Ye Nan almost choked on his own saliva!
"I'll spit right in your face!" he glared at Lin Qingxuan, firing back casually.
Lin Qingxuan was stunned for a moment. Then, her eyes turned flirtatious, a flush bloomed across her cheeks, and she bit her lip with immense allure, "Sure... but I don't want a little flame, I want a little water pistol..."
"Oh wait..." Lin Qingxuan flushed and glanced downward, "A big water pistol!"
Pfft!
Ye Nan spat a mouthful of old blood!
What on earth is this little vixen made of?!
The Lin family's parenting has some serious issues!
Lord Kui and the rest of the people on the opposite side were dumbfounded.
Brother-in-law and sister-in-law?
A little flame and a little water pistol?
Lord Kui felt the exact same thought pop into his mind that Redhead had earlier.
While you two are flirting, can you please have some damn respect for our profession?!
Chapter 14: Me? I Walk on the Sidewalk
"Damn it, are you two ever going to finish!"
Lord Kui was angry.
He felt that with his exalted status in the underworld, he hadn't even managed to get a top-tier stunner like Lin Qingxuan all these years!
This idiot Ye Nan was just a stinky security guard, how dare he!
"Attack!"
Lord Kui gave the order.
The lackeys were already thoroughly fed up with being forced to watch this public display of affection, and they all charged forward howling.
Only Redhead held back, deliberately lagging a few steps behind.
"Ah! Brother-in-law, be careful!"
Seeing a crowd of burly men rush over, Lin Qingxuan panicked and trembled.
However, just as she tried to grab Ye Nan's sleeve for a bit of security, she grabbed empty air.
Ye Nan, who had been right in front of her, had suddenly vanished!
"Swish!"
A figure fast as lightning, trailing a string of afterimages, charged straight into the crowd!
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Ah!!!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Ah!!!"
The sounds of blows and screams blended together, and dammit, it even hit the beat with an incredible sense of rhythm.
The whole process took less than two seconds.
Of all the lackeys on the scene, only Redhead, who had lagged in the back, remained standing.
When Ye Nan reached Redhead, he stopped.
Well, well, an acquaintance!
"Redhead, right? Tsk tsk tsk, look at that, you've gone and delayed your performance metrics again. How embarrassing!" Ye Nan rubbed his fingers and smiled playfully.
Redhead shuddered violently, swept his gaze over the pile of people lying all over the floor, and squeezed out a smile even uglier than crying.
"You... you're too polite!"
"So... after fighting for so long, you must be tired!"
"No need for you to lift a finger, I'll lie down myself. You rest, you just rest!"
Amidst Lord Kui's stunned and bewildered gaze, his very last lackey, Redhead, very decisively lay down on the ground by himself...
Ye Nan smiled and shook his head.
This Redhead, does he have a good brain or a bad one?
Quite interesting, actually.
"Lord Kui, right?" Ye Nan shifted his gaze to Wan Jiukui and said flatly, "How about you give it a try too?"
Wan Jiukui's body jerked violently as he finally snapped back to reality.
Is this motherfucker even human?!
Among those lackeys of his just now, there were quite a few top-tier fighters!
Some were mercenaries who had spent years abroad, killing without blinking!
Others were hardcore brawlers who had fought in illegal matches in Nanyang.
All of them had crawled out of piles of corpses!
Every single one of them was recruited through immense effort and exorbitant sums of money!
Yet before Ye Nan, they were utterly defenseless!
In less than two seconds, they were all knocked flat!
What on earth is the background of this useless son-in-law of the Lin family?
Wan Jiukui suddenly felt like a complete idiot, tricked by that old bastard Lin Zhengnan!
Lin Qingxuan, however, was ecstatic!
Little stars were sparkling in the woman's eyes as she looked at Ye Nan with total adoration.
Too handsome!
How could he be so handsome!
Yet the moment she remembered that such a handsome man belonged to that annoying older sister of hers, a wave of disappointment washed over Lin Qingxuan.
"Hah..." Lord Kui took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I misjudged you. What path are you on, brother?"
"Me?" Ye Nan smiled. "I walk on the sidewalk, occasionally the non-motor vehicle lane."
Lin Qingxuan couldn't help letting out a soft "pfft" of laughter, casting an alluring, sideways glance at Ye Nan.
Wan Jiukui was stunned for a moment, and then a surge of anger rushed to his head.
"Brother, don't be too arrogant in this world!" Wan Jiukui said coldly. "In this life, being good at fighting isn't everything. There are many forces you can't even imagine!"
"Then I'll wait for Lord Kui to show me!"
With a light chuckle, Ye Nan didn't waste any more breath. He grabbed Lin Qingxuan and swaggered out of the private room.
He didn't intend to let Wan Jiukui off the hook.
