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 Bingjieâs personality, sooner or later sheâs bound to pay the price for her words and actionsâafter all, thereâs 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 wasnât great either, but she hadnât 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 Wenâs 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, Iâll have two orders of stinky tofu."
"Alright, thatâll 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 hadnât expected Ni Yang to eat something like stinky tofu.
Although stinky tofu was quite tasty... she couldnât help but feel that Ni Yangâs image and stinky tofu didnât 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, "Thereâs a rice noodle stall over there; letâs 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 hadnât made things difficult for her along the way.
Could it be that Ni Yang isnât that important to Du Ye after all?
Was she mistaken?
Otherwise, why didnât 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 Yeâs 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 didnât get back to the inn until after eight oâclock 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 Yangâs 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, "Weâre flying home."
"Home?" The driver exclaimed in surprise. "Youâre 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. "Iâm already married."
"Married?" The driver was even more surprised. "Young comrade, you donât look very old!"
"Iâm twenty-two years old," Ni Yang replied.
"Twenty-two? I thought you were only eighteen or nineteen! You really donât look itâyour 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. Thatâll 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 headâa 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 driverâs 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 mightâve 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 carâs mirror.
Presumably believing there was no one in the car, Secretary Wen wasnât at all concerned about her appearance, even baring her gums in the process.
A few seconds later, Secretary Wen walked back to Ni Yangâs side. "Alright, President Ni, letâs go."
Ni Yang nodded.
The two disappeared into the airportâs 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 shopâs 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 loverâs 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 couldnât be done under anesthesia, yet throughout the entire process, Du Ye didnât 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 didnât 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 Chenguiâs 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.
"Whoâwho are you?"
After so much time in prison, Zhao Jingrong had become a shell of her former selfâdisheveled and unkempt. Ni Chengui didnât immediately recognize her, which was understandable.
The longer Ni Chengui looked, the more familiar the person seemed. Squinting, she said, "Youâyou, are you Zhao Jingrong? Werenât you in prison? How did you..."
Before she could finish, Zhao Jingrong suddenly pulled out a dagger and pressed it against Yuanyuanâs neck. "Donât shout! Or Iâll kill her!"
Ni Chengui struggled to calm herself. "Alright! Alright! I wonât shout! Just donât hurt Yuanyuan. As long as you donât hurt her, Iâll do whatever you want..."
Yuanyuan was her everything.
She could lose everyone else, but not Yuanyuan.
"Go inside."
"Alright, alright." Ni Chenguiâs 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, Iâm begging you!"
Zhao Jingrong said, "Donât worry. Iâm not here to harm you or your daughter. As long as you follow my instructions, Iâll let your daughter go."
Ni Chengui hurriedly replied, "Alright, alright! Whatever you say! Iâll do everything you askâjust 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 Yangâs fault!
Ni Yang must pay the price!
"Wh-what?" Ni Chenguiâs face went pale.
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