Chapter 416: Analysis

Chen Erbao spent half the afternoon teaching the perfume production process to the skilled workers. Afterwards, he took Bai Xiaoqing and Lin Zhiqing to a mall downtown for dinner.

‘Tonight’s the showdown.’ Chen Erbao was both thrilled and excited. ‘My long-cherished dream of sharing a bed with both of them might actually come true today!’

「That evening, in a restaurant at the mall.」

Chen Erbao absentmindedly picked at his food, stealing glances at the two women, each with a very different expression on her face.

Lin Zhiqing was perfectly composed, her expression as tranquil as ever. She occasionally took a sip of her milk tea, but otherwise kept her head bowed over her phone.

Bai Xiaoqing, on the other hand, was a different story. She seemed to have guessed what was coming, and her face was etched with anxiety. Sitting beside Lin Zhiqing, she had lost all her usual composure. Her body was rigid, and she distractedly picked at the food on the table.

“Sister Xiaoqing.”

At the sound of Lin Zhiqing’s voice, Bai Xiaoqing instinctively sat up straighter and replied nervously,

“Huh?”

Lin Zhiqing looked at the woman who had always been her best friend and big sister figure. Her gaze was as placid as still water as she smiled.

“Is the food good tonight?”

The moment Bai Xiaoqing heard this, her mind went blank with a high-pitched BUZZ, and her heart instantly went cold.

‘It’s over, it’s over. Zhiqing knows…’

She shot a sideways glance at Chen Erbao. When she saw him still acting as if this had nothing to do with him, she was suddenly furious.

‘I was the one who was forced into this, and now I’m the one taking all the blame!’

‘Goddamn scumbag!’

Chen Erbao hadn’t planned on saying anything, but now that Bai Xiaoqing was looking at him, he couldn’t just sit there doing nothing.

“Ahem… Zhiqing…”

“Don’t you say a word!”

Chen Erbao had just opened his mouth to try and ease the tension when Lin Zhiqing slammed her hand on the table—SLAM!—and snapped at him coldly.

Chen Erbao flinched and leaned back in his chair, resuming his ‘play dead’ strategy.

By now, Bai Xiaoqing felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest. Her clenched palms were slick with sweat, and her throat suddenly felt parched.

“Sister Xiaoqing, did you and Er Bao have any fun on your business trip a while back?”

Lin Zhiqing asked, looking at her best friend with a sweet smile.

It wasn’t that she actually wanted to fall out with Bai Xiaoqing. It was just that Bai Xiaoqing doing something like this behind her back made her deeply uncomfortable. She wanted to use this opportunity to establish her position as the ‘alpha’.

‘After all, it’s first come, first served!’

Bai Xiaoqing’s voice trembled. Seeing the cold look in Lin Zhiqing’s eyes, she sighed inwardly and prepared to confess:

“Zhiqing, I’ve wronged you…”

“Zhiqing, this isn’t really Xiaoqing’s fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

Chen Erbao interjected again, trying to smooth things over.

At the same time, he found it a little strange. ‘This girl… we agreed that she’d come clean to Xiaoqing, and she promised me she wouldn’t drag it out. So why is she being so relentless now?’

Lin Zhiqing shot Chen Erbao a glare.

“You vile man, shut your mouth.”

Chen Erbao gave a sheepish smile and sat back down.

Seeing Bai Xiaoqing’s aggrieved expression, Lin Zhiqing’s heart softened, but this wasn’t the right place for this conversation. She grabbed her purse and walked out.

Chen Erbao and Bai Xiaoqing quickly stood up and followed behind her.

“Er Bao, what do we do now… It’s all your fault! Zhiqing must hate my guts!”

Bai Xiaoqing’s eyes grew red as tears welled up.

Walking behind them, Chen Erbao squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. Zhiqing is just blowing off some steam. All she needs is a little placating, and she’ll be fine.”

