Ji Boduan recounted the events that had just taken place, naturally embellishing and exaggerating certain parts.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingcheng glanced over at Ye Tiance.
Her heart felt heavy, and her disgust for him grew even stronger!
Assistant Sun spat in disdain. "Ugh! A kept man is truly disgusting. He comes crawling the moment he sees a wealthy woman. I suspect he sneaked into the chamber of commerce just to latch onto a rich woman!"
Ji Boduan nodded and said, "If you ask me, a scoundrel with such ulterior motives should have the security guards throw him out!"
Xiao Qingcheng sighed. "Forget it. As long as he doesn't disrupt the chamber of commerce, it's fine. After all, the bidding results coming up are far more important!"
Assistant Sun glanced at her phone, her expression suddenly changing. "President Xiao, look at the Jiangnan Business Forum!"
"What happened?"
Puzzled, Xiao Qingcheng opened her phone and logged into the Jiangnan Business Forum.
This was a forum specially built for the business elites of Jiangnan City, where all kinds of insider business gossip were updated.
It had a 99% accuracy rate!
Earlier, whether it was the news that the Xiao Family had been pre-selected to win the bid or that the big shot behind Zhao Hailong would appear tonight, all these reports had been leaked from here.
Just moments ago, someone anonymously posted on the forum that the pre-selected winner for the Tianlong Chamber of Commerce bid had originally been the Xiao Family, but it had suddenly been changed to a shortlist of five candidate companies. Lord Long had already submitted the list to that big shot for final review and approval, and they were now awaiting the final result.
Attached below were various details about all five companies!
Xiao Qingcheng's expression turned grim. "Why did the winning bid suddenly become a shortlist of five?"
Assistant Sun asked in confusion, "Master Ji, wasn't it you who said you intervened and secured the winning bid for the Xiao Family? What is going on here?"
"Uh? This..."
How could Ji Boduan possibly know what was going on?
He could only brace himself and explain, "Well... isn't the Xiao Family still on the list? There are just four additional candidates. With all your various strengths and qualifications, don't worry! You're bound to win the bid."
Xiao Qingcheng shook her head. "The other three companies are fine, but Tiger Guard Group has been making waves in Jiangnan City lately, and rumors say they have strong backing. Competing against them, I don't feel confident at all!"
Ji Boduan patted his chest and said, "Our Ji Family is acquainted with that big shot after all. It's just a winning bid; I'll call my father right now and make sure it's settled properly."
Xiao Qingcheng quickly said, "Sorry to trouble you!"
Ji Boduan walked off to the side and called his father, Ji Wuli, several times, but the calls went unanswered.
In the end, he could only send a few text messages first, asking if he could help.
Meanwhile.
Ye Tiance had already replied to Zhao Hailong's email, deciding that the winning bidder would be the Xiao Family.
This wasn't out of any simpering lingering affection for the past, but rather because he felt the Black Tiger Society behind Tiger Guard Group had complicated ties and wasn't suitable for cooperation.
Considering the actual interests of the group, the Xiao Family was the logical choice.
Ye Tiance got up and walked over to the self-serve area to pour a drink, bumping right into Ji Boduan, who had just finished his phone call.
Ji Boduan sneered with cold eyes. "Good-for-nothing, did you come here specifically for a free meal?"
Ye Tiance frowned, about to reply.
Assistant Sun hurried over and snapped, "Hey, Ye, are you out of your mind? Why are you always making trouble for Master Ji?"
Xiao Qingcheng, who had also walked over, wore a rather displeased expression.
Ye Tiance said coldly, "Open your eyes and look properly. He's the one making trouble, not me!"
Assistant Sun said dismissively, "Nonsense! Master Ji is currently contacting the big shot behind Lord Long to help the Xiao Family secure the winning bid. He doesn't have the idle time to bother with you. Do you think everyone is as petty as you?"
"Securing the winning bid?"
Ye Tiance shook his head. "There's no need at all, because I've already decided that the Xiao Family wins the bid!"
Chapter 18: Ji Boduan Gets Beaten Up
Hearing this, Assistant Sun immediately mocked, "Ye, stop trying to be funny! Do you think you are that big shot who can decide the bidding outcome?"
