Chapter 40

Xu Chun's vision went black.

No, no—it's not what you think! Hear me out! Her heart trembling with fear, she opened her mouth. "President Zheng, let me explain..."

"Go on." Zheng Jinchan watched her with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, one that carried a cold, twofold menace. Even her voice held a laugh. "You'd better give me a reasonable excuse."

Xu Chun's mind raced; she racked her brains.

Her brow furrowed tightly, her expression strained enough to make onlookers anxious. Qin Yao stepped forward and subtly blocked Zheng Jinchan's gaze from landing on Xu Chun. Her smile was as temperatureless as Zheng Jinchan's. "President Zheng, don't tease her."

"She's still young."

For some reason, a line popped into Jiang Zhaolie's head: She's still young—so don't let her off.

The thought jolted Jiang Zhaolie awake. She shot Xu Chun a strange look, relieved she'd invited Qin Yao quickly enough. Otherwise, with Xu Chun's two-bit tricks, Zheng Jinchan would have swallowed her whole without her even realizing what had hit her.

Was Zheng Jinchan easy to handle? The people who'd tried to handle her in the past had all ended up crushed by her instead.

Dreaming of striking a deal or negotiating with Zheng Jinchan was nothing short of a pipe dream—unless the sun rose in the west.

Zheng Jinchan hadn't really meant to hold a grudge against Xu Chun, but the moment she sensed Qin Yao's protectiveness in both word and manner, she changed her mind. A faint smile played on her face as she turned and, past Qin Yao's figure, caught sight of a few stray wisps of Xu Chun's hair sticking up. Her tone was utterly innocent. "But just now, she was clearly the one who came to me first."

Qin Yao turned back. Xu Chun jolted and hurriedly explained in a low voice, "That's not it. It was just an accident. I was having a great chat with President Zhang, and then President Zheng walked over, chased President Zhang away, and then..."

By then, Qin Yao had already guessed the gist. Smiling, she extended an ambiguous invitation to Zheng Jinchan. "Drink together?"

Zheng Jinchan already had someone to meet, but Qin Yao was extending an olive branch first. Unable to refuse such hospitality, she thought for a moment and readily agreed.

The Qin Group enjoyed considerable renown inside and outside the industry. She'd considered collaborating with them before, but for one thing, no one had bridged the gap; for another, she and Qin Yao both had piles of work to handle daily, and their schedules never aligned; and for a third, excellent as the Qin Group was, it wasn't her only option.

With all those factors getting in the way, Zheng Jinchan had slowly let the idea drop.

But now things were different. First she'd encountered Xu Chun, and then Qin Yao had followed. Perhaps it signaled the other side's intent to cooperate. Tonight Zheng Jinchan had ample time, so she didn't mind sitting down for a couple of drinks and a simple chat.

If it worked out, it would be icing on the cake.

"All right," she said with a nod, then turned her eyes to Xu Chun, mostly hidden behind Qin Yao. "She's coming too."

Xu Chun poked half her head out from behind Qin Yao. "Me?"

Zheng Jinchan stared at her face. "Is there anyone else here?" Her expression carried a sharp edge; even though she meant nothing by it just then, it was still highly intimidating. "While we're at it, tell me properly what's going on between you and Jiang Banxia."

"My daughter has been bringing you up every single day lately," Zheng Jinchan said meaningfully.

Zheng Yanran brought her up every day? Xu Chun nearly suffocated on the spot. Wasn't the person she brought up every day supposed to be Jiang Banxia? Mentioning Xu Chun in front of Zheng Jinchan... that was just asking for Zheng Jinchan's hatred.

The group moved to a corner not far away and sat down. Jiang Zhaolie called over a waiter carrying a tray and ordered several drinks. She sat beside Qin Yao. Since Qin Yao and Zheng Jinchan would inevitably discuss business tonight, she and Qin Yao facing Zheng Jinchan counted as courtesy, and as a subtle show of pressure.

