—
Ye Qiu’s arrival made Ma Dong and Gao Fei restless.
“Mr. Ye, w-what are you doing here?” Ma Dong asked, trembling, his hand shaking as he held his teacup.
Ye Qiu smiled, “Here for some business. Where’s Mr. Mu?”
“Mr. Mu just woke up and is washing his face, please wait a moment,” a stranger in a suit answered, emerging from an inner room, likely the Mu residence’s steward.
“Wait here, Mr. Mu will be out soon.”
The steward left hurriedly, without offering tea.
Ye Qiu’s trio sat across from Ma Dong and Gao Fei.
After a while, with Mu En still absent and no one speaking, the hall’s atmosphere grew heavy.
Ye Qiu broke the silence, smiling, “Young Master Ma, does your hand still hurt?”
Ma Dong’s mouth twitched, *You crippled my hand, don’t you know if it hurts?*
Furious inside, he hid it, saying, “Thanks for your concern, Mr. Ye, it’s much better after surgery.”
Ye Qiu nodded slightly, “Good to hear.”
“What are you meeting Mr. Mu for, Mr. Ye?” Ma Dong asked curiously.
Ye Qiu was open, “My girlfriend’s here to buy jade from Mr. Mu.”
Ma Dong glanced at Lin Jingzhi, who sat with her chin propped on her hand, occasionally flicking her hair, stirring his desires.
What a stunner.
If only she were mine.
Ma Dong recalled Gao Fei’s earlier words, how great it’d be to kill Ye Qiu, then Lin Jingzhi would be his to toy with.
For her, even losing ten years of life would be worth it.
He stole another glance at Lin Jingzhi, her every move captivating him, driving him wild.
So alluring normally, she must be even more so in bed!
Looking at Ye Qiu, a flicker of killing intent rose in Ma Dong’s heart.
But he quickly suppressed it.
“I can’t lust after Lin Jingzhi, or that bastard Ye Qiu won’t let me off.”
“Stunning as she is, she’s not worth my life.”
“Don’t provoke Ye Qiu.”
Ma Dong reined in his thoughts, waiting quietly.
About half an hour later, a middle-aged man emerged from the inner room, saying loudly, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The man, about 1.6 meters tall, over fifty, wore a round melon cap and a black Tang suit, a white jade thumb ring on his left hand, exuding authority.
Mu En!
Ye Qiu identified him instantly.
Mu En was stout, at least 200 pounds, his face fleshy, eyes narrowing to slits when he smiled.
He cupped his hands to the group, “Had a gathering last night, drank too much, so I overslept, my apologies.”
Ma Dong smiled, “Uncle Mu, long time no see, you’re still so spirited.”
“Hahaha, I do nothing but eat, drink, and sleep, of course I’m spirited,” Mu En said.
Sitting in the hall’s central chair, he asked Ma Dong, “How’s your father lately?”
“Doing well,” Ma Dong replied. “Before I came, my dad mentioned he found a gift for you, Uncle Mu, to give you in person next time you’re in Suzhou-Hangzhou.”
“Great, I’ll visit Suzhou-Hangzhou soon,” Mu En said, his gaze sweeping over Ye Qiu’s trio.
When he saw Lin Jingzhi, a flash of awe crossed his eyes.
What a beautiful woman!
Mu En stood, striding to Lin Jingzhi, smiling, “You must be Ms. Lin?”
“Hello, Mr. Mu, I’m Lin Jingzhi,” she said with a smile.
“Didn’t expect Ms. Lin to be such a beauty, a pleasure to meet you,” Mu En extended his right hand.
Lin Jingzhi reciprocated.
As their hands met, she tried to pull back, but Mu En held on tightly.
Worse, his other hand covered the back of hers.
Lin Jingzhi frowned.
“Ms. Lin, if you wanted jade, a call would’ve sufficed, no need to come in person,” Mu En said.
“But honestly, I feel an instant connection with you.”
“I’ve met many women, but one as beautiful, refined, and successful as you is rare.”
As he spoke, Mu En’s hands gently rubbed Lin Jingzhi’s, savoring her smooth skin.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Mu,” Lin Jingzhi said politely, trying to withdraw her hand, but Mu En’s grip was firm.
If not for her company’s urgent need for jade and fear of offending the local kingpin, Lin Jingzhi’s temper would’ve led to a kick and a curse for his shamelessness.
Ye Qiu noticed, a cold glint in his eyes, he flicked his finger, sending a burst of internal energy at Mu En’s wrist.
Thud!
Mu En felt a numbing sting, instinctively loosening his grip.
Lin Jingzhi quickly pulled her hand back.
Before Mu En could process it, the numbness faded, and he reached for her hand again.
This guy’s still at it?
Shameless!
Ye Qiu stood swiftly, stepping beside Lin Jingzhi, grabbing Mu En’s hand.
Mu En, still lingering on Lin Jingzhi’s softness, was displeased to find his hand held by a man, frowning, “Who are you?”
Mu En tried to pull free, but Ye Qiu’s grip was like iron.
He realized Ye Qiu wasn’t ordinary.
“Hello, Mr. Mu, I’m Ye Qiu, Lin Jingzhi’s boyfriend,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.
“So you’re Ms. Lin’s boyfriend, quite a fine young man,” Mu En laughed thrice, then said, “Ms. Lin, you’ve come a long way, let’s not waste time and get to business, how about it?”
Lin Jingzhi had been waiting for this, nodding with a smile, “Good.”
Only then did Ye Qiu release Mu En’s hand.
Mu En returned to his chair, saying, “I have a batch of jade, excellent quality, worth about a billion.”
Lin Jingzhi immediately said, “I’ll take the whole batch.”
“Ms. Lin, don’t rush, let me finish,” Mu En smiled. “You’re not the only one eyeing this batch, Ma Dong wants it too.”
“Ms. Lin, you’re my friend, and Ma Dong’s father is like a brother to me.”
“So, I’m in a bind, unsure who to give this batch to.”
