Chapter 1325: 229: Pay the price!

Using someone like Liu Bingjie as a spokesperson is essentially tarnishing your own reputation.

Ni Yang is not the kind of person who seeks trouble.

With Liu Bingjie’s personality, sooner or later she’s bound to pay the price for her words and actions—after all, there’s no shortage of influential people in this circle.

The matter of the spokesperson needs to be reconsidered.

Secretary Wen nodded. In fact, her first impression of Liu Bingjie wasn’t great either, but she hadn’t thought about it too deeply.

A boss is a boss. The reason why Ni Yang has succeeded is not without merit.

There was another layer of admiration in Secretary Wen’s gaze as she looked at Ni Yang.

Because it was summer, even though it was already a little late, the streets and alleys were still filled with people, and there were various food stalls set up along the way.

"Secretary Wen, do you want to eat stinky tofu?" Ni Yang turned to look at Wen.

Secretary Wen froze for a moment.

Before Secretary Wen could respond, Ni Yang had already walked up to the stall. "Boss, I’ll have two orders of stinky tofu."

"Alright, that’ll be five cents in total."

Ni Yang handed over five cents to the boss, took the stinky tofu, and handed one portion to Secretary Wen.

Secretary Wen genuinely hadn’t expected Ni Yang to eat something like stinky tofu.

Although stinky tofu was quite tasty... she couldn’t help but feel that Ni Yang’s image and stinky tofu didn’t quite match.

"Secretary Wen, are you hungry?" Ni Yang asked after finishing a piece of stinky tofu.

"Uh, not too hungry," Secretary Wen replied.

Ni Yang continued, "There’s a rice noodle stall over there; let’s go grab a bowl of rice noodles."

"Alright," Secretary Wen nodded.

After finishing the rice noodles, the two returned to the inn.

Meanwhile.

Liu Bingjie followed Du Ye back to the mansion, feeling incredibly uneasy the whole way.

Thankfully, Du Ye hadn’t made things difficult for her along the way.

Could it be that Ni Yang isn’t that important to Du Ye after all?

Was she mistaken?

Otherwise, why didn’t Du Ye even bother to see Ni Yang off when she left Hang City?

Thinking of this, Liu Bingjie felt somewhat relieved.

At that moment, Du Ye suddenly turned back to look at her. "You can go now." His calm voice was almost devoid of any emotion, impossible to discern joy or anger.

"Alright," Liu Bingjie responded promptly, and tentatively asked, "Should I come see you again tomorrow?"

Du Ye fiddled with his Buddha beads, saying nothing, and walked straight into the mansion.

Liu Bingjie stared at Du Ye’s retreating figure, unable to understand his intent.

After their interactions that afternoon, she thought she had made a decent impression on him.

So why was he suddenly so distant?

Liu Bingjie furrowed her brows.

Perhaps Du Ye is simply naturally aloof?

Sighing, Liu Bingjie turned and left.

Meanwhile.

Ni Yang and Secretary Wen didn’t get back to the inn until after eight o’clock that evening.

The next day, the two took a cab to the airport.

The driver was a local from Hang City. "Young comrades, are you traveling somewhere for vacation?"

By this time, travel restrictions requiring introduction letters had been abolished, and people could move around quite freely. Since Ni Yang’s appearance and manner seemed to fit in as a local, the driver naturally assumed both she and Secretary Wen were residents.

Ni Yang smiled and said, "We’re flying home."

"Home?" The driver exclaimed in surprise. "You’re not locals?"

"No," Ni Yang replied.

"I thought you were from Hang City. Why not marry into Hang City? I happen to know a progressive young man," the driver suggested.

Ni Yang chuckled. "I’m already married."

"Married?" The driver was even more surprised. "Young comrade, you don’t look very old!"

"I’m twenty-two years old," Ni Yang replied.

"Twenty-two? I thought you were only eighteen or nineteen! You really don’t look it—your hometown must have great water and soil to raise someone like you!"

Ni Yang smiled faintly.

Before long, the car arrived at the airport.

The driver got out to open the door and handed the luggage from the trunk to Ni Yang. "Here we are, young comrade. That’ll be one yuan and five cents total."

It was a drizzly day in Hang City. Ni Yang handed the money to the driver and took the luggage.

She was dressed in a plain white cheongsam, paired with an oiled-paper umbrella shielding her head—a picture as serene and striking as a dense ink painting when viewed from afar.

A black car was parked in front of the taxi. Someone was sitting in the driver’s seat, but because of the special material of the windows, the interior could not be seen from outside.

"President Ni, wait a moment! I need to check the mirror!" Secretary Wen said.

"Hmm?" Ni Yang looked at her questioningly.

