Chapter 71: Big Dog’s Vengeful Debt Collection

Someone was just about to pick the lock when the door swung open from the inside.

Lu Zhixia burst out with red-rimmed eyes and stormed off.

Ye Lanxi chased after her, glancing back at Shen Wanqing with a cold, impassive expression.

The bodyguards had noticed the red marks on Shen Wanqing’s neck—clear signs of fingerprints, like she’d been grabbed.

“President Shen, your safety always comes first,” one of the bodyguards said, bowing his head. “Next time anyone lays a hand on you, we won’t hold back.”

Shen Wanqing didn’t respond. She walked past them and left.

Word had it Gu Yanming was being treated here too, so Shen Wanqing headed straight for his room.

Gu Yanming had the hospital’s top-tier cadre suite, complete with the best facilities and dedicated staff.

He wasn’t surprised to see her.

His own injuries were serious, and he harbored a deep grudge against Lu Zhixia.

At the sight of Shen Wanqing, though, he put on a mournful look and urged her to keep her distance from Lu Zhixia.

According to him, Lu Zhixia was a hot-headed agitator who lashed out at the slightest provocation.

Shen Wanqing simply watched him coolly, silent the whole time.

Finally, Gu Yanming’s lips twitched. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Do you think covering the security camera means no one would find out what happened that night?” Earlier, in the restroom, Shen Wanqing had pieced together the events of the previous evening with Lu Zhixia.

Lu Zhixia had reacted fiercely. She admitted to throwing punches but insisted Gu Yanming had started it.

Gu Yanming could only laugh. “You actually believe her bullshit?”

“Believe her or you?” Shen Wanqing sounded almost sympathetic, but her tone sharpened with warning. “No one knows the truth better than you do. Don’t even dream of her apologizing to you.”

Gu Yanming let out a derisive snort, shaking his head in exasperation. “Never thought she’d pull the wool over your eyes too. What’s so special about her? No pedigree, no family connections—just a pretty face. Is that it?”

Shen Wanqing stepped closer, locking eyes with him. A glint of steel lurked in her gaze. “Gu Yanming,” she said evenly, “don’t provoke her again. Or you’ll regret it.”

Shen Wanqing was giving him more than enough face. She’d cover his medical bills, but on one condition: the incident stayed buried. Otherwise, it wouldn’t end with her simply refusing to pay.

Right now, she had no bandwidth for distractions—and certainly no interest in any bad press about Lu Zhixia spreading.

Gu Yanming put up a tough front, but he knew he was in the wrong. He didn’t push back.

Yan Menghui was at a loss for words about it. “You’ve come this far, and you fold over a little money?” The disdain dripped from her voice. Over the phone, Gu Yanming shot back, “Yan Menghui, Shen Wanqing is my best shot at a marriage alliance. I don’t want to burn that bridge for real. You’re her friend, after all—if you hurt her, you’ll end up enemies too. Surely that’s not what you want.”

Yan Menghui let out a cold laugh. “Save the scare tactics. Just know this: Lu Zhixia is the biggest threat hanging around Wanqing. I’m digging into her already, and her background’s got serious red flags.”

Yan Menghui wanted Gu Yanming to turn up the heat, force an apology out of Lu Zhixia.

If she wouldn’t bend, leak the bar brawl. But Gu Yanming wasn’t ready to go nuclear yet. He kept pressing: “I’m actually kinda curious—why do you hate her so much? I’m doing it ’cause she’s in the way of me and Shen Wanqing. What’s your beef?”

No answer. Yan Menghui hung up. Useless as expected.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhixia stormed out of the hospital, with Ye Lanxi hot on her heels. She wasn’t headed home, nor to Ye Lanxi’s place.

In the end, Ye Lanxi dragged her to grab breakfast. No amount of coaxing drew out a word.

Lu Zhixia turned into a chatterbox when she was happy, but when she was pissed, she clammed up tight. Ye Lanxi was at her wits’ end. “Fine, if you won’t talk, then listen,” she said. “Think this through.”

Ye Lanxi walked her through the night before: Shen Wanqing had come to pick her up, and she’d unloaded on her hard.

Shen Wanqing had teared up over it—clearly desperate to get the full story. Her concern for Lu Zhixia shone through.

