Chapter Sixty-Four: Ask Important Questions Three Times

Qiu escorted the person into Private Room No. 6, then returned to join Hong Chen and the others, continuing their room-by-room search. It was not until the nineteenth room that they finally found someone—a sharp-looking young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses. Qiu gave Hong Chen a subtle signal, and as the two withdrew from the room, they happened to run into a familiar face.

"Hong Chen, what are you doing here?" Liu Xinyue appeared surprised. She glanced at Lin Yufei, who stood beside Hong Chen, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

Likewise, Lin Yufei found herself suspicious seeing Liu Xinyue greet Hong Chen so amicably, as if the two were quite familiar with each other.

Women, after all, are creatures brimming with curiosity, especially when it comes to men they know interacting with women they don't. Such moments inevitably give rise to countless speculations.

"I'm just here with my company leader. My boss is in a meeting, and I'm just wandering around," Hong Chen replied offhandedly, making no attempt to introduce the two women.

Liu Xinyue responded with a pleasant smile. "By the way, the prescription you gave my grandfather—he’s taken it for more than two weeks now, and it's really working..."

She seemed in a much better mood than the last time they had met at the gym and was far more talkative. But Hong Chen was not in the mood for conversation and cut her off. "Xinyue, I have something to take care of right now. Let's talk later."

Understanding, Liu Xinyue nodded with a smile and was just about to step aside when her brow suddenly arched. Following her gaze, Hong Chen turned and saw Qiu and the young man walking closely together.

"That conman is harming another lost girl," Liu Xinyue suddenly said, her voice turning cold. She gritted her teeth and strode forward. Noticing her intent and hearing her muttered words, Hong Chen quickly reached out to grab her arm.

Caught off guard by Hong Chen’s strength, Liu Xinyue stumbled and fell right into his arms.

By then, Qiu and the young man were barely five meters away. Liu Xinyue struggled upright, eyes blazing as she stretched out her hand, clearly intending to confront the young man. In desperation, Hong Chen went with the flow, pulling Liu Xinyue tightly into his embrace and covering her mouth with his hand, all while subtly sidestepping to clear the path.

Liu Xinyue could do nothing but watch, wide-eyed, as Qiu and the young man passed by. Only after they had left did Hong Chen release her, his gaze shifting to the person sitting at the far right of the card table—a man whose cold stare met his own.

It was none other than Liu Hao, the eldest son of the Liu family!

Hong Chen realized from Liu Hao’s gloomy expression that there had been a huge misunderstanding. Had this not been a public place, Liu Hao would have leapt up in fury at seeing Hong Chen embracing his sister for nearly ten seconds.

This useless son-in-law of the Lin family is bold indeed, Liu Hao thought, daring to take liberties with his sister in public.

Hong Chen quickly averted his gaze, glancing at Liu Xinyue. Her cheeks were flushed crimson as she pretended to adjust her clothes calmly, not sparing him a glance. That suited Hong Chen just fine—he had no desire to explain. "Miss Liu, my boss is waiting for me. I’ll take my leave."

Then, grabbing the still-stunned Lin Yufei, he made a hasty exit from the card room.

They made their way to the lounge area. Hong Chen ordered two drinks, handed one to Lin Yufei, and finally, she spoke. "Hong Chen, who was that woman? What’s going on between you two?"

Hong Chen glanced at her, sipping his drink. "She’s the eldest daughter of the Liu family—the same Liu family I got into trouble with last time. We’re not even friends."

Lin Yufei’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. Seeing through her thoughts, Hong Chen said curtly, "Are you still thinking about what just happened? There’s no point explaining. Just remember this—everything I did was to clean up your mess."

His words were so ambiguous that Lin Yufei blushed furiously behind her mask. She lowered her gaze and didn’t press further.

In the past, she would have interrogated him relentlessly, or simply assumed the worst and scolded him without restraint. But after the lesson she received from Hong Chen that morning—and realizing the gravity of her own mistake, which nearly destroyed her family—her heart was now filled with remorse and dread. For the first time, she actually felt a little afraid of him.

