The subordinate's eyes lit up with a trace of anticipation as he hurriedly opened it.
This…
Seeing the contents, his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Ling… didn’t come after all.
If Ling cared so much about Lin Xuan, she would never have ignored the fact that he was in their hands.
That left only one possibility—Jiang Qing hadn’t told Ling about this…
How dare Jiang Qing, as Ling’s subordinate, keep this from her?
"Speak!" Zhao Long’s voice was laced with murderous intent.
"Boss, I’m sorry. We called Ling, but her phone was turned off the whole time. So we contacted her secretary instead. I thought her secretary would inform Ling about Lin Xuan being in our custody."
"But…" The subordinate’s palms were slick with sweat. "Ling never came to save Lin Xuan."
"Idiots!" Zhao Long’s face twisted in fury. "The moment Ling finds out Lin Xuan is with us, she’ll rush over. That Jiang Qing, for Ling’s safety, would never tell her!"
"Why wasn’t this reported immediately? Do you have any idea how much time you’ve wasted ruining my entertainment?"
Not to mention, the longer this dragged on, the higher the chance of unexpected complications.
"Boss, we’re sorry. Next time, we won’t make the same mistake." The two subordinates dropped to their knees with a thud.
Their bodies shook violently with fear.
"You know what? I don’t like people who think they’re clever." Zhao Long pulled out a gun, coldly pressing the muzzle against one of the subordinates. "Since you dared to act on your own, I have no use for you anymore."
The two subordinates jerked their heads up in horror.
The boss was going to kill them…
"Boss, we truly know we were wrong! Please, give us another chance, just one more!" They desperately kowtowed, begging for mercy.
Zhao Long let out a chilling laugh.
His eyes were devoid of warmth.
He pulled the trigger.
Two loud bangs echoed.
A bloody hole appeared in each subordinate’s forehead.
Their burly bodies collapsed heavily backward.
Without a flicker of emotion, Zhao Long put his gun away.
"Go," he ordered the remaining subordinates. "Find any way possible to inform Ling that Lin Xuan is in my hands."
The other subordinates glanced at the corpses on the floor, shuddering.
"Yes," they replied obediently.
---
United States
Inside a hotel room, Su Hua remained seated on the sofa, her delicate brows furrowed as she stared intently at the surveillance feed of the sleeping figure in the other room.
"President Su," Jiang Qing entered, bowing slightly. "It’s almost time. We should leave for the negotiation."
Su Hua didn’t respond immediately, her gaze still fixed on her phone.
Curious, Jiang Qing leaned in. "President Su, why are you so focused on watching Young Master Lin sleep?"
"Jiang Qing," Su Hua finally spoke, "don’t you think he doesn’t quite look like Ah Xuan?"
Jiang Qing’s heart skipped a beat.
Had President Su noticed something?
"President Su," she forced a smile, "why would you think that suddenly?"
"Ah Xuan is slimmer and paler," Su Hua murmured.
And the way this person felt… it wasn’t like Ah Xuan at all.
Jiang Qing: "!!!"
How could she tell?
Jiang Qing had thought the difference between Lin Xuan and Cheng Da’s complexion and build was negligible. She glanced back at the screen, racking her brain to recall Lin Xuan’s exact appearance.
Her conclusion?
They were practically identical. Otherwise, Young Master Lin wouldn’t have chosen this man to impersonate him.
"President Su, you must be overthinking it. That’s clearly Young Master Lin’s face. As for the complexion and build, maybe it’s just the difference between surveillance footage and reality that’s giving you this impression," Jiang Qing reasoned.
Su Hua’s frown deepened.
She wanted to message Ah Xuan to confirm.
But he was sick and resting—she didn’t want to disturb him.
Fine.
She’d wait until he woke up to talk to him.
With that, Su Hua put her phone away and followed Jiang Qing out of the hotel.
A team of bodyguards surrounded Su Hua, ensuring no one could harm her.
The remnants of the Shang Organization in the U.S. were few, so they had hired outsiders to relay messages to Su Hua. Success meant a hefty reward.
Kristy, a fifteen-year-old boy, lived with his gravely ill younger sister. With no money left for her medicine, he was desperate.
He needed that payout.
From a distance, Kristy stared at the stunning woman at the center of the entourage.
No—he had to get to her!
Once she entered the hotel, he’d have no chance. His mission would fail, and the reward would slip through his fingers.
"President Su! I need to speak with you!" Kristy shouted.
Jiang Qing’s guard instantly went up.
"Cover his mouth," she ordered a bodyguard.
"Yes."
The nearest bodyguard moved swiftly.
Kristy sensed the danger.
If they caught him, he’d never escape!
Thinking fast, he changed tactics. "Lin Xuan! Lin—"
Before he could finish, the bodyguard clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Mmph—!"
He thrashed wildly, but the towering bodyguard’s grip was unbreakable.
Jiang Qing tensed at the mention of Lin Xuan’s name.
Sure enough, Su Hua halted, her gaze locking onto Kristy and the bodyguard.
"President Su," Jiang Qing stepped forward, "that man was causing trouble, so I had him removed."
Su Hua narrowed her eyes. "I could’ve sworn he called Ah Xuan’s name."
"Did he?" Jiang Qing feigned surprise. "He doesn’t even know Young Master Lin. Why would he shout his name? President Su, you must have misheard."
Outwardly calm, Jiang Qing’s palms were sweating.
An hour ago, after that call from the Shang Organization, she knew they’d stop at nothing to inform President Su that Lin Xuan was in their custody.
She had taken precautions to block their attempts.
But she never expected them to resort to something this direct.
"Really?" Su Hua’s piercing stare bore into Jiang Qing.
"Why would I lie to you, President Su? I truly didn’t hear anything."
Jiang Qing kept her head bowed, her voice lacking conviction.
She had forgotten one thing—Su Hua’s obsession with Lin Xuan. Anything related to him, no matter how trivial, she pursued relentlessly.
Even if it was false, she would dig to the bottom.
---
Thank you to 15ww51 for the super gift!
And to the lovely supporters: Slothful Capybara, Redamancy Love, Midnight Geng, and others!
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
