Chapter 331: Conflict

Soon, the black sports coupe pulled up in front of a hotel.

The two got out of the car. Zeng Qing handed the keys to the valet and led Yan Jing inside.

The interior wasn't as luxurious as one might expect; it was surprisingly deserted.

An animal species receptionist waiting nearby immediately approached and asked for their names.

"Zeng Qing."

She took off her sunglasses.

"Understood. Please follow me."

The rabbit-like receptionist stiffened at the name. She promptly led them up the elevator to the third floor and pushed open the door to the innermost room.

"Right this way, you two."

The rabbit bowed to them.

"Thank you."

Yan Jing spoke. The rabbit froze for a moment; in her eight or nine years on the job, only a handful of clients had ever said thank you.

They walked in to find a man seated at the far end of the dining table, exuding arrogance from his hairstyle right down to his leather shoes.

Wearing a gold-flecked suit, a buzz cut, and pierced ears, his very appearance gave off a highly abrasive vibe.

Seeing them enter, Song Haozhe immediately shoved aside the sexy woman servicing him under the table. He zipped his pants, stood up, and walked toward them with a smile.

"Ah! Mr. Luo. This is our first time meeting, and I've failed to welcome you properly."

"Xiao Qing, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Zeng Qing's expression was icy.

"This is Song Haozhe, the point man for our Four Masters Society. He controls the largest media conglomerate in Muke District and monopolizes the district's entire Happy Water trade. He is the fourth son of the current chairman of the Song Wang Group."

"And this—is Mr. Luo, my partner."

After the introductions, Song Haozhe let out an exaggerated laugh and offered his hand.

"Mr. Luo. A pleasure, a pleasure."

"..."

Yan Jing looked at the hand that had just zipped up a pair of pants. He smiled and offered a polite bow instead.

"A pleasure, Mr. Song."

Song Haozhe's smile faltered.

He hadn't expected Yan Jing to disrespect him so openly right off the bat.

Sensing the shifting atmosphere, Zeng Qing quickly interjected.

"Let's sit down first."

"I haven't eaten yet, and I'm getting quite hungry."

She turned to a server standing in the corner.

"Serve the food."

"Right away."

Even the server could feel the atmosphere of swords drawn and bows bent in the room. Receiving Zeng Qing's implicit pardon, she hurriedly rushed out the door.

But the two men remained standing, showing no intention of sitting down.

Song Haozhe narrowed his eyes at Yan Jing and smiled.

"Has Mr. Yan ever heard of a rural backwater called Minhu? I'm told the people there don't care much for etiquette, and rarely shake hands when they meet."

"I imagine it's because their hands are too dirty to present in polite company."

"..."

Yan Jing laughed.

"What a coincidence. I actually know a bit about that place."

"Though it's not that they dislike etiquette. They just feel a handshake is far too intimate for two people who have only just met."

"After all, when you don't even know if the other party is a human or a beast, shaking hands is much too careless. So when folks there meet, they usually raise a fist."

"If it's a human standing across from them, they offer a cupped-fist salute. If it's a beast, they just punch it."

"I actually think that method has its merits."

...

As he finished speaking, Zeng Qing saw a flash of savage brutality in Song Haozhe's eyes. Veins bulged fiercely on his forehead.

She sighed inwardly.

Song Haozhe was emotionally volatile, and Yan Jing was someone who could piss her off in just a few words. The two were not even in the same weight class when it came to verbal sparring.

At this rate, they would be lucky if this meeting didn't end in a brawl.

If it weren't for the whole Chen Xiaojing situation, she would naturally be happy to watch this play out, but now—

"Let's eat first. Come on, let's eat."

She grabbed Yan Jing's sleeve and pulled him down into a seat.

Yan Jing smiled and went along with it, taking his seat.

Across from them, Song Haozhe walked back to his own chair with a dark scowl.

Seeing the woman climb back up from under the table, his anger flared again. He delivered a brutal kick straight at her.

A scream rang out, but it only fueled his rage. He relentlessly kicked and punched the woman, every blow landing heavy on flesh. Blood soon appeared. He didn't stop until he beat her unconscious, finally venting a fraction of his fury.

Tugging at his necktie, he flashed a vicious sneer at Yan Jing.

"Please excuse the display, Mr. Luo."

"It's fine."

Yan Jing sipped his tea without even turning his head.

"When there's anger in your heart, you need to vent it. It's human nature."

"I'm glad Mr. Luo understands."

Song Haozhe smiled sadistically. He grabbed the unconscious woman by her collar, hauled her onto the table, and began slapping her viciously across the face.

After forcefully slapping her awake, he said with a smile, "I called you here today to be Mr. Luo's companion. What's the meaning of falling asleep on the job?"

"I—I'll go to him right now."

Terrified and trembling all over, the woman stumbled toward Yan Jing.

But halfway there, her steps faltered. She looked at Yan Jing, fear flashing in her eyes.

She had just heard the exchange between the two men. She was terrified that this man—who could stand toe-to-toe with Song Haozhe—would beat her too.

Driven by terror, tears slipped unconsciously from her bruised eyes and splattered on the floor.

For a moment, she didn't know whether to advance or retreat.

"Get lost."

Yan Jing took another sip of tea.

"I appreciate Mr. Song's kind intentions, but the quality is far too low."