Still, even if she didn’t pursue the issue, the image of Hong Chen embracing Liu Xinyue had already etched itself into her mind. To dispel her doubts would be impossible.

Soon, Qiu arrived, nodded silently, and handed over a room card. Hong Chen took it and passed it to Lin Yufei. "All right, you’re done here. Go to the room and get a spa. No matter what happens outside, don’t come out. I’ll find you when everything’s resolved."

Lin Yufei asked, "You don’t need me for the negotiation with that bald man?"

Hong Chen shook his head slowly. She said nothing more, took a few sips of her drink, and left. Hong Chen pulled out his phone and made a call. "Is everything ready?"

"Don’t worry, Young Master Chen. Everything’s in place."

After hanging up, Hong Chen calmly finished his drink, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Then, with Qiu at his side, he made his way through several corridors to the largest area of the club—the business lounge.

Inside, dozens of small round tables were half-occupied. Hong Chen’s gaze quickly settled on a corner, where a big bald man, a fat woman, and a middle-aged man with a face full of scars sat together. Their features made them easy to identify.

Hong Chen and Qiu sat down directly across from the bald man.

"I’m Lin Yufei’s brother-in-law," Hong Chen said without any pleasantries, slapping a bank card on the table and getting straight to the point. "Take out the IOU."

The three were momentarily stunned by Hong Chen’s directness. The bald man, still skeptical, pointed at the card. "Is there really three million eight hundred eighty thousand in here?"

Hong Chen nodded. The fat woman dug through her bag and produced an IOU and a guarantee. Hong Chen took them, glancing over the documents as he asked, "Were you the masterminds behind the setup for Lin Yufei, or were you working for someone else? If you were, who was it?"

The three looked bewildered, uncertain whether they had heard him correctly or simply didn’t believe what they were hearing. Hong Chen looked at each of them in turn, smiling harmlessly. "Didn’t catch that? I’ll repeat myself. Was it your idea to set up Lin Yufei, or were you working for someone else? If so, who?"

This time, the bald man reacted quickly, a fierce light flashing in his eyes. He said in a low voice, "Are you joking or are you serious? I’m warning you, don’t play games. Tonight’s the deadline. If we don’t get the money by midnight, we’ll pay a second visit. It won’t be like last time—a simple warning. This time, we’re moving in for good."

Hong Chen shook his head. "Important questions are worth asking three times. This is the last time. Did you set up Lin Yufei, or were you working for someone else? If so, who was it?"

"You bastard, have you got a death wish?" The bald man’s face darkened instantly, but before he could act, the fat woman shrieked and lunged at Hong Chen, her hand reaching for his face.

Qiu, appearing delicate, moved swiftly. Her slender hand caught the fat woman’s wrist and, with seemingly little effort, twisted it two hundred seventy degrees. The sound of grinding bones was masked by the fat woman’s agonized scream.

At once, the surrounding tables turned their attention to the commotion. Seeing the fat woman’s face twisted in pain, several people quickly stood up and backed away, while others blanched.

The bald man and the scar-faced man were first startled, then enraged. The bald man leaped up, grabbed a chair, and swung it at Qiu without hesitation. The scar-faced man was just as decisive, snatching a teapot from the table and aiming it at Hong Chen’s head.

Clearly, these two may be past their prime, but judging by their actions, they were once seasoned fighters and not to be taken lightly—even now, they were far from soft.

Unfortunately, their toughness only counted for something against ordinary people. To Hong Chen and Qiu, they were nothing more than half-trained amateurs.

With a thud, Hong Chen simply tilted his head to avoid the flying teapot, then punched the scar-faced man square in the chest. The man shot backward, crashing into a sofa at the next table, sending bodies and chairs flying.

Meanwhile, Qiu raised a hand to block the chair swung by the bald man, stopping it dead in its tracks. She then sprang up, spinning and landing a whip kick to his ribs.

A sharp crack echoed as the bald man’s massive body flew a dozen feet through the air, landing heavily on a solid wooden table, which instantly splintered into pieces. The sheer force of Qiu’s kick needed no further explanation.