The sofa was only so big. The moment Jiang Zhaolie planted herself, Xu Chun inwardly cried out in alarm. Sure enough, once Qin Yao sat down too, Xu Chun looked at the seat beside Zheng Jinchan and felt the corner of her eye twitch uncontrollably.

She stood beside it motionless, expression grave. Zheng Jinchan looked up as if puzzled. "Why aren't you sitting?"

"Are you that afraid of me?" She stared at Xu Chun; though seated, she somehow gave off a condescending, oppressive air. "Or do you dislike me that much?"

"How could I?" Xu Chun forced her twitching face under control and put on a stiff smile. "I'm just too overjoyed. I never thought that in my lifetime I'd get to sit beside President Zheng, young, accomplished, and renowned, appearing in financial magazines every week." She clutched her chest in surprise and excitement. "I'm just too thrilled right now."

Her tone was so exaggerated that even Qin Yao glanced up at her.

Zheng Jinchan was no stranger to flattery, but those people were always cautious, watching her expression as they spoke, terrified of saying the wrong thing, offending her, and ruining their own prospects.

But this Xu Chun was different.

She clearly didn't mean a word of it, yet her little mouth insisted on saying it. The acting was so obvious anyone could see through it. She didn't even care, wearing a slacker's "I've already opened my mouth to praise you, believe the flattery or don't" attitude.

Completely different from the sycophants Zheng Jinchan had seen before.

Zheng Jinchan's sharp eyes fixed squarely on Xu Chun. Interesting—her pretentious manner was nothing like those outsiders who prided themselves on being pure and righteous.

She stared at Xu Chun a beat too long. Qin Yao pushed a glass of liquor toward her and raised her own. "I hear President Zheng is planning to collaborate with the Lin Group?"

Zheng Jinchan's attention was drawn back by Qin Yao, and she didn't deny it. "Indeed." She elegantly lifted her glass and clinked it lightly against Qin Yao's. "I won't hide it from you—tonight I've arranged to meet the Lin Group's person in charge—the illegitimate son the head of the Lin family insisted on acknowledging years ago despite his wife's objections—to talk in detail."

Xu Chun didn't catch a few words of business before all the juicy gossip of high society slipped into her ears. She silently held her glass, taking small sips, looking as if she were spacing out, but in truth, her ears were perked up, listening with full concentration.

"CEO Lin's conduct is poor; future cooperation will inevitably bring endless trouble. With a better choice like the Qin Group, why would President Zheng risk collaborating with such an enterprise?"

"I understand the reasoning." Zheng Jinchan gave no ground. Her fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, her presence unhurried. "The question is, President Qin, how much sincerity can you offer?"

Qin Yao's long, narrow eyes regarded her, a faint, light smile on her face, perfectly at ease. "Cooperation has always been about mutual benefit. I believe the Qin Group and Zheng Group working together is already a win-win."

Zheng Jinchan looked at Qin Yao for a long while, then suddenly laughed. "President Qin truly is as the rumors say—not one to yield an inch."

"Whether I yield depends on the other party's ability." She slowly swirled her glass. "If President Zheng is interested, we can set a time to talk in detail." Her red lips curved. "I'd be delighted to see our mutual interests maximized."

Zheng Jinchan's eyes darkened a fraction. After a moment's hesitation, she agreed. "Good."

"President Qin is straightforward, and I'm happy to listen. No time like the present. I'll be staying here tomorrow as well. Does President Qin have time?" Qin Yao had already extended the olive branch; as a decisive, profit-driven businesswoman, Zheng Jinchan naturally wanted to see returns as soon as possible.

"I can make time."

Their back-and-forth duel came to a close. Xu Chun's eyes went wide. Over just like that?

Zheng Jinchan had other appointments. Glancing at her watch, she spoke with slight apology. "My apologies, I must go meet the Lin Group's person in charge. I'll take my leave first." She smiled faintly. "But I look forward to tomorrow's discussion with President Qin."

Jiang Zhaolie inwardly cursed the old fox. Having found a backup, she still didn't forget to flirt everywhere, even using the wildflowers outside to threaten the Qin Group right back.

