Su Qingning was startled. "Lin Xiao," she said hurriedly, "don't mess around! This is the Du Family's clubhouse!"

Seeing the nervousness and concern written all over her face, Lin Xiao laughed. "Okay, okay, I was just bluffing."

Besides, if Xue Jingdong actually dares to bully Su Qingning later, I'll definitely teach him a harsh lesson.

He was only saying this now to comfort her.

Su Qingning glared at Lin Xiao, knowing he was just bragging. Deep down, however, she felt a flicker of relief, thinking he had finally accepted reality.

The two of them arrived at the clubhouse entrance. When the dozens of bodyguards on duty saw Su Qingning, their eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Lin Xiao couldn't remember how many times he had seen such reactions. It couldn't be helped; Su Qingning was simply too beautiful. Su Qingning, for her part, was already used to such stares. She started to lead Lin Xiao inside.

"Stop right there!"

The one who spoke was a man in his thirties with a coarse, beefy face. His eyes were brazenly raking over Su Qingning's body, finally lingering on her chest with a sleazy smile that replaced his formerly cold expression.

A murderous glint flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes.

It's just not convenient to start a massacre with Su Qingning here, otherwise, I'd kill this trash on the spot!

"Are you Su Qingning?" the beefy-faced man asked with a smirk.

Su Qingning responded coldly, "I am."

Though her voice was steady, her heart had begun to pound in her chest. After all, these men radiated a brutish aura; they clearly weren't the type to be reasoned with.

"You can go in," the burly man said with a sinister laugh, as if disaster awaited Su Qingning the moment she stepped through the door.

"And what about me?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.

The burly man glared at Lin Xiao with contempt. "A filthy beggar like you can wait out here!"

Lin Xiao just said, "Oh. Honey, you go in first."

Su Qingning had wanted to bring Lin Xiao in with her. She knew perfectly well that Xue Jingdong's sudden invitation didn't come with good intentions. But seeing Lin Xiao blocked by the burly man, she could only sigh in resignation.

"Wait for my call," Su Qingning said before walking into the clubhouse.

The onlookers quickly parted to form a path, their lecherous gazes fixed on her until she was inside.

Lin Xiao's expression instantly turned bone-chilling.

The moment Su Qingning was inside, the doors slammed shut behind her. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced at the two burly men now guarding the exit. She realized with a sinking feeling that Xue Jingdong was planning to do something terrible to her today.

Frankly, if she hadn't been worried about them retaliating against Lin Xiao, she wouldn't have come to this place at all. But since she was already here, Su Qingning could only brace herself and head further inside.

Just as she entered the courtyard, she saw Xue Jingdong sitting under a large sun umbrella. He was lounging with his legs crossed, a triumphant, smug look on his face.

Su Qingning walked up to him with a grim expression. "Xue Jingdong, what exactly do you want?"

"I already made it clear on the phone: cooperation!" Xue Jingdong said with a smile.

But even as he smiled, the raw greed in his eyes was impossible to suppress. His gaze swept over Su Qingning again and again, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Su Qingning's expression grew even colder, her stunningly beautiful face instantly covered with a layer of frost. She truly detested the man in front of her. He was clearly just throwing his weight around.

Although Lin Xiao sometimes looked at her as if he wanted to eat her alive, Su Qingning had never felt repulsed by it. Even she didn't know why.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm sorry. I have no intention of cooperating with you, nor do I want to," Su Qingning refused coldly.

"Why? I happen to know you're relying entirely on that bar to win back the Su Corporation your parents founded. If you don't cooperate with me, you'll probably never get it back. In fact, let me tell you something: with your uncle's help, your cousin's trading company has already earned nearly two hundred million over the past few years. Your bar is profitable, sure, but I doubt you've made that much!"

Su Qingning's heart sank. She knew her uncle would help Su Qingkun, but she never imagined he had already earned so much money. She had always assumed his trading company was operating at a loss. After all, she knew exactly what kind of person Su Qingkun was.

Honestly, his words dealt a significant blow to her. If what Xue Jingdong said was true, she was bound to lose their competition. At that thought, a thick gloom enveloped her heart. She really, really didn't want to lose. She desperately wanted to take back the Su Corporation. Even if it was riddled with problems, she had to get it back. It was a vow she had made before her father's memorial tablet.

Seeing her fall silent, her expression downcast, Xue Jingdong knew his words had hit their mark. He laughed triumphantly.

"So, you see, your best bet is to cooperate with me. Not only will I invest in you, but I will also use my Xue Family's resources to help you retake the Su Corporation. Su Qingning, you know my background. If I decide to get involved, I can easily get you anything you want!"

No matter how much Su Qingning detested the man before her, she had to admit he was right. In Jinling City, the Su Family was merely a second-tier family, leagues behind the Xue Family in every respect. With Xue Jingdong's help, she really could take back the Su Corporation with ease.

But Su Qingning was no fool. She knew that Xue Jingdong wouldn't help her for free.

In other words, he must have a motive… and it's definitely one I can't accept.

"That won't be necessary. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

With that, Su Qingning turned to leave.

Xue Jingdong was stunned. He had assumed that after he showed his utmost sincerity, she would at least be a little tempted. He never imagined she would reject him so decisively.

In an instant, Xue Jingdong's face contorted with rage. He shot up from his chair.

"Su Qingning, you ungrateful bitch! I gave you a chance, didn't I? Well, let me tell you something. Now that you're here, you're not fucking leaving!"

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