Chapter 25: At Your Mercy

If this had been before, had I joked with Ling Xuan that I was her man, she surely would have flown into a rage. Yet, at this moment, she said nothing. After a brief pause, she lowered her voice and said, "You should head out first."

"Shall I go and fetch the card for you then?"

"No need. With such a large sum, we need to go to the bank and handle it in person."

"Alright then. I'll be stepping out."

Humming a little tune, I returned to my room and played on my phone for a while. Just as I was about to go take a shower, a knock sounded at the door.

The door was unlocked. I turned my head to look and was surprised to see Ling Xi.

She stood at the doorway with an expressionless face.

"Xi Xi, what's up?" I sat up from the bed.

Ling Xi walked over to me without a word, her face blank and her tone stiff. "If you dare breathe a word about what happened this morning, I'll fight you to the death!"

I smiled as I looked her over. Her face still held a hint of childishness, which, paired with her trendy hairstyle and outfit, made her look incredibly cute.

Yes, she was a quintessential cute girl.

Her figure was well-developed; though not as exaggerated as Ling Xuan's, it was still delicate and graceful. She loved wearing tight black skinny jeans, which clung to her long legs, making them look smooth and slender—quite eye-catching.

Remembering the scene from that morning, some rather unhealthy images instantly surfaced in my mind.

She’s not so little anymore, is she!

I smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely keep your secret."

That was a sentence only the two of us understood. Even though Ling Xi was no longer a child, it would be fair to say she was still "wet behind the ears"—and that was being generous.

Ling Xi glared at me for a long moment before saying, "As compensation, you will accompany me tomorrow afternoon to teach those punks a lesson."

Ah, so that was her true motive! And she had refused so flatly just a moment ago!

"So that’s it!" I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't be shy! Anyone who dares to bully you, I’ll be sure to beat them up for you!"

Ling Xi’s tense expression softened a little. She said quietly, "Alright, I'll contact you after school tomorrow afternoon. Take down my number and add me on WeChat."

After noting her number and adding her on WeChat, Ling Xi’s expression had completely relaxed, looking no different than usual.

I asked, "Where did you run into them?"

"Near Tianhe Vocational School of Technology. They must be students from that college."

"There are punks in college, too?"

"It’s probably a vocational college, I’m not entirely sure. I’ve been there a few times, but this was the first time I ran into people like that."

I nodded. Seeing that Ling Xi had returned to normal—though her arrival had been too stiff, leaving her still a bit unnatural—I smiled and said, "Xi Xi, as a cute girl, don't keep such a straight face. You look much better and cuter when you smile."

Ling Xi was only seventeen, after all, still possessing a child's temperament. She couldn't truly act profound for long and immediately flashed a smile. Her voice grew more cheerful as she said, "Since you helped me this time, I won't hold it against you."

"Haha, is that so? It seems you're easier to talk to than your sister!"

Ling Xi immediately beamed, loosening up even more. She glared at me and said with mock dissatisfaction, "Don't you dare speak ill of my sister. Also, don't try to get familiar with me. Even if I'm not holding this against you, I still think you're a big pervert and a huge creep."

My smile froze. "Then how dare you stand here laughing and talking with a big pervert like me? Aren't you afraid I'll do something bad?"

As I said this, I stretched out my hands and made a mock grabbing motion.

Ling Xi was startled and stepped back in fear, but then she realized I was just teasing her. She let out a dainty huff and said, "My sister is here, I'm not afraid of you. But you are afraid of my sister."

"Who told you I'm afraid of your sister? If anything, she's the one who's afraid of me."

"Hmph, I can tell." Ling Xi tossed her head triumphantly, then turned and walked away with a light, brisk step.

The next day, when I returned from my morning run and workout, Ling Xuan and Ling Xi came downstairs one after the other.

Ling Xuan wasn't as stiff-faced as before. Although she wasn't smiling, her eyes were much softer.

Since it was Monday, Ling Xi had to get up early to head to school.

While Ling Xuan was preparing breakfast, Ling Xi sat on the living room sofa, glancing over at me from time to time.

Actually, I had wanted to help with breakfast, but I couldn't skip my workout, so I had to leave it to Ling Xuan.

After breakfast, Ling Xi rode her electric scooter to school, and I drove Ling Xuan to the company in the BMW.

The office was noticeably livelier than the past two days. I ran into employees everywhere I went, and they would greet Ling Xuan while curiously eyeing me.

When I pushed open the door to Ling Xuan's office, a slim woman in an OL suit was wiping down the coffee table. Hearing the noise, she looked up.

She appeared to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven, wearing light makeup. Her features were delicate and her expression gentle, suggesting she was a mild-mannered person.

She must be Ling Xuan's secretary, Huang Xiaohui.

"Good morning, Ms. Ling." Huang Xiaohui immediately stood up straight and greeted her with a smile.