Of course, Ye Lanxi could tell Lu Zhixia felt the same about Shen Wanqing.

She’d jumped in to defend her the second someone cut her off.

“Keep your mouth shut if you want,” Ye Lanxi said, “but feelings aren’t something you bulldoze through with rash moves.” Deep down, she didn’t support the two of them—not because they didn’t match, but because Shen Wanqing’s world was a minefield. “Truth be told, I figured you two were just fooling around at first.”

They were sitting on the roadside, digging into steamed buns, when a few guys walked by and spotted Lu Zhixia.

“Big Boss, out here bright and early?” Xiao Liuzi had been one of her core crew back in the early debt-collecting days. He’d worked his way up to a minor leadership gig by now.

Ye Lanxi knew Lu Zhixia had a crew like that shadowing her all the time, but she’d never really crossed paths with them.

Lu Zhixia tilted her head to glance at them. Xiao Liuzi spotted the stitches on her forehead and burst out in surprise and anger. “Which bastard did this?”

Lu Zhixia dragged over a chair and straightened up, peering past him. The others all bowed their heads in unison and chorused, “Big Boss.”

Ye Lanxi smacked her lips. This bunch really looked the part of hardened street bosses.

“Come on over and eat. It’s on me,” Lu Zhixia called out. Xiao Liuzi plopped down at their table, gave Ye Lanxi a nod, and grinned. “I’ve heard about you. Big Boss has mentioned you before.”

Xiao Liuzi had spent last night helping an auntie collect a debt for free, but the guy never showed. “The auntie works at a bathhouse. The boss stiffed her on pay, acted like a total asshole, and kicked her out.”

The group had gone hungry all night and now tore into their food like wolves. Ye Lanxi finished her meal and fetched over several steaming baskets of dumplings, drawing a wave of grateful thanks.

“The boss wasn’t around last night. The staff said he’d show up early. We’ll head over after we eat,” Xiao Liuzi said between slurps of soup. He asked about her injury again, seething. “Which turtle bastard was it? I’ll beat his ass.”

“It’s nothing.” Lu Zhixia noticed Ye Lanxi was done and told her to head out first.

“What are you up to?” Ye Lanxi caught the lingering fury in her expression and took a guess. “I love lending a hand. Wherever you’re going today, I’m coming along.” She was afraid Lu Zhixia might stir up trouble.

“Aren’t you working?” Lu Zhixia asked, then remembered it was the weekend.

After the meal, Ye Lanxi insisted on tagging along, so Lu Zhixia told her to hang back and watch the show from a distance.

The boss still hadn’t arrived that early in the morning. Lu Zhixia stood off in a corner and had just pulled out a cigarette when Xiao Liuzi hurried over to light it for her.

Ye Lanxi finally understood where that occasional roguish edge in Lu Zhixia came from.

In the crowd, her tall figure stood out—brows sharp as blades, obsidian eyes frosted with cold. When she wasn’t smiling, she had this fierce, intimidating air.

Xiao Liuzi’s crew were genuine street toughs, all sleaze and swagger, but Lu Zhixia carried her own brand of thuggishness laced with an innate arrogance.

She was the most striking of them all, always the one who drew the eye amid the group.

It had been especially obvious back in school, when all those little omegas swarmed around her, drawn like moths to a flame.

Ye Lanxi had often felt a twinge of envy. What exactly did she lack?

Now, watching Lu Zhixia’s easygoing temper edged with ruthless steel, it hit her—this was precisely the spoiled, arrogant vibe that drove girls wild.

Ye Lanxi was midway through her own cigarette when she heard a car pull up. “Hey!”

Lu Zhixia flicked a glance that way. Her eyes darkened as she pinched the cigarette between her fingers and asked Xiao Liuzi, “How much?”

“Twelve thousand.”

“That’s it?”

“Tell me about it. Won’t even cough up pocket change like that. Word is he has relatives in the city, so he thinks he’s untouchable.”

A shiny new Mercedes-Benz pulled up, and out stepped a potbellied man in a pink T-shirt. His gut protruded proudly, wrapped in sweatpants that hugged his round frame.

He swaggered in, head bobbing, idly twirling a keychain around his finger as he entered the shop.

