Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Under Xu Hao’s intimidation, Chu Xiaotian fled in panic. Li Xiao cursed him as a coward in his heart. When Xu Hao’s gaze fell on him, Li Xiao knew it was a warning for him to leave. The next moment, the two would undoubtedly be like dry wood meeting a fierce fire. With Xu Hao’s strength, it would last until dawn. Thinking of the stunning ice queen, the first female lead, limping out of the teahouse, Li Xiao felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He knew all this was happening, yet he was powerless to stop it. Ahhh! Li Xiao was filled with hatred. An image flashed in his mind—the protagonist, Zheng Feifan. Damn it! Where was the protagonist now? The female lead was about to be ruined, and where was he? Wasn’t he supposed to protect his brother’s fiancée? Xu Hao only asked him to drug the female lead. Li Xiao didn’t care about the rest. He knew that once the female lead was in danger, the protagonist’s aura would trigger, and he would inexplicably show up to save her. That was his plan. He hoped the protagonist would appear in time to save Lin Chuqing. Better yet, he hoped Zheng Feifan would beat Xu Hao up. Even if he and Chu Xiaotian couldn’t escape another beating, he would rather see Zheng Feifan save the ice queen than watch her be humiliated by Xu Hao. Given Zheng Feifan’s eunuch-like personality, he wouldn’t lay a hand on Lin Chuqing. He would surely take her to the hospital, preserving her purity. Li Xiao had even investigated and found out that it was Zheng Feifan’s turn to be on duty today. He thought everything was foolproof. But damn it… The female lead came to the meeting alone. The protagonist didn’t follow, and now she was about to throw herself into Xu Hao’s arms. Where was Zheng Feifan?
[Ding… Li Xiao is frantic, emotional value +654…].
“Your master has already fled, why aren’t you leaving yet?” Xu Hao sneered.
Li Xiao’s face was filled with grief and indignation. He took a deep look at Lin Chuqing, then turned and walked away dejectedly. But at that moment—ambush! Xu Hao suddenly struck him on the back with a palm. He didn’t cripple Li Xiao, but instead sent a hidden force into his body. With that force eroding his strength, Li Xiao would be rendered powerless, even weaker than an ordinary person for a while. Earlier, Xu Hao had seen Chu Xiaotian also drink the aphrodisiac in the surveillance footage. An idea formed in his mind. He couldn’t dwell on it; it was too disgusting… As Xu Hao’s palm landed, Li Xiao froze. Feeling the hidden force circulating in his body, he was filled with terror. He turned his head sharply to look at Xu Hao.
“Hidden… hidden force…” Li Xiao’s mind trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had investigated Xu Hao. A self-made man who built a billion-dollar empire. Throughout his career, he had been busy with work and had no other notable experiences. Li Xiao had never considered Xu Hao a martial artist. He thought he could crush him with one hand. Li Xiao had harbored murderous intentions more than once, but Xu Hao was always protected by bodyguards, so he never dared to act. But… he never expected Xu Hao to be a hidden force expert. How could he hide it so well? Xu Hao had never shown his hand before. With a hidden force bodyguard by his side, no one would suspect that he himself was a hidden force expert. If someone tried to kill Xu Hao, they would first deal with his bodyguard. Just when they thought they had won and were about to celebrate, they would suddenly discover Xu Hao’s true strength. And then… tragedy would strike. Xu Hao had planned it all along. The main idea was that he didn’t need to act personally, but he had to have the strength to protect himself. Given his status, he didn’t need to deal with the protagonist directly, but he had to have the means to save his own life.
“You…” Realizing he couldn’t use his strength, Li Xiao was both shocked and furious. He had already done what Xu Hao asked, yet Xu Hao still attacked him. He had no honor.
[Ding… Li Xiao is furious, emotional value +777…].
“Still not leaving?” Xu Hao said indifferently, not caring about Li Xiao’s thoughts.
Li Xiao gritted his teeth, filled with resentment and unwillingness, and walked out of the private room. Xu Hao closed the door behind him. With a “click,” he locked it. Li Xiao’s face was as dark as storm clouds. He stared at the locked door with grief and indignation. Finally, as if all his energy had been drained, he walked away in despair.
“Brother Li…” Just as Li Xiao stepped out of the teahouse, he heard a voice. Chu Xiaotian was standing at the corner, waving at him. Chu Xiaotian’s face was terrifyingly twisted, his eyes bloodshot, as if he was about to devour someone. Chu Xiaotian felt like he was about to explode. The aphrodisiac was too strong. When he drugged the drink, he had poured the entire bottle in. He had also drunk two cups. His current state was the result of holding back.
