96: interesting!

Sun Binghe's eyes glinted with a cold light, yet his smile became increasingly like a spring breeze: "Mr. Lu, you're here too."

The other man's body stiffened as he slowly turned around.

Lu Qing even had the urge to call the police.

The moment he recognized Shen Lian, he should have turned and left. But with the shadows of people blocking his view and his desire to see how things played out, he hadn't noticed Sun Binghe arriving with such a murderous aura.

Of course, he could easily find an excuse and insist it was just a gathering of friends.

But since Jin Lei making things difficult for Shen Lian had been caught red-handed by Sun Binghe, whether it was a gathering or not was no longer important. What was more troublesome was that Sun Binghe was clearly suspicious and would certainly investigate thoroughly afterward. His dealings with Jin Lei would most likely be impossible to hide.

Lu Qing's scalp tingled, but after Sun Binghe finished that sentence, he seemed to lose all interest in him.

"Teacher Shen," Sun Binghe said softly, "if everything's alright, I'll take you back first."

"Alright," Shen Lian replied, and immediately after, Jin Lei stood up.

"Wait a moment."

There was an aura about this man like a dull knife that draws no blood; he could stab you at any moment. Once his smile faded, the folds squeezed out by the fat on his face became as deep as knife carves, exuding a cold chill. His half-closed eyes opened fully—they weren't large, but they inexplicably gave off the feeling of a green-faced, fanged demon.

"Teacher Shen, I wasn't thoughtful enough regarding today's matter, so I apologize to you." Jin Lei's tone was still mild, but when he looked at Sun Binghe, his demeanor changed completely. "Young man, don't be too impulsive when doing things."

The curve of Sun Binghe's lips seemed to lift slightly. Even Jin Lei at full power wasn't enough to move him in the slightest. "Old thing."

Everyone: "..."

Ah! This is the feeling! Thrilling!

Kuang Chenghai was gloating wildly. The frustration of being scolded by Sun Binghe over a dozen times for a signature was instantly vented. An art of psychological balance is seeing someone even more unfortunate than yourself after you've had bad luck.

No matter what your status was, Sun Binghe wasn't afraid in the slightest.

Shen Lian couldn't help but laugh out loud, then said to Jin Lei, "One should do things appropriate for their age. Don't even think about anything else."

Sun Binghe's gaze shifted slightly. He had originally thought Jin Lei was someone's lapdog who was intentionally making things difficult after learning Shen Lian's identity. He was still calculating who would be so bold, but it turned out this Old thing was actually lusting after him?!

Consequently, Sun Binghe's impression of Jin Lei became extremely profound—to the point where if given a pen, he could immediately draw a portrait of him.

Shen Lian brushed past one of Jin Lei's Bodyguards and strolled leisurely to Sun Binghe's side.

Sun Binghe used his eyes to ask if Shen Lian was injured, and Shen Lian shook his head slightly.

Sun Binghe noticed that although the other party had few Bodyguards, they clearly had weapons tucked into their waists. Furthermore, looking at that Old thing's expression, if a conflict broke out, he would surely fight to the death. It wasn't necessary; Sun Binghe had more bloodless methods. As long as the other party remained within the Qudu territory, he would eventually dig up eight generations of this man's ancestors.

Shen Lian's safety was the top priority.

As they left, Kuang Chenghai acted with borrowed authority, pointing at each of them before cockily walking away.

As the group distanced themselves, Jin Lei turned and kicked over the young man who had just managed to scramble up. His next actions came without warning—a barrage of kicks and punches, one slap after another. The young man was like a living punching bag; at first, he could still beg for mercy a few times, but after a sound like a cat's mewling, he went completely silent, leaving only the dull thuds of blows hitting his body.

When he was finished, Jin Lei's hands were covered in blood, and his face was stained with quite a bit as well. He exhaled a breath, appearing to feel somewhat better.

The young man lying on the ground, his life or death unknown, was dragged away by the Bodyguards.

"Lu Qing," Jin Lei said coldly, "since you've seen Shen Lian before, why didn't you avoid him?"

If Jin Lei had known about this, he would have certainly stuffed Lu Qing into a crack in the wall so Shen Lian wouldn't see him.

Lu Qing's face was deathly pale and his lips trembled, but he didn't know what to say.

"That young man who called me an Old thing just now," Jin Lei spoke slowly, as if aiming at prey, "is he the project manager for Hengtai?"

As for being a person in charge, as long as his methods and money were in place, they could be replaced.

Lu Qing closed his eyes, his voice trembling: "N-no."

"He is Chu Yilan's special assistant."

The last trace of a smile on Jin Lei's face vanished completely.

No matter how Jin Lei imagined it, he never expected that an accidental encounter with Shen Lian—where he had acted on a whim and used a few small tricks as if playing with a cat or dog—would lead to this. Shen Lian had seen through him, which was fine; Jin Lei never expected Shen Lian to follow him willingly. But he had been planning for a long time to quietly intervene in the 'blue sea project,' only to be caught by Chu Yilan's confidant.

"Lu Qing," Jin Lei's voice was devoid of emotion, "you might have ruined my plans."

"Does a green kid really have that kind of capability?" one of Jin Lei's subordinates frowned and said. "If it really comes down to it, I'll find someone to give him a lesson; that'll surely shut him up."

Jin Lei didn't say a word. They were previously in Country A, where things were chaotic and many factions operated both in the light and the dark. Mostly, Sun Binghe's remark calling him an 'Old thing' had truly made him very unhappy.

"His surname is Jin, and everyone calls him CEO Jin," Shen Lian said in a low voice. "Looking at him, he's probably targeted you. You should be more careful."

"I'm only afraid he won't keep an eye on us," Sun Binghe said, completely unconcerned, his expression even revealing a hint of anticipation.

Shen Lian ended the meeting an hour early. When he arrived at Hengtai, Chu Yilan had just finished handling his official business.

"So early?" Chu Yilan was surprised.

Sun Binghe gently closed the office door.

Shen Lian sat on the sofa and listened as Sun Binghe reported the entire incident to Chu Yilan. Lu Qing could be kicked out of the game now. The key was that Lu Qing was considered a significant figure in a certain link; if he really betrayed Hengtai to cooperate with that Boss Jin, it only meant the other party had a significant background.

Shen Lian yawned and got up to go to the restroom.

Taking advantage of this moment, Sun Binghe whispered, "CEO Chu, that Boss Jin claims to be a fan of Mr. Shen."

Chu Yilan raised his eyelids, and Sun Binghe nodded.

Chu Yilan: "You know what to do."

"I know."

Shen Lian didn't need to get involved in these matters. When he came out, Sun Binghe had already left.

"Oh? I was just saying I'd treat Special Assistant Sun to a meal."

"It's the same if you treat him another day." Chu Yilan opened his arms, signaling for Shen Lian to come over. After pulling him into an embrace, he said, "Things are unstable right now. I'll add a few more Bodyguards for you. Is that alright?"

"Sure, why not?" Shen Lian smiled. "I'll get to experience the treatment of a big star."

Chu Yilan lightly rubbed against Shen Lian's neck. In a place the young man couldn't see, a sinister, inky blackness flowed in the man's eyes. He had truly been too good-tempered lately, allowing any random cat or dog to sneak into Qudu and try to interfere with his person.

When the two returned home, they were still greeted by Chu Zhumi's enthusiastic and bizarre posture. Once this little thing survived, its vitality was like a wild weed. Aunt Fen said it slept for at most two or three hours; at all other times, it was either running or on its way to pouncing on flowers and climbing trees. Its energy was terrifyingly abundant.