Zhou Liu-lang had thought his emotions were calm enough to face this lady again, believing that no matter what she said, he wouldn’t be agitated—but in an instant, his face flushed red.
This lady—why are the things she says always so infuriating!
He had assumed she would simply say something like “I won’t treat you,” but instead, she said he’d have to kneel and beg her to treat him!
Zhou Liu-lang clenched his fists and took a step forward.
“Helping is helping, I wouldn’t dare to use that to threaten you,” said Young Master Qin with a smile, while being supported by the servant and offering a simple bow. “I only wish to please you.”
What a cheeky yet clever thing to say.
The maid smiled slightly.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him, then suddenly smiled as well.
“When you speak, it pleases me,” she said, lightly shaking her round fan. “If you help me this time, I will treat your leg.”
Zhou Liu-lang was once again stunned, and Young Master Qin was also taken aback.
“What did you say?” Zhou Liu-lang shouted, stepping forward a few paces.
“My mistress said, if you help her and she’s pleased, she’ll treat his leg,” the maid said with a snort.
Judging from their previous interactions, this lady didn’t seem to speak falsehoods…
Once she set a rule, she would follow through with it.
Help her, and she’ll treat the leg…
The long-awaited hope had come so suddenly that the two of them were caught off guard, standing dazed in the courtyard.
“If you can’t help, then forget it,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
No!
“We can help!” Zhou Liu-lang shouted.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him.
“Your family is like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river—struggling just to stay afloat—and you think you can help me?” she asked. “Just not dragging me down would already be a help.”
Zhou Liu-lang’s face turned red.
Who was dragging whom down? If it weren’t for her, would any of this even be happening?
“If you had told us earlier, we could’ve prepared!” he said with a tense face.
So she’d had this plan from the beginning, but only now let them know.
And back then, she had spoken so decisively…
“That ‘Passing Immortal’ originally belonged to you, but the Dou family claimed it for themselves. Can you really be content with that?”
“That wasn’t mine to begin with—why would I be discontent?”
And yet, what happened?
Right where the Immortal’s Abode used to be, the new Tai Ping Residence suddenly emerged.
That wildly popular restaurant now, along with the famous ‘eat-as-you-please’ that even private chefs try to replicate—it must all be her doing too.
“Of course it’s true—they made it. It was honestly quite terrible. They ruined the food. I gave them some pointers, so the world could share in the true taste.”
“The world could share”—hah, so that’s what she meant.
This lady—always manipulating her words, always playing hard to get! A liar!
Wait a second… could what she said earlier also be untrustworthy?
If you help me this time, I’ll treat your leg.
Zhou Liu-lang carefully repeated the sentence in his heart, dissecting it word by word, trying to see if there was any loophole.
Seeing Zhou Liu-lang fall into a daze after just one sentence, Cheng Jiao-niang no longer paid him any attention. Young Master Qin ignored him as well, allowing the servant to support him as they made their way toward the main hall.
“That sentence of yours was truly too deadly,” Young Master Qin said with a smile. “It’s like telling a dying man, ‘I’ll give you a life.’ At that point, asking him for help—hell, even asking him to kill someone—he’d raise his blade without a second thought.”
Cheng Jiao-niang sat down and looked at him.
“Then, would you?” she asked.
“Of course I would,” Young Master Qin replied without hesitation.
Cheng Jiaoniang smiled slightly.
“Yes… No matter what, we should still cherish ourselves a bit more,” she said.
Young Master Qin nodded.
“That’s why I share this cup with you,” he said, taking the tea the maid had pushed toward him. He lifted it in a slight gesture of respect, took a sip, and set it down. “So this time, let’s go straight at that Liu fellow.”
“What about Dou Qi?” asked Zhou Liu-lang as he walked in from outside.
“Kill him and be done with it.”
A female voice and a male voice spoke at the same time.
Zhou Liu-lang looked at the two seated people, momentarily speechless.
The lady—well, that was to be expected; she already had several lives on her hands. But why was Shi’san getting involved too?
He looked at Young Master Qin. The young man’s face remained as pure and warm as ever, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze. But if one looked closely, they could see his eyes were much brighter than usual—like faint sparks smoldered within them.
Was it just as he had said earlier?
Like telling a dying man, “I’ll give you a life”—not to mention helping, even if you asked him to kill, he’d raise the blade without hesitation.
He always said he had let go—but in truth, he hadn’t.
Had he never let go? Or was it this lady’s repeated words that stirred something deep within him, a part of himself he had long forgotten?