“Brother Li, find me a woman, I can’t hold on anymore…”
Li Xiao remembered that Chu Xiaotian had also taken the drug. He was at a loss. Where the hell was he supposed to find a woman? The teahouse was a respectable place; there were no such services here. Li Xiao scanned the area and finally spotted a small hotel. He knew these small hotels were shady, handing out flyers at night advertising “door-to-door services.” This was the place. Li Xiao didn’t care if the women were clean or not. After all, it wasn’t him who would catch a disease. So, Li Xiao led the hunched-over Chu Xiaotian to the hotel…
Unbeknownst to them, a figure was silently following behind.
After checking in, Li Xiao took Chu Xiaotian to a room. He planned to arrange for Chu Xiaotian and then go find a woman for him. Just as he was about to leave, he found that the door wouldn’t open. What the hell? Li Xiao was stunned. The door had opened fine earlier; why wouldn’t it open now? He tried repeatedly, but it remained shut. It must be broken. Damn it, he shouldn’t have come to this shoddy hotel. The quality was just too poor. Li Xiao still hadn’t realized the severity of the situation. The two of them were trapped in a confined space, and one of them was under the influence of a powerful drug, on the verge of exploding. After several failed attempts to open the door, Li Xiao decided to call for the manager. Suddenly, a figure pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.
“Brother Tian, what are you doing?”
Seeing Chu Xiaotian, who now looked like a wild beast, Li Xiao finally realized what was happening and panicked. He tried to kick Chu Xiaotian away, but as soon as he tried to use his strength, the hidden force in his body resisted, sending a wave of excruciating pain through him… His hand fell limp. Then, a series of gopher-like screams echoed through the room. Hatred, anger, sorrow… so many emotions were packed into those cries. It was enough to make anyone who heard it feel heartbroken.
[Ding… Li Xiao’s mentality has collapsed, emotional value +1000…].
[Ding… Li Xiao’s mentality has exploded, emotional value +1000…].
[Ding…].
Just as Li Xiao was facing his tragic fate, Xu Hao was enjoying the fruits of his labor. Seeing that Xu Hao had driven away the two who had drugged her, Lin Chuqing let out a long sigh of relief. As her mind relaxed, an even stronger sensation surged through her. Earlier, she had been holding on by sheer willpower, preventing herself from acting out of line. But now, she couldn’t hold back anymore. She loosened her collar slightly. Xu Hao walked over to her and deliberately asked in a deep, magnetic voice, “President Lin, what happened? I just happened to be here for tea when I heard your call.”
Lin Chuqing forced herself to endure the strange feeling and managed a weak smile. “President Xu, thank you. If it weren’t for you, the consequences would have been unthinkable…”
“Let’s not talk about that for now,” Xu Hao interrupted.
Xu Hao interrupted Lin Chuqing before she could continue speaking. With a look of concern, he said, “You don’t look well. Let me take you to the hospital, okay?”
Lin Chuqing also wanted to go to the hospital, but she felt completely weak and unable to walk. She glanced at Xu Hao with pleading, teary eyes. Xu Hao pretended not to understand, his face filled with confusion. The two stared at each other until Lin Chuqing finally gave in. Shamefully, she whispered, “President Xu… could you help me? I don’t think I can walk.”
Xu Hao “suddenly understood.” He reached out, placed one of her arms over his shoulder, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, preparing to walk her out the door. Lin Chuqing had been barely holding on, and with Xu Hao so close, the scent of his masculine aura overwhelmed her, leaving her dazed.
“President Lin, what are you doing? Please restrain yourself.”
[Ding… Lin Chuqing is extremely embarrassed, emotional value +999…].
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Zheng Feifan had been arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting an elderly person. However, after examining the two elderly individuals, no injuries were found. Upon further investigation, it turned out they were habitual scammers. Zheng Feifan was released without charges. By then, the sky had darkened, and a full moon was rising.
As Zheng Feifan walked down the road, he couldn’t stop thinking about the incident. He couldn’t understand why those two old scammers had targeted him. If they were going to scam someone, shouldn’t they have tried to get something out of it? One of them had lain on the ground, pretending to be injured, while the other acted as if he had been beaten. They had even called the police. As habitual offenders, their records would have been easy to check. Yet, in the end, they gained nothing. What was the point?
Zheng Feifan couldn’t figure it out. There was no doubt that the two scammers had targeted him specifically. He could still recall the way they had looked at him. But why? They hadn’t gotten a single penny from him. It was almost as if… they had deliberately tried to get him taken to the police station.
