Chapter Eighty-Six: A Guilty Conscience

Chen Ning was hurled through the air in an instant, and the state he ended up in was even worse than that bodyguard’s had been.

His body was now so hollowed out by drink and indulgence that he was scarcely even as strong as an ordinary man.

He shot off like a wad of cotton, flying a great distance.

Only after sliding nearly five meters did Chen Ning finally hit the ground, slamming hard into a trash can.

The stench of refuse washed over him head and face, dousing him from head to toe. Inside the bin, a strange green liquid smeared across the sleeves that had once been so neat.

Xiao Ye had truly been ruthless this time, not holding back the least bit of strength.

Even the Crimson Dragon would have found that blow difficult to withstand, let alone someone as empty-headed as Chen Ning.

His whole face was buried in the trash can, and he fainted on the spot.

Seeing that Chen Ning had passed out, Xiao Ye returned to the two women’s side.

Although Shu Ran had indeed witnessed his skill before, seeing it again still left her eyes full of astonishment.

Before she could react, Xiao Ye spoke again.

“What exactly did that brat mean by withdrawing his investment just now?”

“Chen Ning wanted me to get engaged, so he joined forces with the family behind him and invested a great deal of money in the Liang family, all in order to bind the Liu family to himself.”

“That’s why my family was so desperate, and why things turned out this way. The Chen family will definitely find a chance to take revenge on the Shu family!”

As soon as she said this, Shu Ran’s brows locked tightly, her expression heavy with worry.

Seeing her like this, Qin Xue’er also grew concerned.

She turned to look at Xiao Ye, and he immediately understood, nodding at once.

“Don’t worry about this. I have some connections in the Jiangnan district, so it should be easy enough to deal with.”

Xiao Ye did not reveal his true identity. The rank of a king by another surname was simply too high; saying it out loud would do him no good.

Still, Shu Ran did not believe him.

“I know you mean well, but this really is too thorny. I can’t let you take such a risk. Go back for now. I can handle the rest.”

After saying that, Shu Ran urged the two of them to leave.

Seeing no other option, Qin Xue’er could only leave with Xiao Ye first.

Inside the car, Xiao Ye said, “Don’t worry about this. I’ll take you back to the company first, and leave the rest to me.”

Qin Xue’er nodded. Having Xiao Ye by her side did, in fact, make her feel far more at ease.

After dropping her at the company, Xiao Ye drove off toward the hospital.

...

Qin Xue’er entered the company and, just as she opened the office door, discovered that Madam Li was sitting inside.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“What, I can’t come see my own daughter?”

Madam Li pretended to be angry as she replied to Qin Xue’er.

“How could I dare? Sit down first. I’ll have someone make you some tea.”

“No need. Mom came today for one thing only. Xiao Ye has a problem with his character. We should leave him as soon as possible.”

Qin Xue’er was in the middle of changing clothes. The moment she heard Madam Li’s words, she frowned at once.

“Where did you hear that from again?”

“That’s none of your concern. Let me ask you this: what kind of decent person comes home so late every day? If he really has work to do, I wouldn’t object, but...”

“I’m afraid that so-called title of king by another surname is just a lie made to fool ignorant people like us.”

After the conversation from the previous night, Madam Li had been completely brainwashed by Ye Gang.

Even though she had once seen Xiao Ye’s strength with her own eyes, she no longer dared to believe it.

“I’m not capable of much, so this is all I can do. You’ll have to decide the rest for yourself.”

With a sigh, Madam Li spoke meaningfully.

Then she got to her feet and left the office, leaving Qin Xue’er completely bewildered.

Unable to make sense of it, she furrowed her brow, sat down at her desk, and prepared to handle the documents.

At that moment, her phone suddenly rang.

“Hello?”

It was an unfamiliar number, and Qin Xue’er answered cautiously.

“Miss Qin, it’s me.”

The voice on the other end sounded familiar to Qin Xue’er. It was Ye Gang, whom she had met only once.

“You are...”

Qin Xue’er was puzzled. Though the voice seemed familiar, she still could not place it.

“You don’t need to worry about who I am. I heard you’ve run into some trouble lately. Let’s meet in person, and I’ll explain everything in detail.”

Ye Gang smiled as he spoke.

“Sorry, you’ve got the wrong number.”

Qin Xue’er was just about to hang up when Ye Gang spoke again.

“If you don’t want to talk to me, then forget it. But I did hear that Xiao Ye owes five billion outside. That’s no small amount.”

Feigning that he was about to end the call, he heard Qin Xue’er’s voice come through again.

“Wait!”

“How do you know about that?”

“That kind of thing is easy enough to find out with a quick check. It’s not difficult for me at all.”

“Anyway, Miss Qin, I truly want to help you. Five billion is not a trivial sum, but for your sake, I’m willing to pay the price. The only condition is that you have to have a drink with me.”

Qin Xue’er fell silent. She did not know what he was up to, but she could guess that nothing good would come of it.

What Madam Li had said earlier came back to her again.

She did not know whether any of it was true.

But where there was smoke, there was often fire. If it really was true, then the company would not be able to produce that much money on such short notice.

She had only just begun to live a stable life, and Qin Xue’er did not want to lose it so soon.

