Fifteen minutes later, at the East Suburb Villa.
The man, his face covered with a piece of clothing, was brought to the basement level and then pushed into a gloomy room.
Inside the room was a table and several chairs, surrounded by icy concrete walls. Two mercenaries dragged him to the center, removed the cloth from his head, and the tape from his mouth.
Suddenly, a punch struck his abdomen hard.
The man groaned, blood trickling from his mouth. He saw the muscular mercenaries around him and felt extremely frightened, not knowing what kind of torture he would have to endure next.
"Speak, who sent you?" a mercenary asked in a rough voice.
The man, out of fear, didn’t know how to respond. He tried to remain calm, but couldn’t prevent his hands and feet from trembling.
Another mercenary let out a taunting laugh: "See, this is no more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Laughter broke out among them.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a black suit entered the room, his eyes dark and intense, exuding a terrifying ruthlessness.
It was none other than Ding Hui.
He was still bald; previously, when acting as a regular bodyguard at Leng Lingxiao Manor, he’d worn a wig to look more presentable. But now, out for a mission, he naturally didn’t need it.
As the leader of the mercenaries, Ding Hui had his ways to make the man talk.
He glanced coldly at the man lying on the ground, growing impatient.
"You should know, dragging out time under these circumstances is pointless. Tell me, who sent you, and what is your purpose?" Ding Hui spoke with authority.
The man struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth: "In your dreams, I won’t talk."
"Fine, then don’t blame me!"
As Ding Hui finished speaking, he punched the man’s face directly, and the man fell to the ground in pain. Ding Hui ordered the mercenaries to continue the interrogation until he spat out the truth.
Soon, cries of agony echoed from the man, each one extremely painful.
A heavy aura of death filled the room, and the man realized that his legs were likely ruined; blood was still flowing, but he barely felt pain in the injured area anymore. He knew he had to tell the truth as this ordeal was the most unbearable; it was better to just die than to suffer .
"Stop, stop hitting me, I’ll talk, I’ll talk."
Ding Hui’s thin lips curved slightly: "It would have been simpler if you’d done this earlier. Speak up, and if you dare hide anything, you should know... what the consequence will be."
"I know, it’s all true, all of it."
So, the man began to recount shakily how he was sent to track Leng Lingxiao.
But after hearing it, Ding Hui didn’t intend to let him go; instead, he treated him even more ruthlessly, causing unbearable pain.
The interrogation went on for a long time, and the man couldn’t endure any longer, ultimately passing out.
Outside in the corridor, Ding Hui pondered for a moment.
"Old Zhao, it’s Bai Long’s doing, says he acted alone, with Mr. Leng as his target." Ding Hui’s voice was low and cool as he reported, "But... I think it’s impossible that it’s just him; there must be other accomplices."
Zhao Renjie wasn’t surprised by the result, but he was still furious.
"Is this never going to end, itching for death?"
"What do you say we do next, how should we deal with this?" asked Ding Hui, lighting a cigarette, leaning against the wall.
Zhao Renjie frowned: "Same old rules."
While they were on the call, at number 66 Chunlei Street, Tang Xiaowan was lost in thought. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Couples in her hometown weren’t allowed to share a room at the girl’s family home, a tradition in Huang City. Even though Grandma Tang didn’t explicitly say so, Leng Lingxiao took the initiative to relocate to the side bedroom on the third floor.
After parting with Leng Lingxiao, Tang Xiaowan had been contemplating the noise she heard on the roof.
It had been so distinct, different from any sound a malfunctioning oven could make, and besides, Tang Xiaowan’s hearing had always been exceptional since she was young.
Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded.
It was Grandma Tang, strolling in.
She knew Tang Xiaowan couldn’t sleep and came to keep her company, wanting to chat about the next day’s visit to the Leng Family.
"Grandma, why haven’t you gone to bed yet?"
"Did you prepare everything you need to bring tomorrow?" Tang Mei asked gently.
"Yeah, Huahua said it’s in the car."
"See, Lingxiao is so thoughtful, unlike you, so careless. If I were a man... only Lingxiao would put up with you."
"Ugh, he is him, I am me. You always side with him. Now I don’t even want to go, so annoying!"
"Once you get the certificate, you’ll be the daughter-in-law of the Lingxiao Group, 15% of the shares, you know the market price... Grandma won’t mention that for now, let’s talk about Chi Sea and Hai Sheng. He actually entrusted them to you, you’re only 20, still a student... it shows how much Lingxiao trusts you. As his wife, shouldn’t you also consider his feelings?"
"Grandma, it’s not that I don’t want to visit his family; it’s just... I feel quite embarrassed about it. But rest assured, I will definitely go. I was just kidding earlier."
Tang Xiaowan gave a simple, silly smile, fearing a scolding and quickly fawning over Grandma Tang by tugging at her arm.
"So about the wedding... are you really planning on waiting until after graduation?"
"Yeah, haven’t we agreed on this before? Huahua also agreed, you can’t deceive me, your word is your bond, right?"
"But what if by accident..."
"It won’t happen, definitely won’t, Huahua promised me; she assured me she wouldn’t let me get pregnant."
"It’s not scary if it happens, you’re legally married now."
Oh my god, I’ve been influenced by Huahua, blurting it out like that?
"Grandma, I’m sleepy, good night."
Before her words even settled, Tang Xiaowan buried herself under the duvet, like a little rabbit in a hasty flight.
At this moment, all she wanted was to hide, to escape from embarrassment, to say nothing reassuring.
Tang Mei gently patted the bulge in the duvet, soothing her: "Alright, alright, a wedding awaited until graduation isn’t a problem, but you need to set a date in advance, so you have a clear idea in your mind, and we can also prepare your dowry."
"Didn’t I already receive it?" Tang Xiaowan asked from behind the duvet.
"The heavy hitters are yet to come."
With that, Tang Mei left the bedroom with a smile, her eyes full of tender love for her granddaughter.