Chapter 34: The Turning Point of Life and Death

  "Then what can I do? My topic has already been approved, and it's going to be broadcast next week. You can't expect me to give up my rice bowl, can you?"

  Chu Tian Shu thought for a moment and said: "I can arrange for Wei Shi Jie to accept your interview, his blind date story is very wonderful, it will definitely increase the program's ratings."

  Xiang Wanqing looked at Chu Tian Shu distrustfully: "What if he's like you and doesn't want to go on our show either?"

  Chu Tian Shu continued to flatter Xiang Wan Qing: "I think, you're so excellent, you must have a way to persuade him."

  "Good grief, you're impossible," sat down next to Wan Qing, pulled out a business card from her bag and handed it to Chu Tian Shu, saying: "You and your classmate get in touch right away, and call me immediately."

  "No problem." Chu Tian Shu took over the business card and stared at Xiang Wan Qing's small bag, saying: "Then, can't the recording in the button be deleted?"

  "No way," he rejected Yu Wanqing outright: "If you don't bring your classmate over, or if you do and he refuses to go on the show, then I'll have nothing at all."

  Ah? Chu Tian Shu finally knew that female reporters were even more formidable than female police officers, and he was being taken advantage of by her, without even having the chance to bluff his way out.

  Chu Tian Shu can make the seemingly ferocious Du Yu Fei spin around in circles, but in front of the gentle and soft Xiang Wan Qing, he is completely at a loss, unable to do anything.

  "But......" Chu Tian Shu had no confidence at all in persuading Wei Shi Jie.

  "There's nothing to be done." Xiang Wanqing firmly grasped the initiative, smiling as she warned, "Mr. Chu, your wisest choice right now is to quickly let Wei Shijie obediently come and accept my interview, and willingly share his story with the public."

  "Can't we sit down and discuss it again?" Chu Tian Shu was still looking for an opportunity. "Not yet, the bill hasn't been paid."

  "There's nothing much to discuss," Xiang Wanqing said, although she was sitting still, her tone was very firm: "If you feel it's difficult to pay the bill, you can also consider ladies first."

  Chu Tian Shu was speechless, he straightened his waist and prepared to call for a servant, just then something unexpected happened.

  Before Chu Tian Shu could make a sound, the entrance of the hall suddenly burst into noise, like the explosion of a firework.

  In the café, the piano music stopped abruptly, followed by a few shrill cries. The young woman in front of us was suddenly frightened and spat out a mouthful of coffee, splashing saliva all over the bald man's head and face.

  A chaotic mixture of footsteps came, interspersed with a few shrill cries.

  Xiang Wanqing's line of sight was blocked by Chu Tian Shu, she got up from her seat, stretched her neck to look around, and was pulled down by Chu Tian Shu.

  The woman in front poked her head out, let out a "gosh" and covered her chest, shrinking into the corner of the car seat with a pale face, shivering.

  The bald man didn't care about the coffee all over his head and face, he curled up into a ball, staring tensely at the entrance of the cafe.

  Xiang Wanqing pushed Chu Tian Shu away and said irritably: "Get out of the way, I'm a reporter, I have work to do."

  But two loud explosions completely drowned out her voice.

  Those were two gunshots.

  "With the sound of gunfire, a rough male voice echoed throughout the coffee shop: 'Everyone get up, get up, move over there! Damn it, hurry up and close the door! Tell the police outside that if they rush in, we'll open fire!'"

  "Robbers!" The journalist's sensitivity made Xiang Wanqing restless again, and she stood up once more.

  "Bang." A bullet whizzed by.

  "You're going to get yourself killed!" Chu Tian Shu jumped up recklessly, embracing Xiang Wan Qing tightly in his arms, with his back facing the direction of the gunfire.

  The bullet flew past the top of the two men's heads.

  Toward evening, Qing stuck to Tian Shu's chest, a man's breath rushed towards her face, she felt bewildered and her eyes moistened, her heart trembling with fear.

  Imagine if there was a man who would risk his life for himself, even if the woman had a heart of stone, she would still be moved.

  "Take out the button camera." Chu Tian Shu said in a noisy environment, sticking close to Xiang Wan Qing's ear.

  Wang Wanqing was obedient and took out a button camera from her bag and handed it to Chu Tian Shu.

  Chu Tian Shu opened the camera switch and stuck it on the seat, slowly stretching it up until the lens just peeked out above the back of the chair.

  Chu Tian Shu's right hand made this gesture, while his left hand still tightly wrapped around Xiang Wan Qing, completely covering her body with his own.

  Xiang Wanqing was held tightly by Chu Tian Shu, as if she was about to suffocate.

  Before long, a group of men and women who were originally well-dressed were hastily herded into the corner where Chu Tian Shu and others were, the young woman who had been sitting in the front row earlier was now holding her head in her hands, with tears in her eyes, looking at Xiang Wan Qing with an envious gaze.

  At this time, which woman doesn't wish for a man with strong arms to shield her from danger?

  In a moment, the young woman and the bald man crouched down with their heads in their hands amidst the robbers' shouting.

  Then, Chu Tian Shu and Xiang Wan Qing, among other guests, were led by the muzzle of a Type 54 pistol to leave their seats, squat down in the corner next to the piano with their heads bowed, and became the hijackers' controlled objects.