“You won’t even agree to this tiny request of mine, Miss Qin? Then forget it, I suppose.”

“I’ll go. Send me the address.”

Qin Xue’er steeled herself. Just as Ye Gang was about to hang up, she decided to meet him once.

Ye Gang ended the call. If not for the injuries on his body, he would have leaped straight out of bed then and there.

Qin Xue’er had finally agreed to meet him, and he had never dreamed it would be this easy.

He limped down from the bed, and at that moment he was like a wild horse set loose, completely beyond restraint.

“Today, I must make Xiao Ye lose both his woman and his money!”

With a roar, Ye Gang staggered into the bathroom.

...

Qin Xue’er was somewhat doubtful, so she tidied herself up a little and headed out.

She did not discuss it with Xiao Ye. Better to make sure of things first before saying anything.

When she arrived at the agreed-upon bar and got out of the car, the unease in her heart grew even stronger.

She hardly drank at all under normal circumstances, much less went to a place like this.

“I’m looking for Ye Gang.”

Frowning, Qin Xue’er asked the bartender inside the bar.

“Young Master Ye told us to bring you in first. I’ll arrange a place for you.”

Seeing the mask on Qin Xue’er’s face, the bartender froze for a moment before speaking.

Only after a long pause did he recover his wits, then turned and led her into a private room.

Watching the woman go in, the bartender spat on the ground.

“City people really do love putting on airs. It’s not the feudal era anymore, so why come out wearing a mask?”

With that, he muttered curses under his breath and walked off.

The air in the private room was hot and stifling. The longer Qin Xue’er stayed, the hotter she felt. Just as she was taking off her coat, footsteps tapping against the floor with a cane came from outside.

Then the door to the private room was pushed open.

“Miss Qin, you came so early. Have I kept you waiting?”

Ye Gang walked in with a smile, the light in his eyes flickering as he looked at the woman before him.

“It’s you!”

Qin Xue’er cried out in shock. Only then did she recognize him as the man who had caused trouble for her at the class reunion that day.

“No need to be surprised. Waiter, bring some drinks first!”

Ye Gang snapped his fingers and called out toward the door.

Soon, the bartenders came in carrying wine. The huge table had no empty space left at all, being covered completely with bottles.

“I can’t drink that much. Talking business is the most important thing, so let’s get to the point first.”

Looking at so much alcohol before her, Qin Xue’er felt a little regretful.

“No rush. Knowing you were coming today, I’ve brought out every fine bottle in the shop, all just to make amends.”

Ye Gang drove all the bartenders out, set aside his cane, opened a bottle of wine, and poured her a glass.

“The other day I drank a bit too much and truly behaved badly. I disturbed Miss Qin’s pleasure, so today I’ll punish myself with a drink. Help yourself.”

Ye Gang lifted the glass to his nose, inhaled deeply, and drank it all in one gulp.

“Excellent wine!”

Qin Xue’er said nothing. She looked at him in surprise, then brought the glass to her nose as well.

The wine did not seem to have any unusual smell, but after she took just one sip, she spat it all back out.

Seeing Qin Xue’er’s miserable state, Ye Gang smiled and said, “Easy now. If you’re not used to this, let’s switch to red wine instead.”

As he spoke, he opened a bottle of red wine and changed her glass.

This time Qin Xue’er showed no strange reaction. Just as Ye Gang had said, the red wine was indeed well-aged, with an aroma that was out of the ordinary.

“How did you find out about the five billion?”

Qin Xue’er remained suspicious and continued to question him.

“I have a friend who works in a place that can’t be named. In casual conversation, he mentioned it to me.”

Ye Gang had long since prepared his excuse, and he answered with a smile.

The two of them chatted a little. In about five minutes, the bottle of red wine was empty.

For some reason, Qin Xue’er felt a little dizzy.

She did not usually drink much, but surely she could not get drunk from just two glasses of red wine?

More than that, her vision had begun to blur, and a faint ringing had started in her ears.

“Miss Qin? Miss Qin?”

Ye Gang set down his glass. Seeing that Qin Xue’er could barely keep her eyes open, he quickly called out to her twice.

Noticing that her reactions had grown much slower, a lewd smile spread across Ye Gang’s face.

There was no need to think twice. The wine she had just drunk had definitely been tampered with.

Ye Gang had already put a hallucinogen into it. Once she drank a glass, all he had to do was wait for Qin Xue’er to collapse.

While Qin Xue’er had been smelling the wine, he had secretly switched out the drink in front of himself.

By now, Qin Xue’er had completely lost consciousness and was lying on the sofa.

Ignoring the injuries on his body entirely, Ye Gang rushed to her side at once.

As he inhaled the fragrance from the beauty before him, he grew so stimulated that his hands would not stop trembling.

Unable to restrain himself, he stroked Qin Xue’er’s thigh, and that real, living warmth nearly made Ye Gang faint on the spot.

“I can’t hold back anymore!”

Ye Gang tore off his suit jacket. And he was not the only one; in a situation like this, how many men could possibly remain restrained?

Qin Xue’er on the sofa was simply too alluring. Ye Gang leaned in slowly, savoring the strange fragrance and body heat that surrounded her.

But then, all at once, a loud crash came from the corridor.