After struggling for a while, Gu Yan finally realized he couldn't pull Leng Qingqiu into his arms no matter what.
On top of that, she said she was going upstairs to read.
Left with no choice, Gu Yan gave up.
"Qingqiu, dinner's ready. I'll come call you later."
"Got it. Get out."
"Hiss… Qingqiu, you're so beautiful when you curse…"
Click.
The study door closed.
Bang!
Leng Qingqiu suddenly covered her face.
Shame and anger surged together.
She opened her eyes. Though those eyes were usually calm and colorless, the blush spreading across her cheeks gave her an unexpectedly seductive beauty.
"What a rude man."
"Doesn't he know that I'm not only the actual controller of the Leng family…"
"But also the King of the Night?"
"He actually dared to do that to me in front of my subordinates!"
"My image is completely ruined!"
"Damn bastard."
Leng Qingqiu clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
No—
She couldn't let Gu Yan disrupt her mindset or her plans.
Since the young master of the Dragon King Palace was proving difficult to deal with, she would shift her focus to weaker forces first.
Even though she wanted to think that way—
Something had happened at the company recently.
Leng Qingqiu reached for the letter sent by Leng Xing'an, the head of the Leng family.
It read:
[My niece, this is bad. There's a traitor inside the company. He ran off with our research data! According to our investigation, he was sent by Yanxing Group! What should we do now?]
"…Sigh."
Leng Qingqiu sighed softly.
Leng Xing'an's helpless expression seemed to appear before her eyes.
What would the Leng family do without me?
Yanxing Group…
Her eyes darkened slightly.
According to the intelligence Jun Zilan had delivered earlier, the Hall of King of Hell had already intervened in the secular world.
Yanxing Group was the real estate company they had established.
More than half of the buildings in Jianghai City were built by them. Their influence was terrifying.
After being rooted in Jianghai for so many years, they must have infiltrated every corner of the city.
Who knew how many warriors they had under their command?
Leng Qingqiu's expression grew solemn.
Her current strength was still too weak. Acting rashly against the Hall of King of Hell would be far too risky.
And there was one thing she didn't understand—
Why would a real estate company like Yanxing Group want the Leng family's medical technology?
Leng Qingqiu frowned and bit her nail lightly.
After a moment, her gaze turned cold.
She would have Mei Xue and the others investigate.
Dig up everything about the Hall of King of Hell.
---
Kitchen
The atmosphere was… strange.
Gu Yan was washing vegetables.
Mei Xue was cutting them.
Gu Yan asked casually, "Why were you taking a shower at my place?"
Your place?
Mei Xue frowned slightly.
"The master told me to wash here."
"Oh."
Gu Yan nodded, then continued, "What did Qingqiu ask you to do?"
"Tell me."
Given their secret relationship, Gu Yan didn't feel the need to put on an act.
Mei Xue hesitated.
Should she say it?
Would this count as leaking a confidential mission from the master?
But… this matter involved Gu Yan anyway.
After thinking it through, she decided to speak. Maybe it would even increase Gu Yan's trust.
"After I was injured by Xiao Lin yesterday, the master treated me."
"After that, she asked me to secretly protect you."
The moment Gu Yan heard this—
His face lit up.
He even started washing the vegetables more enthusiastically.
"Ahahaha! Is that so?"
"As expected of our Qingqiu!"
He felt warm inside.
So Qingqiu was actually this considerate—she even arranged secret protection for him.
On the surface, she told him to die and acted cold.
What a tsundere.
Mei Xue sneered inwardly when she saw his reaction.
Idiot man.
You probably don't know that the master's real goal is to make you so moved that she can eventually seize your Gu family, right?
Enjoy your happiness while it lasts.
Once I finish the remaining four tasks and get news about my brother, I'll immediately expose your true face to the master!
Gu Yan, of course, had no idea what Mei Xue was thinking.
While feeling pleased, his thoughts drifted to a key plot point from the original novel.
If nothing went wrong—
An early-stage villain in Jianghai City was about to appear.
The Hall of King of Hell.
This organization was the largest martial arts force in Jianghai City.
They were involved in every industry and had established Yanxing Group as their front.
They even had business ties with the Gu family.
Every year, representatives from the Hall of King of Hell were invited to the Gu family's annual banquet.
On the surface, they seemed harmonious—partners making money together.
In reality, that wasn't the case at all.
The master of the Hall of King of Hell harbored a massive ambition—
To annex all the families in Jianghai City.
To become the emperor of Jianghai.
His name was Yan Huang, a mid-stage Grandmaster.
In the original book, he was a major early villain.
The family he targeted happened to be the Shen family.
As Shen Wan'er's new devoted admirer, Xiao Lin naturally stepped in.
After a series of life-and-death battles, Xiao Lin broke through the peak of the early Grandmaster stage and officially entered the mid-stage.
He then killed Yan Huang, seized all the Hall of King of Hell's assets, and expanded his influence once again.
From then on, he truly became a rising figure in Jianghai City.
In short—
A very troublesome organization.
But Gu Yan wasn't too worried.
According to the original plot, the Hall of King of Hell would eventually be destroyed by the protagonist anyway.
And the reason it was tied to the protagonist was simple—
One of the families the Hall wanted to annex was the Shen family.
As Shen Wan'er's loyal protector, Xiao Lin naturally took responsibility.
He not only resolved the Shen family's crisis, but also gained Shen Wan'er's favor.
So Gu Yan only needed to develop steadily in the shadows.
Let Xiao Lin handle the Hall of King of Hell.
As Gu Yan thought this far—
He suddenly froze.
His expression turned strange.
Wait.
According to the original book's detailed description…
The reason the Hall of King of Hell tried to annex Jianghai—
Was actually because of Leng Qingqiu's instructions.
Their repeated clashes with Xiao Lin were also under her command.
And when Yan Huang died, he said this:
["Hahahaha!! Do you think killing me means peace? The truly terrifying existence hasn't even appeared yet!!"]["Everyone involved back then will die!! The devil has crawled out of hell!!"]["Xiao Lin—you will face the consequences too!!"]["You! Your friends! Your comrades! All of you will die!!"]["Hahaha! I'll wait for you in hell!!"][]
The memory ended.
Gu Yan's mouth twitched.
"…This is all your fault, Qingqiu."