"Morning, Xiaohui," Ling Xuan nodded.

Huang Xiaohui's gaze shifted to me.

I walked over, extended my right hand, and smiled. "Hello, Xiaohui. I'm Ms. Ling's bodyguard, Chu Fan."

"Oh, hello. I'm Ms. Ling's secretary, Huang Xiaohui." Huang Xiaohui shook my hand, looking a bit puzzled but not asking any further questions.

"Xiaohui, please prepare a shareholding certificate." After sitting down, Ling Xuan began to arrange her work, her mental state much better than it had been the past two days.

Huang Xiaohui acknowledged the request and went straight to the cabinet nearby to fetch it without asking any questions.

A shareholding certificate is much like a diploma; it’s a formality, as the key is to register the shareholder's identity with the Administration for Industry and Commerce.

I didn't concern myself with their work and went straight to brewing some tea.

I had barely finished two cups when Ling Xuan had already signed and stamped the certificate, handed it to me, and then led me out of the company.

Mondays were usually busy with many matters and potentially many visitors, but to Ling Xuan, these things didn't seem to be the priority.

We first went to the Administration for Industry and Commerce to register my status as a shareholder, then rushed without pause to various banks to transfer my funds into the company's account. Fortunately, Ling Xuan had connections, and since we were major clients, we didn't need to wait in line, so everything went quite smoothly.

All morning, I followed Ling Xuan around, witnessing her vast network of contacts and her excellent social skills.

Almost everywhere we went, Ling Xuan knew someone—or rather, everyone knew Ling Xuan.

By the time we finished, it was past one in the afternoon.

There was no time to return to the company for a meal, so we found a high-end restaurant nearby.

"Hey, Miss, even with my constitution, I'm starting to feel a bit dizzy. How are you still so energetic?"

We didn't book a private room and instead found a window seat in the main hall.

Ling Xuan sat across from me. Hearing this, she revealed a faint smile. "To me, this is work. To you, it's boring. Of course, it's different."

I leaned back comfortably in my chair, staring intently at Ling Xuan's infinitely charming face, and smiled. "Miss, you should smile more often in the future. It looks quite good."

Ling Xuan suppressed her smile and turned to look out the window, but she didn't seem displeased. "You're a major shareholder of the company now, so don't keep calling me 'Miss'."

"Didn't I say this morning that my status as a shareholder is just for show? I'm not going to manage anything; my real job is still your bodyguard. By the way, do I still get my salary?"

Ling Xuan gave me a helpless sidelong glance. "You'll still get your salary."

"That's good. Now I have money for spicy hot pot again."

"Oh, look who's eating here, Ms. Ling!" A man's voice came from behind and to the right—it sounded familiar.

I turned back to see Liu Xiaofeng with his arm around a sexy beauty in a tight black dress, walking down from the floor above. Behind him followed two tall, burly, and cold-looking bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses.

Ling Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly, and she turned her head to look out the window without giving him the time of day.

When I saw Liu Xiaofeng, he saw me too.

His expression darkened instantly. He let go of the beauty and quickened his pace toward us.

Hm, I suppose it was the morning before last that I beat him up; I didn't expect him to recover so quickly.

"So this little brat is here too!" Liu Xiaofeng's voice held no fear, only intense hatred.

I paused for a moment and took another look at the two bodyguards behind him, then let out a cold laugh. "You idiot, Mr. Liu, did you learn your lesson after I slapped you last time, to the point you had to hire two bodyguards?"

"You!" Liu Xiaofeng's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

The beauty and the two bodyguards were all stunned.

Someone dared to slap the son of the Dajin Group chairman?

The four of them quickly stood by our table.

Ling Xuan gave me a strange look but ignored Liu Xiaofeng and his group.

I, however, leaned back lazily and didn't even look at them directly.

Liu Xiaofeng was so angry he started laughing. "Ms. Ling, I heard you never keep men around you. What, couldn't handle the loneliness anymore and decided to go on a date? But your taste seems a bit off! A loser like this, aside from having some brute strength... oh, a 'tough guy'! So that's the kind of taste you have!"

The beauty next to Liu Xiaofeng looked at Ling Xuan, seemingly jealous for no reason, and said sarcastically, "What a slut!"

Liu Xiaofeng had been humiliated in the street by me last time, and today, relying on his bodyguards, he clearly intended to settle the score.

Seeing how unbridled he was, he must have been quite confident in his bodyguards.

But in front of me, what did they amount to?

*Slap!*

Ling Xuan furrowed her brows, slammed her hand on the table, and shouted coldly, "Get lost!"

I gestured with my hand, calm and collected. "Miss, don't be impatient. Today, I'm following your lead. They are like fish on a cutting board, ready for you to dispose of. When I'm wild, I'm truly wild—broken limbs, broken legs, or leaving them unable to have children—it's all up to you. If you want their lives, I wouldn't hesitate to kill them in public!"