Xiao Qingcheng said impatiently, "Since we've already filed for divorce, let's make a clean break. Please stop causing trouble for me, and I'm not in the mood to joke around with you!"
Ye Tiance calmly said, "I'm not joking. The big shot you keep talking about is me!"
Ji Boduan burst out laughing. "Hilarious! What kind of status does that big shot have? Is that something a loser like you can impersonate? If you really are him, I'll eat ten pounds of dog shit right here on the spot!"
Xiao Qingcheng massaged her temples and shook her head; she felt that Ye Tiance must have lost his mind!
Just then, Lai Jingye, chairman of Ningyuan Group, and Xie Bin, chairman of Hongda Group, walked over quickly and raised their glasses in a toast.
"President Xiao! Congratulations! Leading the Xiao Family to win the bid and secure a 10 billion order!"
"Here's a toast to you! Let's have much more cooperation between our two groups in the future!"
Xiao Qingcheng was left somewhat bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
She awkwardly explained, "To be honest with you all, the Xiao Family has to compete with four other companies for the bid. The specific results depend on the approval of that big shot, and the results haven't been announced yet."
Lai Jingye smiled and said, "President Xiao is being so modest. The forum news was just updated saying that the big shot has already decided on the Xiao Family for the winning bid. How can you say there's no result yet?"
Hearing this, Xiao Qingcheng immediately opened the forum on her phone, and sure enough, she saw the insider news about the Xiao Family winning the bid!
It stated that at eight o'clock tonight, Lord Long and that big shot would appear and take the stage together to announce the results!
Assistant Sun and Ji Boduan both saw this news as well.
Assistant Sun cheered with joy, "That's wonderful! President Xiao, we've finally succeeded!"
Xiao Qingcheng's mood was equally excited, and the heavy rock in her heart could finally settle!
She hadn't expected things to truly turn out just as Ye Tiance had said—the Xiao Family had won the bid!
However, how did he know in advance?
Could it really be...
Xiao Qingcheng instinctively looked toward Ye Tiance, hesitating whether she should ask.
Assistant Sun quickly chimed in from the side to remind her, "President Xiao, hurry up and thank Master Ji! Being able to secure this winning bid is definitely thanks to him!"
Xiao Qingcheng came to her senses.
That's right, how could a good-for-nothing like Ye Tiance possibly pull off something like that?
So she immediately turned to Ji Boduan with gratitude and said, "Master Ji, thank you so much for the trouble!"
Ji Boduan put on a calm expression and said, "It's no trouble. In the end, it was all thanks to my father helping out; I just made a phone call!"
While these words sounded modest, the air of self-importance on his face was impossible to hide.
He deduced that his father must have seen the message he sent and stepped in to help.
Assistant Sun glanced sideways at Ye Tiance. "Look at that! Master Ji is so powerful he could reach the heavens, yet he acts with such low-key humility. Unlike you, who have zero ability and only know how to brag and take credit!"
Ji Boduan sneered disdainfully. "Losers who have spent too much time at the bottom of the world love to fantasize about how awesome they are. In reality, they're absolute garbage!"
Ye Tiance raised an eyebrow and asked, "Ji Boduan, what makes you so certain your father helped resolve this matter?"
Ji Boduan flicked his bangs and said with an arrogant look, "If not my father, could it have been resolved by a kept man like you?"
Ye Tiance narrowed his eyes and asked, "Oh? Do you have any proof that your father did it?"
Ji Boduan braced himself and said, "My father already sent me a text message saying he did it, so what?"
Ye Tiance frowned.
He had never seen anyone so utterly shameless.
"Then would Master Ji mind pulling out that text message and showing it to everyone, how about that?"
Before the words had even faded, Xiao Qingcheng suddenly snapped, "Ye Tiance, will you ever quit?"
She stared at Ye Tiance, a look of bitter disappointment in her eyes.
"Master Ji has made concessions to you time and again, yet you insist on pushing your luck. You even resort to baseless targeting and habitual lying just to salvage a pathetic shred of dignity. I never expected you to be this kind of person!"
Ye Tiance frowned. "You think I'm making baseless targets? That I'm a habitual liar?"
