Seeing she still wasn’t leaving, Bai Jinghong stood up in exasperation and began unbuckling his belt.
“Well, if you’re not leaving, you can play a little tune on this instrument before you go!”
Fan Ning’er jumped in fright, and finally ran out of Bai Jinghong’s office in tears.
Zhang Xiaoya, on the other hand, stared at the spot where Bai Jinghong was undoing his belt and couldn’t help but swallow. If not for the other person present, she would’ve loved to perform a concerto today! But since Fan Ning’er had fled, she had no choice but to chase after her.
After they left, Bai Jinghong let out a cold snort and returned to his office chair.
Shen Yaoyao had witnessed the entire scene. She didn’t want to comment on it, but she did have a question. It seemed the Hades had also liked that Fan Ning’er, and the whole reason for targeting Bai Jinghong was apparently because of her. Yet here she was, crying and begging Bai Jinghong for help. Should I tell the Hades about this? After thinking it over, Shen Yaoyao decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything.
On the other side, after crying her way out of the company, Fan Ning’er returned to her car. It took her a while to calm down enough to call Fan Xiangming and recount everything that had happened at the Bai Corporation. As expected, her father immediately started cursing.
“Unfilial daughter! You unfilial daughter! Are you trying to anger me to death before you’re happy?”
“How did Young Master Bai treat you back then? Did being put on a pedestal go to your head? Did you really think he was an idiot?”
“We had a chance to bring the Fan family to its peak, and you single-handedly destroyed it!”
“How could you have the face to leave the wedding banquet with that soldier ruffian? Crying? Now you know how to cry? Where were you before?”
Over the phone, Fan Xiangming grew increasingly irritable. He had tasted nothing but bitterness lately. His hair was falling out in clumps. He thought back to how sweetly Bai Jinghong used to call him “Father-in-law.” And now? He’d be lucky if Bai Jinghong didn’t call him “Old Bitch.” It was all because of that damned soldier ruffian and his own stupid daughter. Even if Fan Ning’er didn’t like Bai Jinghong, she shouldn’t have humiliated him in public. Now, Fan Xiangming himself felt they deserved what was coming.
Being scolded so viciously, Fan Ning’er could only sob uncontrollably. Eventually, she just collapsed onto the steering wheel, crying.
Zhang Xiaoya was heartbroken and tried to console her nonstop.
“Xiaoya, what am I supposed to do?” Fan Ning’er choked out.
Zhang Xiaoya sighed. “The only thing now is to make Young Master Bai see your sincerity.”
“Haven’t I already shown him my sincerity?”
Zhang Xiaoya shook her head. “You still haven’t realized it? Young Master Bai tested you with that soldier ruffian two or three times, and you failed every time. And you dare claim sincerity?”
Fan Ning’er’s body trembled at the words.
It was true. She’d been caught out twice. Perhaps the first time she had harbored some other thoughts, but this time she had genuinely cut off all contact with Chen Lin—even deleted him from FlyChat.
As Fan Ning’er’s dog-headed strategist and an outsider, Zhang Xiaoya could see things a bit more clearly. She hesitated, then said, “To win Young Master Bai back now, you need to do something that makes him understand your stance. That soldier ruffian humiliated Young Master Bai, and Young Master Bai still thinks you’re hung up on him. Now we need to ‘solve the problem at its root’!”
Fan Ning’er finally managed to stop crying and looked at Zhang Xiaoya. “How?”
Zhang Xiaoya smiled slightly. “You should know the story of Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms, right? Guan Yu couldn’t stand seeing a local tyrant bully the villagers, so in a fit of rage, he killed the tyrant!”
“But we aren’t Guan Yu. We can’t beat the tyrant. So to solve the root problem, we need a different approach. Let’s say Guan Yu was weak, but still couldn’t stand the tyrant bullying the villagers. He couldn’t kill the tyrant, but he could kill the villagers! With the root of the problem removed—no more villagers to bully—the bullying ends!”
“We need to do the same here. Since we can’t go up against Young Master Bai, we find someone to deal with that soldier ruffian. Even just beating him up would show Young Master Bai where your loyalties lie!”
This dog-headed strategist truly lived up to her name. This utterly absurd logic actually made Fan Ning’er waver.
Her problem with Bai Jinghong was a lack of a clear stance. Just saying things meant nothing; he wouldn’t believe her. She had to do something! Fan Ning’er no longer had any feelings for Chen Lin, otherwise she wouldn’t have blocked him. So she immediately agreed to Zhang Xiaoya’s idea.
…
Not long after Fan Ning’er and the others left, Bai Jinghong received a call from Ah Kun.
“Young Master Bai, a woman met with Chen Lin at the hotel last night.”
“A woman?”
“Yeah, another pretty one. She was wearing a mask, but you could tell she was beautiful.”
“Any distinguishing features?” Bai Jinghong asked.
“I just sent you the screenshots…”
A moment later, the photos came through. Bai Jinghong enlarged one and examined it carefully. Suddenly, he laughed.
That lock of purple hair on the forehead—he didn’t even need to guess who it was.
Zi Yue. She was fast; she’d already reached Dragon Sea.
But her arrival was perfect timing. He’d take her in along with the rest.
“Ah Kun, have your men keep watching. Notify me immediately if anything changes. This incident should’ve been reported to me the moment you found out. You’ve already cost me some time.”
Ah Kun sounded flustered. “Young Master Bai, I didn’t want to disturb your rest, so…”
“No matter. Just pay attention next time.”
Bai Jinghong hung up. Even though he knew certain events were likely already set in motion, he remained unperturbed. To Bai Jinghong, everything was under his control.
Sure enough, less than half an hour later, his phone rang urgently. Bai Jinghong glanced at the screen: Officer Mu. He smiled faintly and answered.
“Hello, Officer Mu. Calling back so soon? Did you find something?”
She paused noticeably before speaking. “Young Master Bai, I’m terribly sorry. That man we had in custody… is dead.”
Bai Jinghong had expected this. Once Zi Yue acted, the man’s death was certain. Still, he feigned shock. “What? How could he suddenly die? What was the cause?”
“The autopsy is still underway…”
Mu Yanbing’s voice was deep and clearly embarrassed. She’d been so confident this morning, and now the man was just dead.
“Sigh, they’ve silenced him. Impossible to guard against,” Bai Jinghong lamented.
“Yes, that’s likely the case. But we’ve confirmed he’s a foreign national, so there will always be leads.”
They spoke briefly. Bai Jinghong said he would send his own people to investigate, then hung up.
Bai Jinghong hadn’t avoided Shen Yaoyao during the call, so she’d overheard some things. She understood: the Underworld Guard was dead, killed while under heavy police protection, and the cause of death couldn’t be determined. Given that, it was likely Zi Yue’s work, probably using cyanide again. Since Chen Lin had now made contact with Zi Yue, Bai Jinghong was now in danger. Even with orders not to kill him, Zi Yue’s methods went beyond death. She had a bizarre repertoire of torment that might soon be visited upon Bai Jinghong. Shen Yaoyao felt an urge to warn him, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to speak.
