A woman—more precisely, a stunningly beautiful lady.

Zhao Xiaojing personally took the lead, bringing the woman to the entrance of Changkang Hospital. He first showed her a photo of Cheng Ji, then pulled a thick wad of cash from his leather bag, splitting it in half. “Figure out a way to get that kid into bed,” he said, “and the other half is yours.”

The woman asked, “What did this handsome boy do to offend you?”

“That’s none of your business. Are you in or not?”

There are some people in this world who will do anything as long as you pay them. The woman snatched the money, laughing. “Of course I’m in. Isn’t this just a honey trap? I’ve dealt with uglier ones, let alone someone this good-looking. I’ve been waiting for a job like this!”

The reason Zhao Xiaojing was so disappointing was that no matter how old he got, he could never abandon such underhanded tricks.

The woman chuckled. “When you guys come in to ‘catch us,’ make sure you’re a bit late. I really like this pretty boy. I want to have some extra fun with him.”

“That’ll depend on your skill,” Zhao Xiaojing sneered coldly.

He sent the hospital aide who had taken the secret photos to lure Cheng Ji outside.

Cheng Ji had no way of guessing someone was setting him up. When told someone was looking for him, he asked curiously, “Who?”

“Not sure,” the aide replied. “They just said they’re here to see you.”

So Cheng Ji put on his coat and headed out, wondering who it could be. He didn’t have close friends or family. If it were Qi Beisong or Lei Jing, why wouldn’t they just come in directly? Could it be Xu Lele from Shuiyue Manor?

He waited at the hospital entrance for quite a while but saw no one. Deciding to go back and ask the aide who had passed the message, he realized they were nowhere to be found either.

Scratching his head, Cheng Ji was about to return to his room when suddenly a speeding car hurtled toward him, grazing his body. The car narrowly missed him but startled a young woman nearby, who fell to the ground in fright.

Cheng Ji’s heart pounded wildly as he rushed over to help the woman up and guided her to sit on the curb. Then, without hesitation, he turned and ran after the car.

Of course, he couldn’t catch it. Sitting inside, Zhao Xiaojing burst into laughter, already planning the next act of his play.

Cheng Ji returned empty-handed to find the young woman clutching her ankle, groaning in pain.

Checking her injured leg, Cheng Ji reassured her, “Don’t worry, it’s not serious. I got the license plate number. You can report it to the police later and let them handle it.”

“No, no!” the woman quickly protested. “The police wouldn’t bother with something like this. Ah, my foot hurts so much! We’re right at the hospital—could you help me inside for an examination? I’ll compensate you for the trouble.”

“There’s no need for compensation,” Cheng Ji replied. “But this hospital doesn’t have the necessary departments for this kind of injury. You’d better call a friend or family member to take you to another hospital.”

The woman’s eyes filled with tears as she said, “I came to Hong City alone for work. I’ve only been here a few days. I don’t have any friends or family here. Please, kind sir, help me out! What if it’s a fracture? I wouldn’t even know how to register or get medicine at the hospital by myself.”

Cheng Ji shouldn’t have believed such an obvious sob story, but it’s hard not to empathize with someone in a similar situation. He, too, had come to Hong City alone, with no one to rely on and plenty of people to offend.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Wait here. I’ll get a taxi for you.”

The woman was delighted by how smoothly things were going. But when the taxi arrived, Cheng Ji didn’t get in with her. Instead, he instructed the driver to take her to a specific hospital.

Panic flashed across the woman’s face as she clutched her ankle, crying out in pain. “Don’t leave me, please! Have mercy on me. What if it really is a fracture? Once I’m at the hospital, there won’t even be anyone to help me register or get medicine. Please, stay with me!”

Cheng Ji, moved by her plea, decided that leaving her now wouldn’t be right. So, he got into the taxi with her.

The car was halfway when the woman suddenly changed her mind, saying that her ankle was feeling better and that she no longer wanted to go to the hospital but instead wanted to return home.

Cheng Ji asked, “Where’s home?”

“At such-and-such hotel,” the woman replied. “I’m working there as a room service attendant. Why don’t you just drop me off there?”

Cheng Ji found her behavior a bit strange. “You should really take care of yourself and go to the hospital.”

She quickly shook her head. “But I have to work. There are so many patients at the hospital right now, and it would take hours. If I’m even a minute late, I’ll lose my bonus for the month.”

