Chapter 166: A Woman's Ploys

"The eldest young lady of the Jiang family, the undisputed number one beauty of our Qing City, Jiang Ying." People, especially in public, always enjoyed bestowing flattery. Hong Chen braced himself with a forced introduction, deliberately elevating Jiang Ying with the title of the top lady. His tone carried a three-part reverence, which could be considered giving this demanding princess plenty of face.

Unexpectedly, this inadvertently displeased another woman. Liu Xinyue's expression darkened. While Jiang Tao being recognized as the top young master of Qing City was widely accepted within the circle, whose approval had Jiang Ying ever obtained for her status as the top lady?

True, the Jiang family was the premier family in Qing City, but the esteemed Liu family was also among the top tier. Liu Xinyue was the daughter of the family head, whereas Jiang Ying was merely the daughter of the Jiang family's second son. The relative standing of the two women was genuinely difficult to define.

The higher one climbed in elite circles, the stricter the adherence to hierarchy. Certain titles could not be tossed around carelessly, for doing so truly offended people!

To use an extreme example, calling a noble imperial concubine the empress—especially in public—might just cost one their head.

Given that it was Hong Chen speaking, had it been the scion of any other family, even a quasi-top-tier one, Liu Xinyue might have put the person on the spot right then and there. This concerned not only her own status and reputation, but also that of her family.

The other men and women present clearly realized something was amiss. They exchanged glances, seeing a hint of peculiar subtlety in each other's eyes.

Lin Yuxin nodded with sudden realization and looked at Jiang Ying once more, a faint smile gracing her lips. Before she could initiate a greeting, Jiang Ying extended her hand first. "I am no top lady, but Miss Lin is unquestionably the most beautiful and formidable business titan in Qing City. Hello."

These words served to elevate Lin Yuxin. No one knew who had first coined the title of Qing City's most beautiful business titan, but it had circulated within the circle for a period. Lin Yuxin's illustrious name was hardly unfamiliar to many family scions. However, as the news spread that Lin Yuxin had married and taken in a good-for-nothing son-in-law, the title had gradually become synonymous with a fine flower stuck in cow dung.

Of course, Jiang Ying had no intention of belittling Lin Yuxin.

Lin Yuxin shook Jiang Ying's hand with effortless grace and smiled, "Hello, Miss Jiang."

Instead, Jiang Ying shook her head. "I am not well. I just suffered a heartbreak."

Hong Chen nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood. Lin Yuxin was momentarily stunned, and the other men and women were taken aback as well.

"I won't disturb Miss Lin further." Jiang Ying withdrew her hand, stepped forward to brush past Lin Yuxin, her expression remaining aloof throughout. She never once cast a direct glance at Hong Chen, let alone acknowledged him.

"Miss Liu, Miss Jiang, both daughters of top-tier families. And Young Master Jiang, along with Young Master Luo, are also of the top tier. Your network of connections in Qing City is truly peerless—hmm, I suppose you ought to be called the top young master of Qing City instead." After Jiang Ying and the others had departed, Lin Yuxin tapped her chin with her finger, squinting as she stared fixedly at Hong Chen with an enigmatic, half-smile expression.

"Driven by the realities of life, I used to rely on you to support me, staying cooped up at home playing video games every day. Now that I've stepped out into the world, I realize one cannot take a single step without a network of connections." Hong Chen scratched the back of his head, offering a thick-skinned smile while inwardly letting out a massive sigh of relief. Earlier, it had felt like presenting a warm face to a cold reception, but none of that mattered. As long as Jiang Ying didn't throw a grand-lady temper tantrum and throw him into a state of total confusion, he was content!

Lin Yuxin let out a soft huff, brushed away Hong Chen's hand, and walked forward on her own. Hong Chen rubbed his nose and silently trailed behind her.

"Splash!" No sooner had they walked a dozen paces than the sound of someone falling into water rang out, instantly followed by a chorus of gasps. Hong Chen and Lin Yuxin stopped and looked back to see Jiang Ying's group clustered around the edge of the swimming pool, all of them gazing into the water with anxious expressions. Evidently, someone had fallen in.

Who had fallen in? None other than Jiang Ying. She was thrashing about in the deep end, which was over two meters deep. Her arms were flailing above the surface, her head bobbing up and down, and her body drifting further away from the poolside.

"Let's go take a look." Hong Chen immediately quickened his pace, and Lin Yuxin followed closely. Reaching the poolside, he crouched down and dipped a hand into the water. Damn it, it was freezing cold. With the outdoor temperature hovering around seven or eight degrees Celsius, the water temperature felt even lower.

"Splash!" One of the men in the group leaped into the water. Weighing close to one hundred and sixty pounds, he kicked up a half-man-high splash, sinking beneath the surface before bobbing back up. Seeing the man's face turn pale with cold, he cried out in agony to the people on the shore, "Damn it, my leg is cramping!"

With that, he trod water using one leg while paddling frantically with both hands, barely managing to keep most of his head above the surface.

"No one else jump in!" Seeing another young girl preparing to leap into the water, Hong Chen let out a sharp, commanding shout. How could these pampered scions of wealthy families possibly understand what it felt like to plunge suddenly into water around five degrees Celsius?