Xiao Qingcheng said sternly, "Isn't that the case?"
Ye Tiance gave a dry, humorless laugh.
Turns out, the affection built over a three-year marriage couldn't even compare to a stranger's single remark.
Seeing that Ye Tiance didn't respond, Xiao Qingcheng assumed he was tacitly admitting it, which only made her even angrier!
"Your petty behavior only makes me more convinced that asking for a divorce was the absolute right choice, and I will never regret it! In my eyes, the gap between you and Master Ji is like heaven and earth!"
Joy surged through Ji Boduan's heart, and he spoke in a mocking, sarcastic tone, "Qingcheng, there's no need to get worked up over a clown like this. Ultimately, it's just because I'm too exceptional—especially after contacting that big shot to help your family secure the winning bid, which completely shattered this clown's defenses and sent him into an impotent rage. Just stay away from him from now on!"
Assistant Sun glared and scolded, "Kept man, didn't you hear? Why aren't you getting lost?"
Looking at Xiao Qingcheng's ruthless expression, Ye Tiance felt a dull ache stab at his heart!
This time, his disappointment was complete!
In that case, let them play out their little charade.
Just as he was about to leave, a punkish, light-haired young man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth walked over, his face dark as he demanded of Ji Boduan, "Are you the one who contacted that big shot to help the Xiao Family win the bid?"
Ji Boduan glanced at the unfamiliar man in front of him and nodded arrogantly. "That's right. Are you here to beg me for a favor?"
Bang!
To everyone's surprise, the light-haired youth punched him right in the face!
"Beg your mother!"
Blood immediately gushed from Ji Boduan's nose as he stumbled back several steps.
The onlookers were shocked. Where did this punk come from? How dare he hit Master Ji?
Lai Jingye reprimanded, "Impudent! This is no place for you to run amok!"
Xie Bin also said in a deep voice, "You bastard, apologize to Master Ji right now!"
The light-haired youth pointed at the two of them and snapped, "Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!"
By this time, Ji Boduan wiped away a smear of bloody nose, gritting his teeth in fury as he demanded, "Who the hell are you? Why did you hit me?"
The light-haired youth swaggered and said, "Damn it! I'm Zhang Chunlei, the boss of Tiger Guard Group! If you hadn't fucking meddled, how could the winning bid have been snatched away by the Xiao Family? You like sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, huh? Today, I'm going to take your dog's life!"
With that, he threw another punch forward!
However, Ji Boduan, who had practiced taekwondo, dodged the punch and followed up with a high whip kick, sending Zhang Chunlei crashing to the ground!
Furious, Ji Boduan rushed forward and landed a few more kicks!
"Damn it, if I want to meddle, I'll meddle! So what? Have the guts to try that again?"
He had been enjoying showing off, only to take a punch out of nowhere—his mood was naturally explosive!
Xiao Qingcheng hurriedly handed Ji Boduan a tissue, her expression full of worry as she said, "I'm sorry, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten dragged into this and taken a punch for nothing."
Ji Boduan wiped away the blood from his nose and put on a deeply affectionate look.
"Qingcheng, for you, let alone shedding a little blood, I wouldn't even blink if I had to lose this life!"
Seeing this, Assistant Sun couldn't help clapping. "Oh wow! Master Ji, you are so handsome and give off such a strong sense of security!"
Lai Jingye chimed in, "Just a tiny Tiger Guard Group boss dares to provoke Master Ji? He has a death wish!"
Xie Bin echoed, "Master Ji has extraordinary courage and insight. President Xiao, your eye for choosing men is top-notch!"
A faint trace of warmth involuntarily welled up in Xiao Qingcheng's heart.
Assistant Sun glanced at Ye Tiance and said, "Look at what Master Ji has done for President Xiao! Then look at you—you're good for nothing, and only know how to make a fool of yourself here!"
Xiao Qingcheng's eyes were likewise filled with utter disappointment.
Indeed, comparing people was even more heartbreaking than comparing humans to dogs!
Zhang Chunlei scrambled to his feet, a ferocious expression on his face. "Damn it! You brat provoked the wrong person today! Not only am I going to finish you off today, but I'm also going to have a lot of fun with this Xiao Family woman next to you!"
