"Brag, go on and brag! A few thousand? Tens of thousands?" Murong Qingcheng tossed another tissue ball at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen put on a mock angry face and glanced at her. "Alright! So you don't believe your own man? Just wait till we get home—you'll see how I deal with you!"
…
Liu Ruyan never did get to meet Young Master Qian. She had no choice but to seek out the Qian family's steward for an inquiry.
But the steward didn't even give her a proper look, and bluntly stated that his young master didn't "hire prostitutes."
To Liu Ruyan, that was the ultimate humiliation.
That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. By dawn, she was still wide awake, her whole body burning with anger as if she might set the room ablaze.
"Outrageous! How dare they call me a prostitute! And that Young Master Qian—how dare he stand me up!"
After another round of venting, she finally dozed off for a short while.
At lunchtime, she was woken by the noise. With dark circles under her eyes and resentment all over her face, she walked into the dining room.
Liu Rulong, seeing his daughter's fury, put down his chopsticks and spoke earnestly:
"Daughter, just because a man stands you up, you can't let it throw you into such a state."
"You still don't understand men well enough. Young Master Qian did this on purpose."
At his words, Liu Ruyan's interest was piqued. She knew her father had risen in the world by courting wealthy women, so he was well-versed in these games.
"If he's been asking Xiao Mei about you, that means he likes you. But because of your engagement to the Lin family, he wouldn't cross the line."
"Now that you've broken off the engagement, he should logically be more proactive."
"But why would he stand you up? Simple—he's playing hard to get, trying to keep you hooked."
Liu Rulong gave her a knowing look, patting her shoulder. "Now you know what to do, right?"
Her eyes lit up with understanding. "Dad, I get it now. If he's playing hard to get, I'll return the favor."
"He likes me? Wants to keep me guessing? Then I'll make him dance in my palm."
"Maybe he'll come to me very soon. I need to get ready."
She hurried back to her room, and not long after—there was a knock on the door.
"Miss, Young Master Qian is here," came the butler's voice from outside.
A smile instantly bloomed on her face. Just as her father said—he really was playing hard to get.
"Heh, no rush. Let him wait a bit. I'm busy right now," Liu Ruyan said with a sultry smile toward the door.
"Butler, you know what to say, right?"
The butler nodded. "Yes, I know."
He returned to the living room and politely said to Qian Huaxin, "Young Master Qian, the young lady is occupied at the moment. Please wait a while."
Qian Huaxin's heart skipped. His plan had been to make her anxious, then appear dramatically so she'd be overjoyed.
Could she actually be mad for real? he wondered, a trace of regret creeping in. This woman wasn't simple—it seemed the usual tricks wouldn't work.
Regardless, she had to be his.
He waited nearly an hour before Liu Ruyan descended the stairs at a leisurely pace.
She wasn't angry, nor did she complain. Instead, she smiled as she approached.
"Young Master Qian, my apologies—I was busy just now and couldn't greet you right away."
He waved his hand quickly, smiling. "It's fine. Waiting for a beauty is a pleasure."
"About yesterday—sorry for the delay. Something came up at home. I should have told you in advance. I felt terrible for making you wait, so I came to apologize in person."
He stepped forward, hand outstretched to take hers—but she skillfully sidestepped and walked toward the door.
"No need to apologize—it's all in the past. I was being presumptuous," she said as she passed him.
"Young Master Qian, I have a business meeting, so I'll be going."
Seeing her about to leave, he panicked.
"Ruyan, it was my fault. I came here specifically to make it up to you!"
He held out a bag. "Please, accept this gift. As for business—our Qian family has already partnered with the Lin Group. That's nothing to worry about."
"I'll see to it that the Zhou family's entire Yancheng business can collaborate with your Liu family."
Inside, Liu Ruyan was delighted, though she didn't show it.
"Young Master Qian, I can't accept your gift without reason."
He stepped closer, taking her hand. "Ruyan, don't you understand my feelings? There's nothing wrong with accepting it."
She hesitated, appearing torn, then finally said, "In that case, I'll accept it. As for our cooperation…"
"Absolutely no problem," he assured her. "I'll hand all our most profitable projects to your Liu family."
"Then… thank you, Young Master Qian."
Inwardly, she was elated. Even if the Lin Group abandoned them, she could still raise the Liu family's status—perhaps even surpass the Lin Group in time.
Their misunderstanding was cleared, and they chatted happily.
But remembering yesterday's humiliation, Liu Ruyan grew upset again. She wanted Qian Huaxin to teach Lin Chen a lesson, so she brought up the "curse" that Old Master Qian would die in three days.
"What?! That brat Lin Chen dared curse my grandfather?"
She exaggerated the story, fanning the flames until Qian Huaxin was furious.
"Unforgivable! I won't let him off—this needs to be settled!"
Seeing her goal achieved, she feigned concern. "Young Master Qian, maybe we should let it go. Lin Chen's got some tricks—your family might take a loss."
His face flushed with anger. "No! My Qian family will never take a loss!"
"We've dominated the southern region—we fear no one! Lin Chen? He's nothing without the He family. Without them, he'd be begging for scraps in no time!"
Pulling out his phone, he barked, "Find out where Lin Chen is! I'm going to kill him!"
…
Yancheng, Imperial Villas.
The Qian family, moving into Yancheng, had purchased a villa complex here as their headquarters.
"Master Qian, this is Chen Quanlong, head of Wudong Martial Hall."
"Master Chen's martial arts are unmatched. His students are renowned—many hold high posts in the War Division."
Qian Dafeng looked at Chen Quanlong. He had heard of the man's reputation. If they could partner, the Qian family's power would rise again.
"Master Chen, a pleasure," Qian Dafeng said, shaking his hand.
"The pleasure's mine," Chen Quanlong replied, signaling for a disciple to bring forward a gift.
"I heard you have an old injury. By chance, I obtained a ginseng root—please accept it."
He opened the ornate box to reveal a wild ginseng root.
Everyone present could tell—it was a wild mountain ginseng, young in size but of astonishing age.
A hundred-year wild ginseng was rare enough, let alone this thousand-year root.
"This… is a rare thousand-year wild ginseng!"
Chen Quanlong smiled lightly, closed the box, and handed it over.
"My disciple found it while working in the Northern Territory and gave it to me. I'm merely passing it on, hoping it will help you."