The trio found a hotel nearby. Bai Xiaoqing pulled Lin Zhiqing aside and got a room for just the two of them. As for Chen Erbao, Lin Zhiqing didn’t even spare him a glance.

‘Heh!’

Chen Erbao didn’t disturb the two women’s private talk. He went outside the hotel by himself, squatted on the curb, and lit a cigarette, taking a drag against the cold wind.

‘Things at home are pretty much settled. And on the relationship front, there aren’t any huge conflicts or problems. For now, I just need to make sure Zhao Ruoying and Lin Zhiqing don’t meet.’

‘Next, my focus has to shift to Binhai.’

‘The Huang Family’s influence in the worlds of business and politics is on a level I can’t possibly match. My only advantage right now is my own personal strength.’

‘But given the current situation with the Security Bureau and the country in general, I have a feeling this trip won’t be a smooth one.’

‘Luckily, I’m operating from the shadows while the Huang Family is out in the open. Huang Baiwen probably has no idea I’m planning to move against him.’

‘With some clandestine help from the Security Bureau, plus that Huang Sanlang I’ve yet to meet, maybe there will be a few pleasant surprises.’

Chen Erbao stared at the passing traffic with a profound look in his eyes. He quickly finished his cigarette, then dashed into a nearby convenience store. After grabbing a few boxes of condoms, he headed upstairs, his heart full of anticipation.

When he got to the women’s room, Chen Erbao knocked on the door. A moment later, Lin Zhiqing opened it, her face cold.

“Zhiqing, you two…”

Chen Erbao studied Lin Zhiqing’s expression. He saw no signs that she was furious; in fact, her gaze seemed a little evasive.

‘Looks like things are going in the direction I was hoping for.’ Chen Erbao brazenly squeezed past her into the room.

…

「Binhai, Huang Family Mansion.」

Dressed impeccably in a suit, Huang Baiwen held a glass of crimson wine. He stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, surveying the bustling metropolis below.

An advisor with a goatee sat on the sofa, brewing tea. Steam curled into the air, soon filling the office with its fragrant aroma.

A file lay on the coffee table.

“Young Master, this woman is more than she seems. I’ve investigated her movements. A while back in Dian Nan, she was involved in a major battle with the Celestial God Sect. The Security Bureau also sent people to assist her.”

The man with the goatee stroked his chin as he began to lay out the intelligence he had gathered.

Without turning around, Huang Baiwen replied,

“Don’t worry about the Security Bureau. They have their own hands full at the moment; they wouldn’t dare provoke our Huang Family. There are people in high places who are already displeased with them. Besides, the Ancient Martial Sect backing the Security Bureau isn’t faring so well recently either.”

Information that was strictly classified to ordinary people was no secret at all to the young master of the Huang Family.

The Huang Family even had its own connections within the mysterious Ancient Martial Sects.

“Young Master, I’m not worried about the Security Bureau. However, it seems a third party was involved in the battle at the Air Liquefaction Plant.”

“Who else?”

Huang Baiwen asked, his interest piqued.

The Celestial God Sect and the Security Bureau are already top-tier powers, second only to the Ancient Martial Sects. Could there be another expert involved?

The man with the goatee shook his head.

“It’s untraceable. All the members of the Celestial God Sect were killed in action. Only the people from the Security Bureau and this woman survived. I’m afraid they are the only ones who know the truth.”

Huang Baiwen paused, taken aback.

“What evidence is there to prove a third party intervened?”

“Young Master, you don’t understand. The only person from the Security Bureau who made a move was a young woman who was only a Half Step Grandmaster. The Celestial God Sect, on the other hand, sent an Elder Grandmaster who made his name years ago. The disparity in their strength on paper was enormous. Logically speaking, there’s no way she should have survived. Yet, the outcome was the complete annihilation of the Celestial God Sect’s forces. A third party absolutely must have intervened. There’s no other explanation for this result.”

A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the man with the goatee, his analysis clear and methodical.