Ji Boduan lunged forward with a kick, sending Zhang Chunlei stumbling back several steps!
"Heh! Provoked the wrong person? What a joke. In the entire Jiangnan City, is there anyone my Ji Family can't afford to provoke?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a loud commotion erupted at the entrance of the reception hall as several fierce-looking men in black rushed in.
They tightly surrounded Ji Boduan in the center.
Then, a bald man with a scar across his face walked in, his overwhelming presence making it hard for people to breathe!
His icy gaze locked onto Ji Boduan.
"Today, I'd like to see if the Jiangnan Ji Family can afford to provoke our Black Tiger Society?"
Chapter 19: I, Ye Tiance, Object!
The appearance of these people instantly caused widespread terror and panic!
The Black Tiger Society was the largest underground force in Jiangnan City, and its leader Zhang Xiaohu was known as the underground emperor Lord Hu. Even Lord Long, the King of Jiangnan, had to yield to him by three parts!
How could the mere Jiangnan Ji Family dare to provoke them?
Ji Boduan swallowed hard and asked the bald man, "Who are you?"
The bald man said coldly, "I am Feng Lei of the Black Tiger Society!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding guests broke into alarmed whispers:
"Feng Lei of the Black Tiger Society? He's one of the two great enforcers under Lord Hu, an absolute confidant!"
"I heard Feng Lei has over a dozen human lives on his hands. Last year, an out-of-town rich kid offended him, and his limbs were chopped off and thrown into the river to feed the turtles, and his family didn't even dare let out a single peep!"
Hearing the whispers of the crowd, Ji Boduan's expression changed dramatically.
He immediately stepped forward and fawned, "So it's Brother Lei, long time, no see! Please don't misunderstand, I certainly didn't mean any disrespect toward the Black Tiger Society with what I said just now. I was just teaching this dog Zhang Chunlei a lesson. Please don't take offense!"
Slap!
To his surprise, Feng Lei walked up and slapped Ji Boduan across the face!
Feng Lei narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "Do you know what status Young Master Chunlei holds?"
Clutching his swollen cheek, Ji Boduan shook his head and said, "I... I don't know."
Slap!
This time, Zhang Chunlei strode over and dealt Ji Boduan another slap across the face!
"Open your dog ears and listen well! My own biological uncle is Zhang Xiaohu, and I am his only biological nephew. Understand?"
Hearing this, the people all around nearly dropped their jaws in shock!
No wonder Tiger Guard Group had made such rapid progress over the past half-year; it turned out they had this kind of background backing them up!
As everyone knew, although Lord Hu loved women, he had no wife, no children, and not even any illegitimate offspring.
Zhang Chunlei was actually his only biological nephew?
That weight was by no means small!
At this very moment, Ji Boduan only felt a buzzing sound ringing in his head.
He had wanted to show off, only to kick an iron plate!
So, wearing a crying, mournful face, he explained, "Young Master Zhang, please listen to me, this was all a misunderstanding..."
Bang!
Without letting him finish, Zhang Chunlei kicked him straight in the stomach!
Then came a flurry of wild punches!
"Misunderstanding your mother! Damn it! Where's that attitude you had when you hit me just now? Show it to me again!"
Ji Boduan tightly wrapped his arms around his head, not daring to fight back at all!
Because he understood that if he lifted even a single finger against Zhang Chunlei today, he would forfeit his life tomorrow, and his entire family would be attending his funeral!
Lai Jingye and Xie Bin, who had been standing beside Ji Boduan earlier, exchanged glances and backed away into the crowd, terrified of being noticed by Zhang Chunlei.
Let alone stepping forward to break up the fight!
"Stop hitting him!"
Just at that moment, a cool, crisp voice rang out.
Xiao Qingcheng stepped out from the crowd, her expression grave.
Zhang Chunlei shook his aching fist, raised an eyebrow at Xiao Qingcheng, and said, "You tell me to stop hitting him, so I should stop? Why on earth should the young master listen to you?"
Xiao Qingcheng frowned and said, "This matter originally started over the bidding competition between our Xiao Family and your Tiger Guard Group. It's normal business competition, decided entirely through commercial means. What right do you have to hit people?"