Ye Nan wasn't some kind-hearted saint; crossing him twice came with a heavy price.
However, he didn't plan on doing these things in front of Lin Qingxuan.
Watching helplessly as Ye Nan led Lin Qingxuan away without even glancing at him properly, Wan Jiukui felt the most thorough and utter defeat of his entire underworld career!
He clenched his teeth, swept a glance over the group of lackeys sprawled on the floor, and turned back into the VIP private room.
"President Zhou, I've heard that you have some extraordinary talents under your command. I was wondering... if you could spare one or two to help me with a small favor?"
Wan Jiukui pleaded in a low, humble voice.
President Zhou frowned and said with displeasure, "You want me to help you with those illegal gang activities?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" Wan Jiukui was so frightened he almost fell to his knees, hastily adding, "Rest assured, it really is just a small matter!"
With that, Wan Jiukui leaned close to President Zhou's ear. "It will never implicate you! Once it's done, I will do everything in my power to help you sniff out any news regarding the 'Earth Vein' in Jiangling!"
President Zhou pondered for a moment, then nodded coldly.
...
Ye Nan led Lin Qingxuan out of the Linjiang Clubhouse.
Tang Min's car was still parked in its original spot.
The two of them got straight into the back seat.
"Qingxuan?"
Tang Min hadn't expected Ye Nan to come out so quickly, and certainly hadn't expected him to be accompanied by President Lin's younger sister.
"Sister Tang!" Lin Qingxuan greeted her with a bright smile. "What's this? Have you fallen out of favor? My annoying old sister assigned you to be my brother-in-law's driver?"
Tang Min was stunned for a second, then a realization hit her like a truck. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Ye Nan. "Bro... brother-in-law?!"
Between laughter and tears, Ye Nan gave Tang Min a playful look. "Don't go shouting that around. I'd actually be happy to agree, I just worry your boss wouldn't go for it!"
Tang Min was dumbfounded.
She had been guessing at Ye Nan's true identity all this time.
Yet the single possibility she considered least likely had just turned out to be true!
President Lin has lost her mind!
How could she lower her status and hook up with a guy like this?!
Oh heavens, the persona of Jiangling's ultimate goddess has shattered!
Her image has completely collapsed, folks!
"You didn't know?" Lin Qingxuan gave Tang Min a surprised look, then turned to Ye Nan. "Brother-in-law, your life is a bit pathetic! The old lady was too embarrassed to make it public!"
Ye Nan rolled his eyes.
It would be best if they never made it public at all, out of the goodness of their hearts—let's just live our own lives in peace!
Being a live-in son-in-law is so damn embarrassing!
The term is practically synonymous with a pathetic simpering yes-man.
Tang Min slowly recovered from her shock.
It must be that trash Ye Nan who used some underhanded tricks!
President Lin has been tricked!
No way, she had to help President Lin see through the true nature of this scumbag so she wouldn't sink any deeper.
Time to cut losses immediately!
Having made her plan, Tang Min regained her composure, started the engine, and said flatly, "Let's head back to the company first. President Lin is waiting."
However, before the car could even move, a Cadillac suddenly came roaring over and stopped with pinpoint precision right in front of Tang Min's car, blocking her path.
A handsome, dashing young man stepped out of the car with a bodyguard, looking furious.
The young man was dressed in extreme luxury, instantly marking him as a wealthy heir.
"Damn it! Linjiang Clubhouse!"
"Tang Min, you bitch, get your ass out here!"
"You damn well better explain to me where you were taking a bath just now!"
"Who was that bastard who answered your phone? I'm going to skin him alive!"
Tang Min's expression turned dark as ink.
She hadn't expected Zhou Chu to track her down here.
Ye Nan also looked surprised.
So this was the "boyfriend" Tang Min had been fighting with?
Looking the part, yet just another spoiled brat.
As for Lin Qingxuan, she was quick-witted, staring at Ye Nan in exaggerated shock. "Rascal brother-in-law! Before you came to rescue me, you still had the mood to take a bath with someone else!"
Chapter 15: The Story of the Golden Key and the Iron Key
Ye Nan shot Lin Qingxuan a sideways glance and ignored her.
Just as he was about to ask Tang Min if she needed help handling this, Tang Min unexpectedly opened the door and stepped out of the car herself.
"Sister Tang, don't! It's dangerous!"
Lin Qingxuan cried out in alarm.
That guy looked aggressive and was shouting curses—who knew what kind of irrational things he might do?
Yet Tang Min showed no fear, walking up to the man with a frosty expression.
"Zhou Chu, what do you mean by this!"
Seeing Tang Min's ice-cold face, Zhou Chu's arrogant momentum instantly plummeted a notch.
"I should be asking what you mean! Tell me, was the man you were with just now in your car!"