Secretary Wen said sheepishly, "I think I might’ve gotten some food stuck in my teeth while eating those veggie buns this morning..."

"Go ahead," Ni Yang replied indifferently, turning away.

Secretary Wen began picking her teeth in front of the car’s mirror.

Presumably believing there was no one in the car, Secretary Wen wasn’t at all concerned about her appearance, even baring her gums in the process.

A few seconds later, Secretary Wen walked back to Ni Yang’s side. "Alright, President Ni, let’s go."

Ni Yang nodded.

The two disappeared into the airport’s entrance.

It was a long time before the door of the black car opened. A tall figure stepped out of the vehicle, snow-white fingers holding a strand of blood-red Buddha beads.

Fine droplets of rain soaked his clothes.

He had committed countless sins and was unworthy of someone so perfect as her.

Therefore, his only course now was to not interfere, to not intrude...

Much time passed.

Finally, he turned back and got into the car.

Mere moments later, the car stopped in front of a tattoo shop.

At this time, the most common tattoos were the symbols of the gangsters from Hong Kong Island.

The tattoo shop’s owner was a thirty-something man who handed Du Ye a booklet. "Here. Pick the design you want tattooed."

"Just tattoo a single Chinese character for me."

"Alright," the owner nodded. "Which character would you like?"

Du Ye casually uttered one word.

"Where would you like it?"

"Over my heart," Du Ye replied.

"Is it your lover’s name?" the owner asked tentatively.

Du Ye remained silent.

Seeing his unresponsiveness, the shopkeeper refrained from asking further questions and began preparing the tattoo equipment. "Lie down over there."

Tattooing couldn’t be done under anesthesia, yet throughout the entire process, Du Ye didn’t so much as furrow his brow.

The shopkeeper was astonished. He had encountered many clients and tattooed many people, but never had he seen someone with such remarkable endurance.

Clearly, the person behind this name must be someone he loved to his very bones.

After arriving in Beijing, Ni Yang didn’t go straight home but instead headed to the office with Secretary Wen.

Little did they know, a breaking news report was airing on television.

A convicted felon in Beijing had escaped while on a hospital visit!

The fugitive was none other than Zhao Jingrong.

After her escape, the first place Zhao Jingrong headed was Jinghua Village.

Two-year-old Yuanyuan was sitting at the doorstep playing with mud.

Ni Chengui was in the courtyard washing clothes.

Zhao Jingrong recognized Yuanyuan and knew she was Ni Chengui’s child.

She quietly circled behind Yuanyuan and delivered a knife-hand strike to her neck. The little girl blacked out instantly.

Holding the unconscious child, Zhao Jingrong stepped into the courtyard.

"Ni Chengui."

Ni Chengui spun around in shock when she heard the sudden voice. Turning her head, she saw Zhao Jingrong holding Yuanyuan.

"Who—who are you?"

After so much time in prison, Zhao Jingrong had become a shell of her former self—disheveled and unkempt. Ni Chengui didn’t immediately recognize her, which was understandable.

The longer Ni Chengui looked, the more familiar the person seemed. Squinting, she said, "You—you, are you Zhao Jingrong? Weren’t you in prison? How did you..."

Before she could finish, Zhao Jingrong suddenly pulled out a dagger and pressed it against Yuanyuan’s neck. "Don’t shout! Or I’ll kill her!"

Ni Chengui struggled to calm herself. "Alright! Alright! I won’t shout! Just don’t hurt Yuanyuan. As long as you don’t hurt her, I’ll do whatever you want..."

Yuanyuan was her everything.

She could lose everyone else, but not Yuanyuan.

"Go inside."

"Alright, alright." Ni Chengui’s trembling footsteps carried her to the house.

Zhao Jingrong followed close behind.

Once inside, Zhao Jingrong commanded, "Lock the door."

Ni Chengui obeyed and locked it.

As soon as the lock clicked, Ni Chengui dropped to her knees with a thud. "Miss Zhao, I beg you to spare Yuanyuan! Whatever you have against me, direct it at me instead! Please, I’m begging you!"

Zhao Jingrong said, "Don’t worry. I’m not here to harm you or your daughter. As long as you follow my instructions, I’ll let your daughter go."

Ni Chengui hurriedly replied, "Alright, alright! Whatever you say! I’ll do everything you ask—just tell me what to do!"

"I want Ni Yang dead! I want Ni Yang to die with me!" Zhao Jingrong had gone to great lengths to escape just to make Ni Yang pay with her life!

She believed that everything she had suffered was Ni Yang’s fault!

Ni Yang must pay the price!

"Wh-what?" Ni Chengui’s face went pale.

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