Zhang Chunlei kicked Ji Boduan down to the floor once more, then sauntered over to stand right in front of Xiao Qingcheng.
He said sinisterly, "I hit people because I feel like hitting people. You got a problem with that?"
It was the first time Xiao Qingcheng had ever encountered such a rogue. Fear gripped her heart, but she forced a calm expression on the outside and said, "Please let Master Ji go. We can talk things over."
A flash of greed crossed Zhang Chunlei's eyes. "No problem at all! But you have to agree to two conditions!"
Xiao Qingcheng asked, "What conditions?"
Zhang Chunlei laughed obscenely. "I've long heard that President Xiao is the most beautiful female CEO in Jiangnan City. Seeing you today, you're even more stunning than the rumors say. So my first condition is that you sleep with me tonight and properly serve this young master!"
Xiao Qingcheng frowned and warned, "Young Master Zhang, please show some self-respect!"
Zhang Chunlei spoke with a flippant air. "I didn't study much, so the word 'self-respect' isn't in my dictionary. Tsk tsk! Look at you wearing black silk stockings today, and they even have letter patterns on them. How did you know this is the young master's absolute favorite? Come on, let the young master inspect them and see if they're durable!"
He bent down and reached toward Xiao Qingcheng's legs.
"Pervert!"
Startled, Xiao Qingcheng stepped back and gave Zhang Chunlei a hard push.
"Damn it, you little bitch!"
Slap!
Zhang Chunlei directly slapped Xiao Qingcheng across the face, then snapped the order, "Hold this woman down!"
The two men in black brought by Feng Lei each pinned down one of Xiao Qingcheng's arms.
"Let go of me! Let go!"
Xiao Qingcheng struggled violently, but it was completely useless!
Seeing this, Assistant Sun sternly warned Zhang Chunlei, "This is the Tianlong Chamber of Commerce hosted by Lord Long! If you resort to violence and disrupt the venue, aren't you afraid of Lord Long's wrath?"
Zhang Chunlei sneered. "Isn't Lord Long not here right now? Besides, even if he were here, so what? At worst, I'll just call my uncle over. What can Lord Long possibly do to me?"
Left with no other choice, Assistant Sun cried out for help to Ji Boduan, "Master Ji, you're so well-connected, please think of something! We can't let President Xiao be bullied by this bastard!"
However, Ji Boduan kept his head lowered like a frightened quail, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.
He didn't even dare look toward Zhang Chunlei.
Zhang Chunlei smiled at Xiao Qingcheng and said, "As for the second condition, you will cede the winning bid result over to me."
"In your dreams!"
Xiao Qingcheng glared fiercely at Zhang Chunlei, showing no signs of giving in!
She had poured countless efforts into this bidding process; it concerned the rise of the Xiao Family—how could she possibly hand it over to someone else so easily?
Zhang Chunlei raised an eyebrow. "You won't cede it? Very well!"
Then he ordered Feng Lei, "Brother Feng, trouble you to do the honors!"
"You got it!"
Feng Lei walked over to Ji Boduan, stepped right onto his head, crouched down, and pulled out a dagger.
The icy blade flashed back and forth before Ji Boduan's eyes as Feng Lei said ominously,
"Where should we start first? Shall we cut off your ears?"
Scared out of his wits, Ji Boduan turned deathly pale and begged for mercy, "Brother Feng, Grandpa Feng, please stop! I... I have something to say!"
With his neck strained, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Qingcheng! What the fuck are you hesitating for? Hurry up and cede the winning bid to Young Master Zhang! And go sleep with Young Master Zhang too—anyway, I don't mind! Do you really want me to die here?!"
Hearing this, Xiao Qingcheng's delicate body trembled violently, a wave of grievance and burning humiliation rushing up from the bottom of her heart!
She couldn't believe that Ji Boduan would say such words just to save his own skin!
Could it be that all his previous promises to take care of her were complete lies?
Xiao Qingcheng cast another sideways glance at Ye Tiance.
Seeing him standing there as if it had nothing to do with him, his expression completely flat as he sipped his drink!
Heh!
Sure enough, all men are...