Tang Min furrowed her delicate brows. "So what if he was? Is it any of your business?"
"I only agreed to try getting along with you, I never agreed to be your girlfriend!"
"Right now, I am formally notifying you that there is no need for us to continue this, so please stop harassing me!"
With that, Tang Min turned around and headed back toward the car.
Watching from inside, Ye Nan felt a bad premonition.
Fearing that Zhou Chu might snap in a fit of rage and turn violent, he prepared to step out of the car.
"Thud!"
What happened next left Ye Nan utterly stunned.
The Zhou Chu who had been overwhelmingly arrogant just a second before dropped straight to his knees on both legs!
Judging by the posture, it was probably more pious than kowtowing to his own mother!
"Minmin, no! I was just momentarily confused!"
"You cannot ignore me, please!"
"Give me one more chance, I'll listen to you from now on, I swear I won't dare do it again!"
A grown man like Zhou Chu burst into tears and wailed in a single second!
The bodyguard trailing behind him was completely dumbfounded—wasn't the young master here to beat someone up? Judging by this development, could he clock out early?
The corners of both Ye Nan and Lin Qingxuan's mouths twitched simultaneously.
Oh... so he was a reactive, aggressive simperer...
The traits of this canine subspecies are: highly emotionally unstable, impulsive and childish behavior with no regard for consequences, regretful afterwards, super clingy when they win favor, liable to bite when they don't, and once they lose even the right to fawn, they unleash their ultimate passive skill: kneeling to grovel!
Ignoring him completely, Tang Min walked on her high heels past him with unfeeling steps and got back into the car.
Looking at Zhou Chu's miserable state, Ye Nan couldn't help feeling a chill run down his spine.
I'd rather be beaten to death than become a live-in son-in-law!
I'd rather die than be a simpering yes-man!
I need to find a way to make that old woman set me free right now!
Seeing Tang Min remain so unfeeling, Zhou Chu refused to give up.
He actually crawled on his knees right in front of Tang Min's car, opened his arms wide, and wailed miserably, "Minmin, if you want to leave me, just run me over with the car!"
"Without you, I can't live anyway!"
Tang Min frowned, her pretty face etched with impatience and anger.
She picked up her phone.
"What are you doing?" Ye Nan asked.
"Calling the police," Tang Min replied coldly.
"Useless," Ye Nan shook his head and sighed. "At best, they'll treat it as a couple's domestic dispute and mediate. It won't solve anything."
"Then what do you suggest?" Tang Min said irritably. "Isn't all of this caused by you in the first place!"
Ye Nan shrugged helplessly. "Move aside!"
With that, he reached out, effortlessly hoisted Tang Min up, and tossed her into the front passenger seat. Bracing his hands on the backs of the two front seats, he performed a light, nimble vault and landed straight in the driver's seat.
"What are you doing, are you insane?!" Tang Min shrieked in shock and anger.
Ignoring her, Ye Nan started the car, shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and with a roar, the car accelerated at lightning speed!
Zhou Chu was kneeling directly in the path ahead of the car!
In less than two seconds, they were going to hit him.
"Are you crazy! Stop!" Tang Min screamed in a panic of fury and alarm.
"Swish!"
In the blink of an eye, the car rushed right up to Zhou Chu. The kid didn't react at all, his face turning white with terror as he froze in place.
"Screech!"
The very moment before impact, Ye Nan precisely slammed on the brakes in advance!
Amidst the harsh screech of tires gripping the pavement, the front bumper stopped less than ten centimeters away from Zhou Chu.
A dead silence fell over the scene.
Both Tang Min and Lin Qingxuan inside the car were scared out of their wits, their hearts hammering wildly, unable to utter a word.
Outside, Zhou Chu knelt frozen for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a shriek.
"Ah!!!"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
He scrambled up from the ground in a frantic mess and bolted away, casting all caution to the wind.
He abandoned his car and left the bodyguard behind.
The bodyguard stood frozen for two more seconds before snapping back to his senses, dashing back into his own car, and speeding off after Zhou Chu.
A farce, instantly pacified.
"He probably won't dare to bother you again after this," Ye Nan said with a faint smile. "No need to thank me."
Thank you?
I'll thank your great-uncle!
Panting heavily, Tang Min patted her chest repeatedly, glaring at him in rage. "Do you have any idea what you were doing?! Don't you understand someone could have died?!"
Ye Nan shrugged. "I just helped him realize which is truly more terrifying: losing you or death."
Many simpering yes-man types are like this.
They convince themselves that compared to losing their goddess, death is nothing.
Yet the moment they actually face death once, they wake up instantly—nothing can compare to the preciousness of life!
Without another word, Ye Nan restarted the car and drove toward the Haiqing Building.
Tang Min fell silent.
Calming down to think about it, reckless though Ye Nan's method was, it was undeniably effective.