Hearing Yan Jing's words, the woman looked as if she had just received a royal pardon. She bowed gratefully to him, then scrambled out the door.

Song Haozhe laughed at the sight and walked to a corner of the room. A cubic object sat there, draped in velvet cloth.

He yanked off the cloth to reveal an iron cage. Inside huddled an animal species resembling a white fox.

That was originally supposed to be the 'male companion' he had prepared for Yan Jing, but now...

He hauled the white fox out with a savage grin.

"You'll be pouring my tea."

That said, he smiled at Yan Jing.

"If Mr. Luo is ever short on male or female companions, just let me know. Trash like the one from earlier, I can send you a few more."

"Even those celebrities you always see on TV—plenty of the ones you could name by heart—I can send them over to Mr. Luo once I'm bored with them."

"After all, it looks rather pathetic to attend an important occasion without a partner by your side."

"You even have to pour your own tea."

Facing Song Haozhe's mockery, Yan Jing simply smiled. He set his teacup on the table and lightly spun the crystal Lazy Susan with his finger.

Under Song Haozhe's gaze, the cup glided in a slow arc and came to a stop right in front of Zeng Qing.

Song Haozhe: "..."

Zeng Qing: "..."

A few seconds later, Zeng Qing picked up the teapot with an ashen face, stood, and poured tea into his cup.

"Zeng Qing!!"

Song Haozhe bellowed at her in absolute disbelief.

Yan Jing smiled faintly and took the teacup.

"Many thanks, Miss Zeng."

Repeatedly humiliated, Song Haozhe couldn't hold back anymore. He shoved the white fox aside, closed the distance to Yan Jing in a few strides, and grabbed him by the collar of his trench coat. His face was twisted in furious, burning rage, yet he wore a deranged grin.

"Did I give you too much fucking face? You little bastard, if you fucking want to die, just say the word."

Bang!!!

Before Zeng Qing's trembling eyes, Yan Jing slammed Song Haozhe's head straight into the table. Tea splashed everywhere as the crystal surface shattered across the floor.

Even Song Haozhe had entirely failed to anticipate this outcome. His eyes went wide, subconscious terror surfacing in their depths.

He tried to fight back, but the hand clamped to the back of his head felt like a mountain, pinning him down so hard he couldn't even breathe.

"Damn it! I'm going to kill you! I'll fucking kill you!!!"

Once he recovered from the shock, Song Haozhe strained his entire face, screaming incessantly.

Weird Energy surged from Yan Jing's hand. He smiled.

"When you can't even stand up straight, those words don't carry much weight, Mr. Song."

Song Haozhe was visibly turning red with rage. Standing to the side, Zeng Qing finally couldn't watch any longer. She stood up and spoke coldly.

"Both of you, sit down! We're here to talk business today!"

"If you don't want to talk, then let's just brawl right now! You can both get locked up and keep Chen Xiaojing company!!"

The name Chen Xiaojing seemed to hold some kind of magic. The furious Song Haozhe's expression shifted, and he stopped his screaming.

Seeing this, Yan Jing smiled and withdrew his hand.

The two men sat back down in their chairs as if absolutely nothing had happened.

Zeng Qing rubbed her temples in exasperation, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

This progression was entirely different from what she had imagined. Her plan to sit back and let the two clash for her benefit now felt more like playing with fire.

She stepped forward and opened the main door. Looking at the servers huddled outside, holding the dishes but too afraid to enter, she commanded coldly, "Serve the food."

The servers filed in. As the dishes piled up on the table, Zeng Qing cleared her throat.

"I called you two to meet today primarily to discuss a future partnership."

"On Haozhe's end, you control the largest media conglomerate in Muke District. If you're willing to assist, it will definitely benefit my future joint ventures with Mr. Luo."

"And on Mr. Luo's end, since Chen Xiaojing was locked up, the connections he holds are likely exactly what you're after, Haozhe."

"If we can cooperate, it will be a win-win for everyone."

...

"..."

Yan Jing smiled.

"I have no objections."

Zeng Qing sighed in relief. She had been genuinely worried that Yan Jing would just turn around and walk out.

After all, judging by his willingness to shove Song Haozhe's head into a table, there was probably nothing this maniac wouldn't dare to do.

So that only left Song Haozhe...

She turned her head to look at him.

Song Haozhe wore a grim expression. He ignored the proposal and demanded coldly, "So why did Chen Xiaojing get locked up?"

"We aren't sure either."

Zeng Qing answered before Yan Jing could, afraid he might say something shocking.

His face darkened as he spoke again.

"I can agree to this partnership."

"But I have a condition."

"Name it."

Zeng Qing's expression softened slightly. As long as there were conditions, they could negotiate, and as long as they could negotiate, there was a chance for success.

"You two have been working with Chen Xiaojing recently, right?"

Song Haozhe kept his scowl, his gaze icy.

"You must know some even more explosive dirt on her, don't you?"

"I need her dead."

"Not a life sentence. Dead."

As soon as his voice faded, a sudden burst of laughter echoed in the reception room.

Zeng Qing stared blankly at Yan Jing, who was laughing out loud.

"Miss Zeng, do you remember the scumbag theory you told me about last time?"

Yan Jing asked with a smile.

"Do you still have anything to argue about it now?"