“That’s him,” Xiao Liuzi said. Lu Zhixia stubbed out her cigarette in a nearby trash can and strode in first.

The boss greeted her with a broad smile, assuming she was an early customer.

Lu Zhixia eyed an old man who had just taken a seat. She gave a slight lift of her chin, and Xiao Liuzi approached him politely. “Sir, we’ve got some business here. Mind coming back later? We’ll reopen soon.”

The old man sensed the tension and quickly got up and left.

Xiao Liuzi locked the door behind him. Lu Zhixia sauntered up to the counter, where the cashier stared at her in panic.

“Boss, time to settle up Sister Wang’s back wages,” Lu Zhixia said, still relatively civil. The boss, his face a slab of meaty jowls, scowled. “Who the hell are you people? Get out, or I’m calling the cops.”

“This glitzy bathhouse of yours, and you wanna call the police?” Lu Zhixia glanced upstairs, then snatched up a nearby mop handle. With a swift kick, she snapped it in two, now wielding a sturdy stick. “You’ve been dodging Sister Wang’s pay for a whole year. That’s not flying, is it?”

The boss caught on that things were turning sour and stammered, “I-I’m just a bit short on cash right now, you know?”

Lu Zhixia let out an “oh,” all understanding. “Ah, no money? Well, can’t pay what you don’t have, then.”

“Exactly.” The boss forced a smile. “I’ll sort it out soon, okay?”

Lu Zhixia abruptly raised the stick, making the boss flinch. She merely pointed it toward the outside. “That Mercedes of yours looks pretty new.”

“…”

“Here’s a thought,” Lu Zhixia said in a disarmingly good-natured tone, like they were negotiating. “How about this? I’ll trash your shop and your car, and cover that twelve thousand in wages for you.”

She flashed a roguish grin. “Sound good?”

The boss’s smile vanished. He was furious but didn’t dare lash out. Instead, he said in exasperation, “This is a society governed by law.”

“You still know that?” Lu Zhixia’s face turned icy in an instant. She grabbed the boss by his T-shirt and demanded, “If you know that, why are you still withholding wages? Are you going to pay up or not?”

The boss hesitated for a split second, and Lu Zhixia raised her stick as if to smash the fish tank. He quickly stammered, “I’ll pay! I’ll pay right now!”

He didn’t have much cash on him, so in the end, he sent a red packet via Xiao Liuzi’s phone.

Lu Zhixia scanned the room, then headed upstairs for a quick look around.

She caught sight of an open door. A naked man was standing right there in the doorway, and she gave him a once-over.

The man retreated in a hurry and slammed the door shut. The neighboring room’s door was closed, but the unmistakable sounds of passion leaked through anyway.

The boss trailed behind her, his face as black as thunder.

“You know exactly what needs to be done,” Lu Zhixia said. She tossed the stick aside and threw him fifty yuan. “For your mop.” Then she turned on her heel and left.

Xiao Liuzi went off to collect the money while Ye Lanxi dragged Lu Zhixia to a nearby café and made her sit down.

Ye Lanxi tried to talk sense into her. “You shouldn’t be hanging around with people like that. I’m not looking down on anyone—it’s just that you’re not from the same world.”

In the past, Lu Zhixia could do whatever she wanted without a second thought. But things were different now. She was tied to the Shen Family through this engagement, and plenty of eyes were on her.

Lu Zhixia grew irritated just listening, her brows knitting together. Ye Lanxi nudged her shoe under the table. “Give me a straight answer: do you like Shen Wanqing or not?”

Lu Zhixia kicked back at her in annoyance. “What kind of stupid question is that? If I didn’t like her, why would I put up with all this bullshit?”

Ye Lanxi burst out laughing. The same woman who’d once proclaimed that the wise never fell in love had gone and tumbled right in. “If you like her, then act like it. Why treat her like the enemy?”

“She’s going to get engaged!” Lu Zhixia’s brows twisted into a tight knot. “My feelings mean jack shit!”

“Hey, Shen Wanqing has her own troubles. With a family background like hers, do you think it’s that easy for her to break free?” Ye Lanxi advised her. If she really liked her that much, she should cherish the present and not live with regrets later.