Lin Qingxuan, being much thicker-skinned, recovered quickly and found this rascal brother-in-law's style entirely to her liking.
"Sister Tang Min, who on earth was that guy?" Lin Qingxuan asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Zhou Chu, the young master of the Zhou family," Tang Min said helplessly. "I thought his conditions were decent, so I agreed to give it a try. I just never expected..."
Lin Qingxuan blinked twice. "I remember there was a senior from your university who was always chasing after you, and people said his character was really good. Why didn't you..."
"What good is having a good character?!" Tang Min gave a bitter smile. "His family background is way too poor. My family would never agree."
"Oh..." Lin Qingxuan understood. "So you were torn between wanting someone with a good family background versus someone with good character, right!"
Tang Min shrugged noncommittally.
"Brother-in-law, what do you think?" Lin Qingxuan suddenly turned and asked Ye Nan.
Ye Nan thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Qingxuan, let me tell you a story."
"Yay, okay!" Lin Qingxuan's eyes lit up. "Brother-in-law, you know how to tell stories too!"
"This story is called The Golden Key and the Iron Key." Ye Nan glanced sideways at Tang Min and said flatly.
"One day, a golden key and an iron key got into an argument."
"They both tried to open the same lock. The golden key went in and couldn't open it, but the iron key went in and unlocked it."
"The iron key proudly said, 'See? Even if your whole body is made of pure gold, so what? I'm still the one who understands her heart!'"
"The golden key just gave a disdainful chuckle and said, 'Why on earth would I want to understand her heart? I'm just sticking myself in for fun!'"
With that, Ye Nan snapped his mouth shut.
Both Tang Min and Lin Qingxuan sat in a daze for a few seconds before the meaning hit them.
"Lewd! Stinky pervert!" Tang Min's face turned slightly red as she shot Ye Nan a look of utter disgust.
As for Lin Qingxuan, she let out a couple of giggles, her shoulders shaking with amusement, and cast a soft, alluring sideways glance at Ye Nan. "Rascal brother-in-law, is that the trick you used to hook my old sister?"
Yet, upon closer reflection, Ye Nan's slightly vulgar little joke actually carried a certain logic of its own.
"By your logic, rich people are all scumbags, so I'm just supposed to settle down with some poor fellow?" Tang Min said irritably.
"I find your comprehension skills genuinely concerning!" Ye Nan rolled his eyes. "How on earth did you manage to become a president's assistant!"
"My point is: some people are valuable but don't care, while others care but aren't valuable."
"When picking a partner, landing either one of those is already pretty good!"
"You want both the fish and the bear's paw—how big is your appetite anyway?!"
Tang Min was left completely speechless, her pretty face flushed crimson.
Lin Qingxuan burst into another round of giggles, her laughter rippling like flowers swaying in the breeze.
Before long, the car pulled up downstairs at the Haiqing Building.
Ye Nan and Lin Qingxuan got out of the car, while Tang Min drove down to the underground parking garage.
"Brother-in-law, I... I don't want to go see my sister!" Lin Qingxuan tugged at Ye Nan's sleeve, acting spoiled with a sweet, whining tone.
Just as Ye Nan was about to speak, his expression suddenly shifted, and his eyes narrowed.
Seven o'clock, lower left!
Five o'clock, lower right!
There were two people possessing internal energy nearby!
Ye Nan casually glanced back twice.
Then, without a word, he grabbed Lin Qingxuan and led her into the company building.
Yet those two casual glances of his scared the two figures lurking in the shadows nearly out of their wits!
"Impossible..."
In a quiet, secluded alley not far away, a stunning, hot beauty dressed in skin-tight black leather slowly slumped to the ground, her back soaked in sweat.
Chapter 16: Saving Her Life Makes Us Even!
The beauty in black leather sat in a daze for quite a while before finally activating the micro-communicator clipped to her ear.
"Shadow Seven, fall back! We've been exposed!"
"The target is far too dangerous. I only looked at him from afar, and he sensed me."
"His strength is terrifying; the glance he cast to pressure me nearly made me suffocate from a distance!"
"Don't report this yet, let's figure out another way!"
...
Ye Nan brought Lin Qingxuan upstairs and back to Lin Qingrou's office.
"Sis..."
Lin Qingxuan offered a hesitant, awkward greeting.
Sitting behind her desk, Lin Qingrou was staring intently at her computer screen.
Facing this awkward atmosphere, Ye Nan felt a bit uncomfortable.
Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family chores; as an outsider, he figured he'd better stay out of it.
"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Qingrou looked up, nodded at Ye Nan, and then asked in confusion, "How were you able to bring her back from Wan Jiukui?"
Ye Nan looked at the unhappy Lin Qingxuan beside him and decided to liven up the atmosphere.