But Qin Yao was never one to be coerced, so Zheng Jinchan's little scheme would likely come to nothing.

Xu Chun still held her glass, savoring the Lin Group gossip revealed in their conversation. She'd kept up the pose of smiling and sipping for a long time without changing. After Zheng Jinchan left, Qin Yao set down her glass and rose to leave. Seeing Xu Chun hadn't followed, she paused. "Time to go."

"Ah?" Xu Chun looked up, met Qin Yao's cold, emotionless eyes, and immediately snapped to attention. "Coming, coming."

Oh no—had she been caught slacking off?

Qin Yao had specifically brought her along, even played dress-up and carefully spruced her up, and she hadn't been of any use? That wouldn't do. Xu Chun quickly gathered her spirits; she had to work hard to make Qin Yao realize she couldn't do without her... at the very least, make Qin Yao feel that with her around, everything was twice as effective.

Qin Yao's target tonight seemed to be Zheng Jinchan alone. In the business conversations that followed, Xu Chun could clearly sense she wasn't much invested. Between the woman's proper words lurked occasional laziness and a lingering tenderness; in the blurred light, she was like a lion lounging at rest, quietly watching others perform cautiously before her.

She was gentle and harmless in that moment, yet everyone feared her usual majesty and presence and didn't dare offend her in the slightest.

Xu Chun nearly lost her head watching. Jiang Zhaolie rubbed her brow, then reached across to block Qin Yao from view, cutting off Xu Chun's line of sight. "Your eyeballs are about to stick to my mom."

"Then call the police," Xu Chun said, utterly shameless, like a dead pig that no longer feared boiling water. "Sister hasn't said anything, so what are you butting in for?"

Jiang Zhaolie choked, defeated. She had indeed spoken out of turn. No matter how Xu Chun stared at Qin Yao, that was Mom's private business. If Mom hadn't said anything, she really shouldn't have interjected, but watching from the side, she felt a faint, subtle discomfort.

She refused to admit it was unwillingness or jealousy. She told herself she simply wanted to stop someone like Xu Chun from entering the Qin family... wait. Jiang Zhaolie belatedly realized that Xu Chun might not be as bad as she'd imagined.

Because Yu Sui'an was so skilled at disguise and deception, perhaps all her own prejudice against Xu Chun had been subtly implanted in her by Yu Sui'an, deliberately provoked so she would slowly form a bad impression of Xu Chun.

In the past, getting along with Xu Chun had mostly been ordinary, without fatal conflicts. She'd known Xu Chun for so many years and never thought she had any major character flaws. Xu Chun could be a bit rigid, not particularly warm, or a little stubborn, but never enough to breed such annoyance, much less hatred.

But after meeting Yu Sui'an, she'd traveled further and further down the road of loathing Xu Chun, until finally they were utterly incompatible, like enemies.

Having figured this out, Jiang Zhaolie broke into a cold sweat. She didn't know what had gotten into her former self, to be so concerned about and partial to a woman she'd only recently met like Yu Sui'an. It was unbelievable.

Was she really that quick to trust a stranger? No.

Not only did she not easily trust strangers, she was always vigilant and guarded against everyone who approached her. But all her alertness and defenses had failed... on Yu Sui'an.

She'd become unlike herself—so unfamiliar that she didn't recognize herself.

Jiang Zhaolie suddenly fell silent, her face wearing an ugly expression of shock and uncertainty. Xu Chun quietly edged toward Qin Yao, carefully brushing against her arm. Had this person encountered a ghost again?

Qin Yao noticed the moment Xu Chun drew near. She lowered her eyes to glance at Xu Chun, then casually swept a look at the dazed Jiang Zhaolie, unobtrusively shielding Xu Chun's figure on her other side. The banquet was crowded, people coming and going; more than a few men wanted to chat up Xu Chun, but deterred by Qin Yao's presence, most had the desire without the courage. After weighing the odds, they found they couldn't best Qin Yao and gave up.

But there were also hardheaded ones who refused to believe it and insisted on charging at Qin Yao.