Killing…
“At this point, there’s no need to waste effort on a pawn like that,” said Young Master Qin, glancing at Zhou Liu-lang.
Zhou Liu-lang said nothing and knelt to the side.
“My father will be back in at most ten days,” he said. “There’s still time to plan carefully.”
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“There’s no time,” she said. “This has to be done before your father returns.”
What?
Zhou Liu-lang frowned.
“Do you think this is as simple as killing a few street thugs?” he barked. “Do you even know what time it is? And you’re still acting on impulse! Yes, my father used to look down on you, used to treat you coldly—that’s only because… because he didn’t see you as a true blood relative of the Zhou family. But now, things are different. Fine, maybe it sounds harsh, maybe even heartless, but the truth is: now that you’re useful, now that you’re no longer some useless fool, you are considered part of the Zhou bloodline. My father would never stand by and do nothing. He might scold you, but he definitely wouldn’t abandon you.”
He said it all in one breath. Silence fell over the room.
Yes, that was the truth. Because she had once been worthless, the Zhou family had no use for her, so they discarded her without pity. But now that she had value, they suddenly cared, suddenly wanted to protect her and keep her close.
Harsh as it sounded, that was the reality—the truth this lady had long understood, and the truth he was only now beginning to face.
“Acting on impulse?” Cheng Jiao-niang spoke, shaking her head. “You’re overthinking it.”
Zhou Liu-lang frowned and looked at her.
“In this matter, your father can’t help me,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Zhou Liu-lang was stunned, then his face flushed red.
What…?
“It’s actually better if he doesn’t return,” Cheng Jiao-niang continued, turning to look at Young Master Qin. “Right now, Secretariat Editor Liu believes everything happening is orchestrated by Master Zhou behind the scenes. So once he’s intimidated, he won’t make another move. He’ll simply wait for Master Zhou to return. This period, ironically, is the safest and most relaxed time for us.”
Young Master Qin nodded.
“That’s right. Secretariat Editor Liu is exactly that kind of cautious person,” he said.
“Which is why this—right now—is our opportunity,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Young Master Qin smiled.
“Our—I like that word,” he said.
“So what’s the plan?” Zhou Liu-lang interrupted, asking.
“We need to be brazen,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
What? Brazen?
It was near midday, and the streets were sweltering, so those seeking relief from the heat crowded into the restaurants.
The main hall of Immortal’s Abode had been full of diners these past few days. Since the usual summer specialty, Passing Immortal, had fallen out of favor, they had started serving regular stir-fried dishes like other restaurants.
Dou Qi was admiring the newly placed flowers in front of a mirror. Out of the corner of his eye, he could occasionally see the main hall through the window.
“See that? Once the bad luck cleared, business picked right up,” he said casually.
The manager was fiddling with the abacus, fully aware that business hadn’t truly recovered—but he also knew better than to dampen his master’s mood.
“Yes, yes. Once things are fully settled, business will be even better,” he replied with a smile, playing along.
Dou Qi smiled as he adjusted his hat, turned around, and looked at the main hall in the mirror. But after just two sentences, something suddenly felt off.
The hall reflected in the mirror seemed to stir, and then noise reached his ears.
He instinctively leaned closer to the mirror and saw several men with clubs appear within its reflection.
“Smash it! Smash it all!”
Wooden clubs came crashing down—tables flipped into the air, food and wine scattered, seated customers screamed and fled, and the entire main hall erupted into chaos as everyone rushed for the exits.
“Who are you people?” The restaurant staff shouted as they backed away, staring at the four or five burly men in front of them.
“Tell Dou Qi to come out!”
The men didn’t answer their question—instead, they shouted while advancing with clubs in hand.
The staff scattered, covering their heads.
“What do you think you’re doing? Are you rebelling?” Dou Qi rushed out from the back, shouting angrily with furrowed brows while waving his hand. “Guards! Someone come!”
“Who? You’re Dou Qi, aren’t you? Dressed up like some damn pretty boy rabbit god…” Xu Bangchui sneered, staring him down. “You’ve already climbed on top of our Tai Ping Residence to shit and piss, and you still don’t know who we are?”
With that, he thrust his club straight forward.
Dou Qi didn’t dodge in time and was struck on the shoulder. With a scream of pain, he fell to the ground.
Watching Dou Qi writhe and howl in agony on the floor, Xu Bangchui spat dismissively.
“Pah. You wanted someone else’s hand—I’ll take your whole arm. Fair’s fair!” he said with venom.