Beneath the massive temperature difference, not only would the muscles all over the body instantly stiffen, but the internal organs would also undergo violent contraction. Within a short time, one's athletic ability would plummet to less than thirty percent of normal levels, easily triggering cramps or even paralyzing movement. A regular swimming enthusiast would be doing well just to save themselves; unless they were a professional lifeguard, rescuing someone was utterly out of the question.

The crowd turned to look as Hong Chen leaped forward, piercing the water like a swordfish. A surge of internal energy welled up from his dantian, circulating through his body and effectively insulating the freezing water from his skin.

Hong Chen's swimming skills were merely average, but as a martial artist, his physical strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person. He first swam close to the man who had entered the water second, pushing the latter toward the edge of the pool with a single palm strike, before swimming toward Jiang Ying.

Jiang Ying had drifted only about ten meters away. In less than ten seconds, Hong Chen reached her side. Standing upright in the water, he reached one arm underneath and around her back, supporting her slender waist while paddling with his other hand on the surface.

Jiang Ying's face wasn't just pale; it was beginning to turn purple from the cold. Yet, her composure remained intact. Hong Chen swept a glance across her face and said speechlessly, "My dear princess, is swimming in the dead of winter supposed to be fun?"

Jiang Ying leaned backward, pressing herself voluntarily against Hong Chen's chest. She stopped flailing her arms and legs, and a soft, ethereal voice murmured, "If you had been caught by me in the place of Cao Renjie, guess what I would have done to you?"

A psychological interrogation!

Hong Chen offered a faint, hollow laugh. "Can't guess."

Jiang Ying stated calmly, "The men become eunuchs, and the women become infertile."

Hong Chen silently drew in a cold breath, feeling his lower extremities tighten for no reason. Then he heard Jiang Ying change the subject. "To tell you the truth, I almost couldn't hold myself back just now. The only reason I restrained myself was because of a tiny shred of sanity. I knew very well that the moment I threw a tantrum, you would cross me off your list for good."

Hong Chen kept quiet. Jiang Ying let out a soft sigh. "At least you still have some conscience and didn't just stand by and watch me drown without a care. That proves I wasn't blind about you. Rest assured, I won't do things that hurt others without benefiting myself, but I won't give up either!"

With that, she gave Hong Chen a sudden push. Caught off guard, Hong Chen's arm slipped away from her slender waist. At that moment, they were still six or seven meters away from the shore. Jiang Ying kicked her feet to create small splashes and swept her arms, quickly swimming to the edge of the pool with a graceful freestyle stroke.

Hong Chen stood there dumbfounded. Despite the clear sky overhead, he felt as though a flock of crows was flying across his head, cawing noisily!

Damn it, this woman had done it on purpose. Falling into the water was intentional, and her drowning act had been entirely faked. She had tricked him into the water to rescue her; she had escaped danger, but he was the one left in peril!

She had not only exacted her revenge on him but also achieved her goal of making a provocative demonstration to Lin Yuxin.

Indeed, she never did anything that brought harm to others without benefiting herself.

This woman's schemes ran far too deep!

Yet, the victimized Hong Chen had nowhere to vent his frustration. His chest was filled with oppressive gloom and indignation, leaving him with the urge to cry.

By the time Hong Chen climbed ashore, Jiang Ying and her group had already walked away, leaving only Lin Yuxin standing there facing the wind. Pierced by her gaze, which carried a rather inexplicable meaning, Hong Chen felt his scalp tingle slightly and offered a dry laugh.

"I paid far too little attention to you in the past; I had no idea you were such a swimming expert." An apologetic note of self-reproach tinged Lin Yuxin's voice. Seizing the opening, Hong Chen went along with her words. "Naturally, I have countless hidden charms."

Lin Yuxin nodded in agreement. "Nowadays, when an elderly person falls by the roadside and a crowd gathers around, absolutely no one steps forward to help. You disregarded the freezing water of the pool to rescue two people one after another. Such righteous character is truly rare to find these days."

Hong Chen carefully observed her expression, searching in vain for any trace of pretense. Could it be that she genuinely hadn't seen through the act?

"Naturally, I've always had exceptional character." Hesitating for a moment, Hong Chen gracefully accepted Lin Yuxin's praise. Unexpectedly, her next remark caused his smile to freeze instantly on his face.

Tapping her chin with a single finger, Lin Yuxin mused thoughtfully, "When you dove into the water to save people just now, I was actually wondering—if Miss Jiang and I had both fallen into the water at the same time, who would you have saved?"

Another psychological interrogation!

However, this question couldn't stump Hong Chen. After pausing for three full seconds, he prepared to pat his chest and declare with absolute certainty that he would, of course, save his own wife. Yet before he could speak, Lin Yuxin shook her head and answered first: "Naturally, you'd save whoever was closer."

With that, she waved a hand at him. "Hurry up and go to the bathroom to wash up, or you'll catch a cold and run a fever tomorrow." She then turned and walked away, leaving Hong Chen with a deeply meaningful parting view of her back.