For example, Sheng Yigui, the young master of City A's local power. The Sheng family held power and influence, covering the sky with one hand in City A. Sheng Yigui loved women above all, changing them like clothes, ruining who knew how many women every month. Bored with local women, he'd look elsewhere; when women from out of town came to City A, he'd coerce and entice them into submitting to him.

Because Sheng Yigui's grandfather was a retired mayor and his father the chief prosecutor, even though Sheng Yigui committed countless misdeeds, he still lived well, and no one dared touch him.

He was used to being domineering; any woman he set his eyes on, he'd obtain by any means. But lately the women he'd met were mediocre in looks, leaving him bored and listless even when drinking. Tonight he'd finally encountered a top-tier beauty—how could he let her go easily?

Since childhood, Sheng Yigui had gotten whatever he wanted, never suffering setbacks or blows, so he didn't think tonight's hunting expedition would fail. Other men were too timid to approach, and that was their weakness. Sheng Yigui was different. In City A, few dared not give him face.

Besides, the other party was just a minor actress.

If she was sensible, he could generously toss her some resources, or even promote her. With this thought, Sheng Yigui strode up to Xu Chun, putting on what he thought was a dashing, handsome smile. "Hello, miss. Might I have the chance to have dinner with you tonight?"

Sheng Yigui's looks were truly nothing to speak of. The moment Xu Chun saw him approach, she raised the phone she was using for the livestream high, almost thrusting it into his face.

The audience, caught off guard by an oily, ugly face, instantly felt Xu Chun's deep malice: 【Sister Xu, let's talk nicely. Can you not launch surprise mental attacks on people?】

【Holy crap, who is this? After seeing him I can't even eat dinner tonight!】

【Seconded! The lunch I ate yesterday is about to come back up because of this guy. Is he trying to hit on her? Just look at that crooked nose, slanted eyes, and fat head. He's clearly overindulged every day, and he's definitely not a decent person.】

【Can this kind of stinking man stay far away from my Sister Xu?】

Sheng Yigui was displeased by Xu Chun's action. His smile abruptly darkened with deep displeasure. "Miss, what do you mean by this?" He raised a hand to push aside Xu Chun's livestream phone. "Are you humiliating me right now?"

"If you insist on taking it that way, I suppose I can't stop you," Xu Chun said, looking at him earnestly and seriously.

Sheng Yigui was furious at her words, his chest heaving violently. He was never a patient man; seeing Xu Chun being uncooperative, he immediately turned hostile and lost his temper. "Don't be ungrateful! Who in City A doesn't know who I am, Sheng Yigui? With a single order from me, even if the great immortals descended to earth today, they couldn't escape my grasp!"

The man spoke with extreme arrogance, his every word steeped in boundless confidence. Sheng Yigui was used to lording it over others, never imagining anyone in this world could suppress him, so even knowing the tall woman beside Xu Chun looked not to be provoked, he didn't take her seriously.

This bright, delicate beauty—tonight he was determined to have her!

Xu Chun instinctively wanted to snap back at him, but the instant she opened her mouth, she suddenly remembered Qin Yao was still beside her. She immediately switched to a trembling, fragile demeanor, throwing herself fearfully into Qin Yao's embrace and clutching her tightly. "President Qin, he's so fierce, I'm so scared."

She lifted her fair little face, making Sheng Yigui's heart flutter with fantasy. Xu Chun's fingers clutched Qin Yao's expensive suit fabric, her whole body soft and boneless as she clung to her, while she trembled slightly, looking thoroughly frightened, her little face even paling a bit.

It had to be said, Xu Chun's acting was truly excellent. If Jiang Zhaolie didn't know Xu Chun's mischievous nature down to the bone, she'd probably have been fooled too.

Would Mom be bewitched by her...?

With that thought, she turned her head, her gaze falling on Qin Yao. Qin Yao's faintly careless face had slowly lost its expression since Sheng Yigui appeared, leaving only a chill—and after Sheng Yigui kept courting death, her brows had gradually risen with impatience.