Suddenly, Zheng Feifan stopped in his tracks. He remembered seeing Lin Chuqing, the ice queen CEO, driving away just before he was taken into the police car. At that moment, he had felt a strange emptiness in his heart. Was it a diversion? Had someone taken advantage of his absence to target Lin Chuqing?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was the truth. Someone was after Lin Chuqing. He had to save her. But where could he find her? In the vast city, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. No matter what, he decided to head back to the company first to see if he could find any clues.
Zheng Feifan rushed to the company in a panic. After some investigation and questioning, his heart grew heavier. No one knew where Lin Chuqing was. Her phone calls went unanswered. Finally, he managed to get a bit of information from Lin Chuqing’s assistant. Lin Chuqing had gone to meet the young master of the Chu family to resolve some conflict between them. However, the exact location wasn’t disclosed.
“The Chu family…” Zheng Feifan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Not knowing where Lin Chuqing was, Zheng Feifan didn’t wait idly. He stormed over to the Chu family residence. He had beaten up the Chu family’s young master before, and he was somewhat surprised that the Chu family hadn’t retaliated strongly. Instead, they had only bothered him with minor annoyances from time to time. However, in preparation for the Chu family’s potential revenge, he had done some research and knew where they lived.
Easily bypassing the guards, Zheng Feifan broke into the Chu family villa. Instead of using the front door, he climbed in through a window. When he landed and took in the scene inside, his breath caught.
He was in a side room of the Chu family villa, something like a study. The room was surrounded by bookshelves filled with books. Sitting at a desk was a woman with a mature charm, her beauty breathtaking, her figure exquisite, and her aura captivating…
It was Yao Xinrui, who rarely returned home. She usually lived in her own place outside, only coming back when Chu Xiong needed her. Today, Chu Xiong had called her to discuss a collaboration with Xu Hao from the Xu Group. After their discussion, they had gone their separate ways, like familiar strangers.
Yao Xinrui was reading a book in her private study when suddenly a stranger burst in. Zheng Feifan had come to demand answers, but upon seeing such a stunning woman, his anger subsided a bit. He forced a smile and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I’m here to see Chu Xiong…”
With that, he walked out the door.
Chu Xiong was watching TV in the living room when he suddenly saw a man emerge from his wife’s study. He felt a green hue clouding his vision. Before he could ask any questions, Zheng Feifan angrily demanded, “Where is your son?”
Yao Xinrui calmly said, “This guy suddenly climbed in through the window. I don’t know who he is.”
Chu Xiong’s expression softened slightly. He frowned at Zheng Feifan, recognizing his face from the information he had gathered over the past few days. He immediately knew who the intruder was. Without showing any emotion, he asked, “What do you want with my son? I’ve never laid a hand on him his entire life, and you beat him so badly he ended up in the hospital. Are you still not satisfied?”
Zheng Feifan sneered, “You’d better pray he hasn’t done anything stupid. Otherwise, it won’t just be a beating. I’ll make sure he learns what it means to die…”
Chu Xiong’s heart sank. This man had barged into his home without any explanation, threatening to kill his son. What did he think this place was? While furious, Chu Xiong also felt a sense of worry. He knew this man had brought down Zhao Media. The young master of the Zhao family had likely been killed by him, though there was no evidence to prove it. He couldn’t help but wonder what his son had done this time. Things had been peaceful for so many days—why had this man suddenly shown up?
“You’d better give me an explanation, or I’ll call the police and report you for breaking and entering.”
“Ask your son what he’s done. What was he planning by inviting Lin Chuqing out? You know better than anyone what kind of person your useless son is, don’t you?”
Zheng Feifan grew angrier the more he thought about it. He also felt a sense of fear. He had promised his friend that he would protect his fiancée. Beyond that, he had developed feelings for Lin Chuqing. If anything happened to her, he would carry the guilt for the rest of his life.
Chu Xiong’s face darkened, annoyed at his son’s recklessness. He had warned him not to cause trouble during this time, yet he had still managed to stir up trouble.
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe they were just having a meal together…”
Even as he said this, Chu Xiong knew his son all too well. He quickly pulled out his phone and called him. He dialed three times, but no one answered. Chu Xiong began to panic. He then thought of his trusted subordinate, Li Xiao, who sometimes accompanied his son. He hoped Li Xiao was with him today. However, after several more calls, there was still no answer.
Chu Xiong’s expression turned grim.
Zheng Feifan, furious, issued a warning to the Chu family and stormed back to the company. With no way to find Lin Chuqing, he could only wait for her at the company.
He waited until the next afternoon.
Lin Chuqing drove to the company. Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes watery, and she walked with a frown, her movements awkward.
Zheng Feifan’s heart shattered…