Su Qingning was completely dumbfounded. She could understand every single word Lin Xiao said to Bai Chengfeng, but she had no idea what it all meant when put together.

Bai Chengfeng nearly exploded with rage upon hearing Lin Xiao demand he kneel and beg. He was, after all, from a prominent, first-rate family in Jinling City, and his elder brother was a famous general under the renowned War God of the Western Region. Yet here he was, being forced by a filthy beggar to kneel and beg. Who wouldn't be furious in such a situation?

"You filthy beggar, I'm warning you—don't fucking court death! My big brother will be back soon, but even if he weren't, I could still kill you with ease!"

Lin Xiao regarded Bai Chengfeng with a cold smile. "If you want to live, then act like it. Let me be blunt: if you don't kneel and beg me today, not even the Jade Emperor himself can save you!"

"Go to hell! You want me to kneel and beg for you? In your dreams!" Bai Chengfeng retorted defiantly.

"Fine. Then just wait to die," Lin Xiao said with a sneer.

"Fuck! Just you wait!"

With that, Bai Chengfeng turned and bolted. The private room fell silent.

"Lin Xiao, what on earth is going on?" Su Qingning asked quickly.

"Oh, it's nothing. I tricked him into thinking he was poisoned and that I have the antidote. The idiot actually believed me!" Lin Xiao said with a grin.

It's better not to let Su Qingning know about some of the darker things in the world, Lin Xiao thought. The more she knows, the more frightened she'll become. Her life is already precarious enough; I don't want to add to her stress.

"And here I thought you really had some leverage on him!" Su Qingning said irritably.

"How could I? I'm just a beggar, and he's the distinguished young master of the Bai Family. There's a pretty massive gap in our statuses," Lin Xiao said with a laugh.

"I'm glad you have a clear perception of yourself, but now that you've offended the Bai Family on top of everything else, what about the matter with the Zhao Family?" Su Qingning looked at him, her expression gloomy.

A beauty really is a beauty, Lin Xiao mused. Even when she's unhappy, she's still a delight to look at.

"Don't worry. If worst comes to worst, we can always go find Shao Mei'er. But the priority right now is eating. We finally made it to Chunyu Pavilion; it would be a real waste not to fill our bellies at such a fine restaurant!" Lin Xiao said with a smile.

Su Qingning replied, exasperated, "Eat, eat, eat! Are you a pig? That's all you think about! I'm about to die from worry over here!"

"That's right! You like pigs, don't you? So from now on, I'll be your pig!"

Su Qingning didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This guy isn't just a lecher, he's completely shameless too.

"You're impossible! Who said I like you?" she said coquettishly.

"Right, right, you don't like me, you like pigs. Happy now? Can we eat?" Lin Xiao replied.

"Hmph! All you think about is food!" Su Qingning grumbled.

Despite her words, she still followed Lin Xiao out of the room. After asking the waiter to move them to a different private room, Lin Xiao ordered a mountain of dishes, all of them hearty, expensive entrees. With Chunyu Pavilion's diamond card in hand, he wasn't worried about the cost. Besides, even without the card, he wanted his wife to eat well. He couldn't bear the thought of her suffering any hardship.

Su Qingning hadn't had much of an appetite. After all, they had now offended not only the Zhao Family but the Bai Family as well. Having antagonized two of the five major families, she had no idea how they were going to get by. But when the delicious food was placed on the table and she smelled the enticing aromas, she suddenly realized she was quite famished. She had been so worried earlier that she had skipped lunch.

Like a devoted admirer, Lin Xiao peeled shrimp for Su Qingning. His technique was flawless, and he peeled each one perfectly, leaving the meat completely intact. As he placed them before her, Su Qingning's heart warmed, but she still let out a haughty snort.

"If you peeled them, you eat them. I have my own hands; I don't need you to do it for me!"

"I can't really help with your career, but peeling shrimp is one thing I feel I can do well. So, don't reject your humble admirer's kind gesture, alright?"

Su Qingning shot him a resentful glare, then wordlessly began popping the shrimp into her mouth.

Lin Xiao chuckled. "That's more like it. You need to eat up to have the energy to be angry with me, right?"

The remark made Su Qingning laugh in spite of her frustration. She couldn't help but give Lin Xiao a playful punch. He just smiled and started to crack open a large blue crab for her.

Su Qingning had a small appetite and was full in no time. "Stop it and eat your own food before it gets cold!" she said.

"What? You're full already?"

Su Qingning nodded.

"You eat like a bird. That won't do. You need to eat more, build up your strength, so you can give me eight or ten kids in the future!"

WHOOSH!

Su Qingning's face instantly flushed as red as a strawberry. "You lecher! Who wants to have kids with you!"

Lin Xiao just chuckled slyly and buried his head in his food. As he was eating, five or six perfectly peeled shrimp suddenly appeared on his plate. He froze for a second and looked up to see Su Qingning's own slender hands busily peeling more.

Lin Xiao was utterly stunned. A warmth he had never felt before surged through him, and he stared at her blankly.

"Hmph! What are you looking at? Just eat!"

Lin Xiao smiled. "Stop peeling."

"Why?" she asked, puzzled.

He lifted his head and looked at her with a wide grin. "Because I can't bear to see you do it."

BOOM!

A great wave of warmth enveloped her heart, feeling wonderfully sweet.

But she feigned disdain. "Hmph, you smooth-talker. Just eat!"

After they finished their meal, Su Qingning suddenly said, "Lin Xiao, I owe you an apology."

"Huh? An apology?" Lin Xiao looked at her, confused.

"I shouldn't have made you apologize to Bai Chengfeng," she said, her voice much softer but filled with sincerity.

"Is that it? I get it. We were there to ask for a favor, after all. If I offended him, he definitely wouldn't have helped us," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

Su Qingning sighed. "You're right, that's what I was thinking. But I just realized—even if you hadn't provoked him, he would have found some other way to make things difficult for us."

Lin Xiao nodded. "Exactly. The Bai Family is obviously closer to the Zhao Family than to us. They were never going to help for free."

Su Qingning sighed again. "I can't believe you see things more clearly than I do. It's such a simple truth, yet I didn't grasp it."

"You were just anxious. Offending the Zhao Family is no small matter."

She sighed once more. "Can you contact Shao Mei'er for me? I want to ask for her help personally. I know you'd probably be more effective, but you're my husband, Lin Xiao. A demeaning task like begging for help is something I should do."

"There's no need to find Shao Mei'er."

"What? You have another way?"

Lin Xiao laughed. "I do. Bai Chengfeng might just come back and kneel before me any minute now. When he does, we'll have him take care of it."

Su Qingning's expression soured. "Lin Xiao, you promised you wouldn't boast anymore, but you're starting again!"

"Honey, I'm really not boasting!"

Su Qingning glared at him, furious. This bastard! He promised me he would be down-to-earth and stop boasting, but here he is, at it again! She didn't want to say another word to him.

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open, and Bai Chengfeng appeared before them. Seeing his murderous expression, Su Qingning's heart lurched. She was about to speak when, with a thud, Bai Chengfeng fell to his knees before Lin Xiao.

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