Chapter 735: Jiaojiao 15

Chen Jiao looked up at Yuan Sheng. "I’m free. I just don’t know if you all still have the guts to be in the same room as me."

Things were fine before she spoke. The moment she did, the legs of the lackeys behind Yuan Sheng began to tremble. Zhang Ping dropped to the ground with a THUD. He shuffled forward two steps on his knees until he was in front of Chen Jiao, his fat hands instinctively reaching to grab her legs.

Chen Jiao shot him a sideways glance and snorted. "Hm?"

Zhang Ping instantly retracted his hands in embarrassment. "Miss Chen, Ma’am! I’m begging you, please have mercy and spare my life!"

Chen Jiao’s eyes widened. "Ma’am?"

Zhang Ping immediately corrected himself. "Boss’s wife! Boss’s wife! I misspoke, please spare my life, Boss’s wife!"

Chen Jiao frowned. ’That doesn’t sound any better. "Boss’s wife" implies a "boss." Am I supposed to conjure up a "boss" for them now?’

Tan You, sensing her thoughts, let out a soft chuckle. "Focus on the matter at hand."

Chen Jiao reined in her wandering thoughts. "What’s wrong with you all? What’s brought you to the point of begging me? You don’t look like there’s anything wrong with you."

From Chen Jiao’s tone, it was clear she had no intention of admitting to anything she’d done. That simply wouldn’t do. The expressions on Ye Rong’s and Yuan Sheng’s faces changed in unison. They bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "Boss’s wife! We beg you to have mercy and spare our lives!"

Their perfectly synchronized action stunned everyone on set. Bathed in a sea of curious, wary, and fearful gazes, Chen Jiao smoothed out her skirt and stood up. "Director Liu, I have something to take care of. Could my scenes be pushed back a bit?"

Liu Fu, still in a daze, replied, "Of course, no problem."

Chen Jiao smiled. "Alright, I’ll be back in a little while."

With that, Chen Jiao picked up her handbag and walked off the set. Zhang Ping, who had been kneeling on the ground, shot to his feet with a speed that defied his portly frame and scurried after her.

’How can I not be eager to please right now? I have to fight to get my life back. If I don’t try my best, it’s not like Ye Rong and Yuan Sheng are going to help me. They probably hate my guts by now.’

’But was it really all his fault? Sure, he’d had his eye on Chen Jiao’s script, and on Chen Jiao herself. But he never planned on stooping to the level of Ye Rong and Yuan Sheng, taking compromising photos and forcing himself on her.’

Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets. Zhang Ping trotted along beside Chen Jiao with tiny, hurried steps. She shot him a glance, and he shamefacedly fell back a couple of paces. ’It’s always the quiet ones,’ he cursed internally.

’Looking at how quiet and docile Chen Jiao was on set, who would have guessed she was secretly a crime lord? That glare was so fierce it felt like it could cut a man in two.’

They didn’t stop walking until they reached the cars parked outside the film set. Ye Rong put on a serious expression. "Miss Chen, what are your conditions for removing the poison from our bodies?"

Channeling Tan You, Chen Jiao put on an air of calm indifference. "Actions and accusations require proof. You claim I poisoned you? Where’s your evidence? Without proof, I can sue you for slander."

Yuan Sheng gritted his teeth. He never expected Chen Jiao to be so slippery. They had brought recording equipment, hoping that if she admitted to it, they could use the recording to turn the tables and blackmail her.

But she was denying everything, and her words were airtight. Even with a recording, they’d have no leverage. As for the surveillance cameras in that room, it was the damnedest thing—from the moment Chen Jiao walked in, the feed turned to static. Nothing was captured at all.

"Miss Chen, just name your price. As long as you can cure the affliction our brothers are suffering from, I’m willing to pay anything."

Chen Jiao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Anything?"

Yuan Sheng gritted his teeth. "Yes. I’m willing to pay any price. Please, Miss Chen, have mercy!"

Chen Jiao flicked her fingers. "It’s not that I can’t help you. It’s a matter of buying your lives. It all depends on how much you’re willing to pay."

Ye Rong stared at Chen Jiao. "How much?"

Chen Jiao didn’t even blink. "You and Yuan Sheng, one million each. As for your lackeys, that depends on how much you’re willing to pay for them. Once the money is here, we can talk."

Ye Rong’s eyes blazed with anger. "One million? Miss Chen, that’s quite an appetite you have. Aren’t you afraid you won’t live to spend it?"

Chen Jiao smiled slowly. "Threatening me? Go ahead. After it acts up another three times, you won’t need to find me anymore. You can just use that money to buy yourselves a nice burial plot."

"It’s not like I desperately need your money. And I have to say, seeing someone beg for help with such an arrogant attitude... that’s a first for me. It’s been truly eye-opening."

Yuan Sheng held back the volatile Ye Rong. "Fine. We’ll get the money now. As for the others, how much do you want, Miss Chen?"

Chen Jiao’s gaze landed on Zhang Ping. A shiver ran through his entire body. "I’ll pay a million myself!"

Chen Jiao raised an eyebrow slightly, then looked away, tacitly accepting his offer. Zhang Ping breathed a sigh of relief. ’It’s a lot of money, but as long as I’m alive, I can always earn it back.’

Some of the lackeys had been afflicted, while others had been called over later by Ye Rong. Hearing their bosses discuss buying their lives with money was shocking to all of them, but they had to maintain their composure.

Less than two hours after the deal was struck, nearly four million in cash was laid out in front of Chen Jiao.

"Just as I thought. These gangsters are all filthy rich," Chen Jiao said, propping her chin on her hand as she stared at the bundles of cash. After the initial thrill wore off, she quickly regained her composure.

"Really not tempted?" Tan You’s gaze swept over the cash, a teasing glint in her eyes. She wasn’t moved by it because she had seen countless treasures. ’But Chen Jiao, a nineteen-year-old girl who was strapped for cash, could she really withstand such a temptation?’

’Forget the present; even in the future, four million would be a huge sum of money.’

’And this was before the major economic boom. Even in a highly developed place like G City, four million could buy several houses.’

Chen Jiao patted the large suitcase. "To be honest, of course I’m tempted by this much money. But my dad always taught me not to take ill-gotten gains. Even though he’s lying in a hospital bed right now, in desperate need of money for his medical bills, I have to make sure every cent I earn is clean."

"Otherwise, even if my dad wakes up, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy knowing I used this kind of money to save him."

Tan You smiled. "I’m really starting to like your character more and more. You stick to your principles. Even if some might see it as being inflexible or rigid, that’s precisely what makes it so valuable."

Chen Jiao wrinkled her nose. "Maybe it’s just easy for me to say that because I’m not at the end of my rope yet."

"By the way, why were Ye Rong and his men so quick to pay up? They must have an ace up their sleeve, right?"

Tan You replied, "Of course. If they go home tonight and don’t have another episode, do you really think they’ll let it slide after you humiliated them so badly? Just wait. They’ll launch a fierce counterattack. Are you scared?"