  However, Chu Tian Shu continued to secretly hold the button with his right hand and wrapped his left arm around Xiang Wan Qing, shielding her with his body.

  Xiang Wanqing finally saw clearly that on the other side of the piano, two thugs were holding a little boy hostage.

  The man in the lead, about forty years old, was waving a handgun over the heads of the crouching guests and waiters, although he had no way to retreat and was extremely nervous, but his movements were swift, and on his face, apart from tension, there was even more ferocity, it was clear at a glance that he was an old hand.

  Another, barely out of his teens, held a sharp dagger with the tip pressed against the little boy's throat. His eyes were bloodshot, sweat dripping from his brow, and the ferocity on his face was not seasoned, but rather a sudden burst of brutality in a desperate struggle for survival. From the side, his hand holding the knife was still slightly trembling.

  The kidnapped children, only five or six years old, looked exhausted and pale, seemingly having been in their hands for some time, so scared that they didn't even cry out loud, but only sobbed quietly.

  Outside, a woman's wailing voice grew clearer: "Rui Rui! Rui Rui!"

  "Don't hurt my son! What do you need, I'll agree to anything." It was a fashionably dressed young woman who also tried to rush into the coffee shop and was tightly held back by police.

  "Police, police, please, you have to save my child!"

  The police were trying their best to comfort the young woman and stabilize her emotions.

  The young woman was still shouting: "Rui Rui, don't be afraid, the police uncle will come to save you, don't be scared!"

  The police forcibly took her away from the scene.

  Then there were ten seconds of silence, during which Chu Tian Shu and Xiang Wan Qing could both hear the sound of each other's heartbeat.

  The young woman squatting beside him looked up and said with a trembling expression, "Two brothers, spare us..."

  "Shut up, you annoying neighbor!" Before the words were even out, the middle-aged robber's 54 handgun instantly turned around, a gunshot rang out, and the young woman fell to the ground with a thud, fresh blood flowing from her leg.

  Chu Tian Shu handed the button camera to Xiang Wan Qing and supported her, busily trying to help her stop the bleeding.

  The bald man hesitated for a moment, then hugged his head and hid in the crowd.

  The lady was injured on her thigh, and the bullet just grazed the skin of her leg.

  Xiang Wan Qing took off a belt from her waist and threw it over.

  The Type 54 pistol was pointed over again.

  Wang Wanqing grabbed Chu Tian Shu's arm and shook her head desperately, moving the button camera under her skirt.

  Chu Tian Shu had his back against the muzzle of the gun, half-kneeling on the ground, using Xiao Wan Qing's waistband to tightly bind the wound on the injured person's thigh.

  The young lady bit her teeth and cast a grateful glance at Chu Tian Shu and Xiang Wan Qing.

  At this time, outside the glass door of the cafe, riot police with guns and ammunition began to enter in an orderly manner. Each tall floor-to-ceiling window was a forest of gun barrels and shiny bulletproof helmets.

  A group of middle-aged bandits, crouching down, rushed to the front of the piano and directed a young bandit holding a little boy to hide behind the piano.

  It seems that the middle-aged bandit was very experienced, and he chose this location with his back against the stairs and facing the door, so the sniper had no chance to shoot from the side or behind.

  Chu Tian Shu and Xiang Wan Qing exchanged a glance, their bodies tense as they observed the movements of the two robbers through the gap in the piano.

  Without a doubt, at this moment, the muzzles of several police snipers' micro-submachine guns are pointing at the hijacker from all possible angles, with their crosshairs fixed on the hijacker's forehead and constantly adjusting to follow the hijacker's footsteps.

  Chu Tian Shu could clearly see the young bandit's two legs trembling with fear, and could even hear the sound of his teeth chattering up and down.

  Outside the glass door, police were negotiating with the robbers using a handheld loudspeaker.

  Chu Tian Shu listened carefully and found it was actually Du Yu Fei's voice: "Don't harm the people in the coffee shop, what conditions do you want?"

  The middle-aged hijacker appeared more seasoned, waving the gun in his hand and shouting loudly: "Within ten minutes, we want a off-road vehicle filled with gas, remove the license plate, and drive to the entrance of the coffee shop. Also, all police officers retreat fifty meters away."

  Du Yufei was very calm: "Okay, we'll get ready right away. However, ten minutes might be a bit difficult. Can we have thirty minutes instead?"

  The middle-aged hijacker shouted: "You only have ten minutes, if you can't do it, for every minute you exceed, I will kill one person, and finally we will kill this kid. I'm telling you, there are more than twenty people in the coffee shop now, enough for us to kill for a while."

  Chu Tian Shu was secretly shocked, this guy actually still had the mind to count the number of people they controlled. If the police couldn't meet the hijacker's demands within ten minutes, the first to be harmed would be the male and female customers in the coffee shop.

  The middle-aged bandit who was in charge waved the muzzle of his Type 54 pistol back and forth over the men's heads, apparently the little boy was their trump card.

  Du Yufei, who was in charge of the negotiations, had the police outside retreat and walked alone to the glass door, first spreading her limbs to show that she was unarmed, then holding up a loudspeaker to continue negotiating with the hijackers.

  But these two fugitives did not listen to a single word.