Jiang Zhaolie knew that once Qin Yao wore this expression, she was angry.

She shot Sheng Yigui a look that said "take care of yourself." Mom already looked like someone not to be provoked, yet he insisted on charging straight into the line of fire. If he wasn't asking for it, who was?

Sheng Yigui clearly hadn't sensed the danger and continued arrogantly threatening. But the next second, bodyguards approached and respectfully "invited" Sheng Yigui out.

"Invited" was putting it politely.

Sheng Yigui was thrown straight out of the hotel. Cursing, he scrambled up, about to go back and settle scores with Qin Yao, when his father's call came through and cursed him up one side and down the other. "Fool! You'd provoke anyone! Don't you see who's there today? Every one of them is rich or noble!"

"You'd better get back in there right now and apologize properly to President Qin and Miss Xu, or we're through as father and son!"

Sheng Yigui had never heard his father scold him so severely. As he hesitated, his lackey ran over pale-faced, holding out a phone. "Brother Sheng, you're trending..." The lackey swallowed hard. "The two people you just provoked were President Qin of the Qin Group and Xu Chun, who was engaged to the Jiang family."

"If I remember right, your dad just went to the Xu family last month to pull in investment."

Sheng Yigui froze on the spot, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

After Sheng Yigui was escorted away, Xu Chun still clung to Qin Yao without moving. Her eyes glowed faintly as she tilted her face up, staring at Qin Yao without blinking, her tone full of admiration. "Sister Qin, you're so amazing."

Her voice was pitched so affectedly that Jiang Zhaolie and Secretary Zhao both broke out in goosebumps. Qin Yao showed no discomfort whatsoever. Since she didn't push Xu Chun away, one could even detect a faint hint of enjoyment. Qin Yao lowered her eyes, a trace of a smile finally appearing at her lips, though she said, "Stand properly."

Xu Chun didn't move; instead, she seized the opening and pressed very close to Qin Yao, the two intimately touching, perfectly fitted as if glued together. She spoke softly, at a volume only Qin Yao could hear. "Sister, if someone bullies me again in the future, will you still stand up for me like today?"

She tilted her head slightly; the overly close distance let her take in every subtle expression on Qin Yao's face.

Unfortunately, Qin Yao's expression was calm and unreadable. She parted her lips, about to speak, but Xu Chun quickly interrupted, saying pitifully, "Sister, didn't you say Grandfather already entrusted me to your care?"

Qin Yao looked at her for several seconds. "I did say that."

Xu Chun didn't care what explanation Qin Yao planned to give next; she immediately broke into a smile, her expression bright and relaxed. "Thank you, Sister."

Jiang Zhaolie hadn't heard what Xu Chun whispered to Qin Yao, but seeing Xu Chun's I've-gotten-away-with-it look, her mood instantly sank. Her heart lurched—had Xu Chun taken down Mom this quickly?

She was instantly alarmed, even her breathing turning a bit uneven.

Qin Yao didn't refute Xu Chun, so Xu Chun took it as tacit agreement. She left Qin Yao's side in delight, but before the smile on her face could last three seconds, it froze.

For Zheng Jinchan had returned at some point and was studying her with a look of inquiry and amusement. Seeing Xu Chun notice her and look over, she said with considerable interest, "So this is what you meant by getting close."

"But." She pointed at Qin Yao, then at herself. "Can you handle it?"

Xu Chun, uncertain: "...?"

It was a perfectly normal sentence, yet for some reason, coming from Zheng Jinchan's mouth, it carried an ambiguous flavor that invited misunderstanding.

TL Note:

dead pig that no longer feared boiling water (死猪不怕开水烫) = idiom for being shamelessly unbothered because one is already used to bad consequences.

local power (地头蛇) = a local bully or kingpin with entrenched influence in a place.

If he wasn't asking for it, who was? (我不入地狱，谁入地狱) = originally “If I don't go to hell, who will?”; here means he was volunteering for disaster.

flattery (彩虹屁) = internet slang for exaggerated sycophantic praise, literally “rainbow fart.”