Chapter 94: The Original Scam

With that, Lin Aoxue turned to leave.

How could Yang Jie let her have her way? He closed the distance in a few quick strides and grabbed her.

"What could be so important? Is it more important than cooperating with Young Master Xiao? Don’t be afraid. Young Master Xiao isn’t a bad guy."

As he spoke, Yang Jie forcibly dragged Lin Aoxue over to Xiao Ran and pushed her down into the seat on his left. Left with no choice, Lin Aoxue could only reluctantly stay seated. She had noticed the contract resting on the table to Xiao Ran’s right. It seemed Yang Jie hadn’t lied this time; they really were here to discuss a partnership.

Seeing Lin Aoxue let her guard down, a gleam of malicious triumph flashed through Yang Jie’s eyes. He then picked up the bottle and poured her a glass of red wine.

"Aoxue, come on, have a drink with Young Master Xiao first."

Looking at the wine glass thrust in front of her, Lin Aoxue felt backed into a corner. After a brief hesitation, she finally accepted it. She reasoned that as long as she only drank a little, she would be fine. With this in mind, she turned her head and smiled at Xiao Ran.

"Young Master Xiao, I toast this glass to you. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the days to come."

With that, Yang Xue tipped her head back and drained the wine in her glass.

Xiao Ran’s eyes remained fixed on Lin Aoxue’s chest, making no attempt to conceal the lust and greed in his gaze.

"No rush, no rush. We can take our time discussing the partnership. If you make me happy tonight, let alone this partnership, I could even hand over the general management rights to the Lin Family."

As Xiao Ran spoke, he reached out to grope Lin Aoxue’s thigh. But the moment his fingers brushed against her, she shot up from her seat. Her violent reaction knocked her chair over with a loud THUD, and Xiao Ran’s expression instantly soured.

Furious and humiliated, Lin Aoxue grabbed her handbag and prepared to storm out. Yang Jie hurriedly pulled her aside and lowered his voice.

"Lin Aoxue, do you still want to double the Lin Family’s assets or not? You only get this one chance!

"So what if he touches you a few times? Letting Young Master Xiao cop a feel won’t kill you!

"Just grit your teeth and bear it for a while! I’m warning you, Young Master Xiao is not someone you can afford to offend. If you upset him, the Lin Family won’t be the only ones to suffer!"

These words made Lin Aoxue hesitate once more. Catching a glimpse of Xiao Ran’s livid face, she finally backed down. Forcing a smile, she picked up her wine glass to apologize.

"Young Master Xiao, I’m sorry. I was a little agitated just now. I offer you this glass as an apology, and I hope you can forgive me."

Seeing that Lin Aoxue was tactful enough, Xiao Ran reined in his temper. He grinned and pulled her by the hand to sit back down.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. I was being too forward as well. Sit down, let’s talk while we eat."

The rest of the evening went relatively smoothly. Aside from occasionally caressing Lin Aoxue’s hand, Xiao Ran didn’t do anything else out of line. Gradually, Lin Aoxue let down her guard, and her wariness toward him slowly began to fade.

Seeing that the time was right, a cold glint flashed in Yang Jie’s eyes. While Lin Aoxue wasn’t paying attention, he slipped a pinch of white powder into her wine glass. Once he saw Lin Aoxue swallow the laced wine, Yang Jie knew it was time for him to make his exit.

"Well, Young Master Xiao, Aoxue, I’m going to run to the restroom. You two keep chatting."

With that, Yang Jie quickly got up and left the private room, completely ignoring Lin Aoxue’s reaction. As he closed the door behind him, he actually pulled an iron padlock from his pocket and locked it tight.

Having done all this, a smug, terrifying smile crept onto Yang Jie’s face.

He thought, "Haha, Ye Xuan, Su Xiaobai, this is what you get for crossing me! Tonight, I’m going to make you regret it!"

While gleefully picturing Ye Xuan and Su Xiaobai’s furious reactions in his mind, Yang Jie made his way upstairs to a presidential suite in the hotel. He figured that since it would take Xiao Ran and Lin Aoxue a while to finish their business, he might as well call a girl for himself to enjoy before going back down to unlock the door.

After Yang Jie left, the atmosphere in the private room became increasingly unnatural. Lin Aoxue felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles. She kept glancing at the door, hoping Yang Jie would hurry back.

"Are you nervous, Miss Lin? Why do you keep looking at the door?" Xiao Ran asked with a faint smile, taking in her panicked expression.

"Uh... it’s inevitable to be a little nervous when having dinner with you, Young Master Xiao." Caught off guard by his question, Lin Aoxue retracted her gaze and forced a smile in response.

"Hehe, Miss Lin, what kind of person do you think I am? Why don’t you give me your assessment?" Knowing she was lying, Xiao Ran didn’t expose her. Instead, he gently swirled the wine in his glass and asked the question, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"Well... this is my first day meeting you, Young Master Xiao. I don’t know you very well yet, so it’s hard for me to say."

She had no idea why he would suddenly ask such a thing, but knowing that the more she spoke, the more mistakes she might make, she decided it was best to keep her words to a minimum.

Upon hearing her answer, Xiao Ran suddenly burst into a fit of raucous laughter. His reaction left Lin Aoxue completely baffled, and she stared at him in confusion.

"In that case, would you be interested in getting to know me on a much deeper level, Miss Lin?"

With that, Xiao Ran lunged forward, attempting to force a kiss on her. Terrified by his sudden advance, Lin Aoxue let out a piercing scream and shoved him away. Panic-stricken, she dodged his grasp, grabbed her phone, and bolted toward the door.

It finally dawned on her that this so-called business dinner was nothing but a pretext. Yang Jie had merely used her as a tool to curry favor with Xiao Ran.

Her heart pounding with sheer panic, she numbly dialed Ye Xuan’s number with trembling fingers. But before the call could even connect, Xiao Ran snatched the phone from her hand and hurled it to the floor with a loud SMASH.

Lin Aoxue screamed again. She gripped the door handle with both hands, desperately pulling at it in an attempt to open the door. But to her utter despair, the door had actually been locked from the outside.

Terrified out of her wits, she screamed at the top of her lungs, praying someone would hear her.

"Help! Somebody help me! Please, save me!"

Her frantic, helpless state only served to excite Xiao Ran even more. Wearing a wicked smirk, he cornered her against the door.

"Haha, scream all you want. I’m sure Yang Jie has already taken precautions. No one is coming to save you."

Xiao Ran’s guess was spot on. Before Lin Aoxue even arrived, Yang Jie had already bribed the hotel staff. He had instructed all of them to stay away from this floor and strictly forbade anyone from coming up, all to ensure that Xiao Ran could go about his business without interruption.

Hearing Xiao Ran’s words, Lin Aoxue’s face instantly drained of color. Her lips trembling, she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Y-Young Master Xiao, please let me go. I-I’m already married. Y-You can’t do this."

Xiao Ran paused for a brief moment upon hearing that she was married, but the expression on his face soon twisted into something even more deranged.

"To think you’re actually a married woman... Well then, won’t that make things even more exciting when we get down to it later?"