Chapter 739: Jiaojiao 19

The second male lead spoke. "That’s Brother Rong we’re talking about. The guy plays dirty. Did he really just get taken down by Chen Jiao like that?"

"Don’t tell me a new queenpin is about to emerge in the underworld?"

The lead actress curled her lip. "They were already calling her ’Boss Lady’ on set yesterday."

’Speaking of which, if Chen Jiao has real power, shouldn’t I try to get on her good side? Better to build a good relationship with another woman than to suck up to those damn men. Besides, Chen Jiao seems like a decent person.’ The lead actress glanced around and saw that pretty much everyone else had the same thought written on their faces.

’Everyone in this business has at least some connection to the underworld. After tonight, Chen Jiao’s name is probably going to be famous on the streets.’

She lowered her gaze with a small smile, pulling her robe tighter. "I’m done watching. I’m going back to bed."

Once she took the lead, the others stopped crowding around Chen Jiao’s door and left in twos and threes. Liu Fu, who was at the back of the group, walked a few steps before turning to look at Chen Jiao’s room. He smiled, then returned to his own.

’Chen Jiao dealt with Brother Rong and his crew this time. I wonder if she’ll thank me for the heads-up? But it doesn’t really matter whether she does or not. I didn’t warn her just to get a thank you.’

’I just felt bad for the girl, that’s all.’

The crowd outside the door completely dispersed, and the room gradually fell silent. There was no great mystery to it; the men had simply passed out from the pain. Chen Jiao glanced at the corpse-like scene before her, paid them no mind, and laid down on her bed to sleep.

She’d been dealing with these bastards for days and was at her limit. Whatever else needed to be done could wait until she woke up. Besides, it wasn’t like they could go anywhere, even if they came to.

With that thought, Chen Jiao hugged the covers and fell into a deep sleep. Tan You couldn’t help but marvel at her resilience when she saw her sleeping so soundly she’d even started to snore softly.

When Ye Rong and his men regained consciousness, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Unfortunately, they quickly discovered that they could no longer move their limbs as they once could.

It was as if they had lost all control over their bodies; they couldn’t even twitch. The only things they could move were their eyes. Ye Rong’s eyes darted around the room, taking in his men sprawled in disarray.

"Ah... Ah Sheng..." Ye Rong found he could still speak. He called out in a low voice, trying to figure out what was going on. But he’d screamed himself hoarse the night before, and now his throat was raw and burning.

"Here," Yuan Sheng replied. He’d woken up too. He tried to move his arms and legs, then suddenly panicked. "Brother Rong, I can’t move."

The other lackeys began to wake up one by one. "Brother Sheng, I can’t move either."

"Brother Sheng, don’t tell me I’m paralyzed..."

"Brother Rong... what do we do now?"

Chen Jiao had been sleeping soundly, but who could rest with so many grating voices squawking in their ear? The thought of who those voices belonged to only made Chen Jiao more irritated.

She sat up, running a hand through her hair. "What’s all the noise about?"

Her voice was laced with the crankiness of someone whose sleep had been disturbed. But because her tone was naturally soft, she just sounded a little languid, without much real bite.

But that was all relative. The moment the lackeys heard her voice, they went as quiet as mice, their eyes filling with terror. This was especially true for the first group she had dealt with, who looked even more frightened to see her.

One of the quicker ones had already started begging for mercy. "Boss Lady! Boss Lady, we really know we were wrong!"

"Boss Lady, I have a family to support..."

Chen Jiao’s head was starting to clear. She rubbed her cheeks. "Are you about to tell me you have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old kid at home? You really think a woman would have a child with the likes of you?"

Tan You twisted the knife. "A few of these lackeys do actually have families to support. Most of them are just wastrels living off one-night stands."

As she spoke, she pointed out which of the lackeys had families. Chen Jiao looked them over; they were mostly new faces. When it came to men like these, who were just trying to provide for their families, she truly couldn’t bring herself to be too harsh.

’She had to support her own family, too; she knew how hard it was to make a living. She could easily finish all of them off, but their families...’

Tan You spoke softly. "The one called Ah Qi is an exception. He isn’t actually one of them. He’s an underground fighter. He only came because Ye Rong offered him a lot of money, and he was in desperate need of it."

"Ye Rong just told him to act as muscle; Zong Qi didn’t know what they were here for. He figured out the gist of it on the way here yesterday and was about to leave as soon as he got to the hotel, but we made our move before he could."

Chen Jiao’s expression gradually softened. "This Zong Qi... what’s so special about him?"

Tan You thought for a moment, then smiled. "Don’t you think he has the air of a lone wolf? And with his skills, if you could convince him to be your bodyguard, you’d have some real security when you’re out and about."

Chen Jiao... Chen Jiao was definitely tempted. She glanced at Zong Qi again. ’I’m just worried he won’t accept. The man’s an underground fighter, and his arms are as thick as my thighs. Would he really take orders from me?’

Tan You replied, "That’s why you have to entice him with money. Emotional appeals are useless. Zong Qi needs cash right now, so just give him cash."

Chen Jiao was crestfallen. ’I’m flat broke. Where am I supposed to get the money to pay him?’

Tan You said, "I’ll manage the money you got from Ye Rong. We can pay Zong Qi’s salary out of that. And don’t you dare start talking about whether the money is dirty or not. I’ve already used it to earn even more, and I’ll make sure none of it is ever used for your personal expenses. I have my own plans."

Chen Jiao looked as if she’d just gotten rid of a hot potato. "Then you can have it, Teacher. I only got that money because of you in the first place. From now on, I’ll just focus on my acting. I only want to spend the money I earn myself."

Tan You raised an eyebrow. ’This is the first client I’ve had who doesn’t want my money. How novel.’

The louder the lackeys wailed, the more silent Zong Qi seemed by comparison as he lay near the door. He could feel Chen Jiao’s eyes on him, and he scoffed inwardly. ’The louder they cry now, the worse it’ll be for them when she decides what to do.’

’Zong Qi had to admit he’d screwed up last night. Who could he blame but himself for not getting the details beforehand? If he’d known Ye Rong was involved in such a filthy business, he never would have agreed to come.’

’Unfortunately, he’d found out too late. He supposed he had learned his lesson.’

Chen Jiao was getting sick of hearing the lackeys’ repetitive whining. She threw back the covers and shuffled out of bed in her slippers. After splashing some water on her face in the bathroom, she was finally wide awake.

Zong Qi was lying closest to the door, which seemed to confirm that he really had been trying to leave the night before. Chen Jiao paid him no mind, simply stepping over his legs and strolling leisurely over to Ye Rong, where she squatted down.

Meeting Ye Rong’s terrified and resentful gaze, Chen Jiao suddenly smiled. "Now that you’ve fallen into my hands again, why don’t you tell me how we should settle our score?"

"The day before yesterday, you spent a million to buy back your life. What price will you have to pay this time?"

Ye Rong wanted to vomit blood. He had to figure out how he was going to get out of this in one piece. ’Or rather, getting out in one piece is no longer an option. After last night, my body has taken even more damage. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to hold onto my position in the underworld after this...’