“She can marry anyone but that little punk Gu Yanming.” Lu Zhixia hated him so much her teeth itched. “The Shen Family must be blind to pick him as a marriage candidate.”

“The real issue isn’t who the Shen Family chooses,” Ye Lanxi said matter-of-factly. “It’s that Gu Yanming is the only candidate Shen Wanqing has actually met.”

Lu Zhixia wasn’t surprised—Ye Lanxi had a knack for this stuff. She often attended those high-society soirées where the elite swapped intel on everyone who mattered. Big names from all corners of the world were regular fodder for their gossip.

“You saying Shen Wanqing likes him?” Lu Zhixia shook her head. “No way. Their first meeting? I was there with her. She couldn’t stand the guy.”

“You’re so naive,” Ye Lanxi sighed. “In elite marriages like that, who marries for love?”

As she put it, people tied the knot and then did their own thing afterward. It was practically the norm in those circles. Ye Lanxi probed gently, “You think Shen Wanqing has that in mind?”

“In her dreams!” Lu Zhixia shot her a fierce glare. “Do I look like the type to be someone’s mistress?”

Ye Lanxi, never one to mince words, pressed on. “The way you’re head over heels…”

Lu Zhixia fixed her with a murderous stare, and Ye Lanxi threw up her hands in surrender. “Fine, just think it over. Either cherish what you have now, or cut ties completely.”

Better a short pain than a long one, she said—Lu Zhixia should give up sooner rather than later.

Lu Zhixia fell silent, her brows still furrowed. Ye Lanxi asked, “So what happened in the bathroom with Shen Wanqing this morning?”

“I asked her point-blank who she wanted,” Lu Zhixia said, her gaze dark as she stared into nothing. “The engagement… or me.”

“What’d she say?”

“That it felt like I was trying to force her into marriage.”

“And then?”

“She said no one could force her.”

“…”

“Then I bit her.”

“Boss, how many bites was that? Her face is covered in your teeth marks.” Ye Lanxi sounded exasperated. “Can’t you find a less intense way to show you like someone? What if it scars?”

“I didn’t bite that hard.” Lu Zhixia sounded annoyed and guilty, but she just couldn’t help herself. “I even asked if she wanted me to treat the wound. She said no, shoved me, punched me, and told me to get lost.”

“You’re such a straightforward Alpha. If she says no, then leave it alone!” Ye Lanxi shoved her. “Your IQ is through the roof, but it’s crowding out your EQ. Don’t you know omegas say the opposite of what they mean?”

“Why are you pushing me?”

“Go buy some medicine! And band-aids!” Ye Lanxi didn’t just push—she kicked her too. “You threw your tantrum, now own up to it! Go!”

Lu Zhixia got shoved right into a pharmacy, but they were out of band-aids. She lingered in the doorway. “Maybe we skip it.”

“Skip nothing!” Ye Lanxi kept shoving. “Hurry up!”

In the end, they found some in a stationery shop.

Ye Lanxi blocked the door. “You get them? Let me see.”

“I’ve already said I bought them,” Lu Zhixia insisted, shoving Ye Lanxi aside. The two locked eyes in a tense standoff. Then Lu Zhixia yanked out the receipt and thrust it right into her hands. Ye Lanxi glanced at it. There, in black and white: Band-Aids 【Cute Puppy Edition】.

Ye Lanxi burst out laughing with a sharp “pfft.” By then, Lu Zhixia had already pocketed the Band-Aids and stormed off.

She headed to Cloud Water Villa first. The house was empty. Spotting Shen Wanqing’s LT Software online, she logged into the internal system and confirmed she was at the company.

Lu Zhixia hailed a cab to the office. It was the weekend, so the place was nearly deserted. Shen Wanqing had always pushed for no overtime, leaving only a few tech and customer service staff scattered across their floors.

She rode the elevator straight up to the 22nd floor. Strangely, though, the office was completely empty.

Pondering this as she walked, Lu Zhixia approached the bedroom attached to Shen Wanqing’s office. Inside stood a luxurious wooden wardrobe, beautifully crafted.

She eased the doors open. Sure enough, Shen Wanqing was curled up inside, fast asleep—tear tracks still staining her cheeks.