. "What a thing to say."

Gu Moning mused, "Am I not pretty?"

"You're very pretty, and you have a great figure."

"Then why do I feel like you're not very interested in me?"

"Why should I be interested in you?"

"Because every man I've ever met has tried every trick in the book to get my attention, but I haven't taken a liking to any of them. You, on the other hand, are different."

Zhao Dong laughed heartily. "We're all the same, really. But you're the young lady of the Gu Family, and I'm just an ordinary guy. Am I supposed to expect you to fall for me?"

Gu Moning's expression grew complex. After a long moment, she said quietly, "You're no ordinary person… Besides, even if you were, so what? I don't care what other people think."

"Miss Gu, it's getting late. You should head back."

Zhao Dong tactfully ended the conversation. He smiled at Gu Moning, said goodbye, and turned to walk into the night.

Gu Moning watched his retreating figure, dazed for a moment as a complex emotion began to surface in her eyes.

Zhao Dong… you really are a strange man!

「Meanwhile.」

Zhao Dong returned to his new, spacious apartment. It was late, so he opened the door very quietly. The light in his parents' room was still on, and he could faintly hear their voices.

A feeling of warmth bloomed in his chest. He tiptoed over, wanting to check on the old couple.

When he reached the door, he was just about to push it open when he heard Zhang Cuimei's voice, laced with a sigh. "Honey, we can't tell Dong that we're not his biological parents just yet. It would be a huge blow to him. We have to wait for the right time."

Zhao Dong's body froze. He stood motionlessly in the doorway, completely and utterly thunderstruck.