Ah, so it’s about money. It’s tough trying to make a living these days. Cheng Ji understood and didn’t insist further. He turned to the driver in front and said, “Driver, pull over here.”

The driver replied that this wasn’t a stopping zone and that they would have to go past the traffic lights to a designated drop-off point.

When the woman heard Cheng Ji was getting out of the car, she stopped pretending and decided to employ the core tactic of a honey trap.

“Don’t go,” she suddenly said in a sweet voice. “When we get to the hotel where I work, let me buy you a cup of coffee.”

“Coffee?” Cheng Ji asked.

“You saved me, let me thank you,” the woman said.

Cheng Ji declined, saying he was going to pay the driver for the ride.

“I’ll pay, I’ll pay,” the woman insisted.

Cheng Ji looked back at her. She didn’t say anything, but her hand moved to touch his thigh.

He subtly shifted away to the side.

However, a moment later, her hand brushed against him again, and he firmly took her hand and placed it back on her own lap.

“Don’t be in such a rush to get out,” the woman pleaded. “Please, I’m asking you.”

If Cheng Ji couldn’t see the trick at this point, then all those years in uniform would have been a waste.

The woman was attractive, but not enough to make him lose his mind. Besides, the only person who could make him lose his composure probably hadn’t been born yet. He was more curious about who had sent this woman and what their plan was.

Hearing her mention a “hotel,” Cheng Ji immediately thought the most likely possibility was a honey trap. After all, it was a classic trick.

The setup typically involved a woman, either passively or actively, a few thugs, and an unsuspecting fool driven by lust.

The woman would lure the fool, and the fool, unaware of the danger, would happily fall into the trap. Then, both would go to the hotel, and just as the fool was about to “arrive,” the thugs would burst in, catch them in the act, and claim the woman was his wife, accusing the fool of attempting to assault her.

There were two ways to deal with the situation: either publicly by reporting it to the police or privately by paying money to settle it. Most fools would choose to settle privately, paying to avoid the hassle of a police report, since prison wasn’t exactly an appealing option.

The woman leaned closer to Cheng Ji and whispered, “How old are you, little brother?”

“Checking my household registration?” Cheng Ji replied.

“No,” the woman giggled, “I was just curious because you look so young. I think you should call me ‘sister’ since I’m older.”

Cheng Ji simply murmured, seeming thoughtful.

Considering that his biggest and only enemy was Qi Beisong, he suspected the woman was likely sent by Qi.

He hadn’t expected that Qi, the high and mighty young master, would resort to such juvenile tactics. His actions were almost identical to those of street thugs, a stark contrast to his handsome appearance. He was practically insulting the image of a refined young master.

“Little brother, have you ever been in a relationship?” the woman asked.

“No,” Cheng Ji replied.

“You’re so handsome and you’ve never been in a relationship?” she said, astonished.

“Bad luck,” Cheng Ji answered.

“You just don’t know how to flirt with girls,” the woman said, about to say more, when suddenly, Zhao Xiaojing’s car overtook theirs.

The taxi driver cursed loudly, “What a piece of scum, no respect for the rules, overtaking from the right side! They might as well throw their traffic laws out the window, one day they’ll get themselves killed.”

Cheng Ji smiled. He recognized the car’s license plate number and was surprised it had caught up so quickly. The woman beside him was clearly part of the scheme, working with them to set him up.

The light had already changed, and Cheng Ji could have asked the driver to stop, but he suddenly changed his mind. He decided to play along.

If the woman was leading him to Qi Beisong, then he wouldn’t be so polite.

He didn’t care whether Qi had bodyguards like Lei Jing or Wang Beifeng. If he had to, he’d break Qi’s legs and leave him in the ICU. He had never stabbed anyone in his previous life; maybe it was time to try something new.

Meanwhile, far away at the company, Qi Beisong suddenly sneezed.

“Are you catching a cold?” his secretary asked.

“Probably not,” Qi Beisong replied, rubbing the tip of his nose.

“Then someone’s thinking about you,” his secretary said confidently.

Qi Beisong wasn’t interested, signaling her to hand him the documents.

In the taxi, the woman leaned even closer to Cheng Ji, her face nearly touching his. Cheng Ji shifted back a few inches and asked, “Is your foot still hurting?”

She paused, “Ah, yes, it still hurts.”

“Are we near the hotel where you work?” Cheng Ji asked.

“Almost there,” the woman replied. “Thank you, handsome. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it back today.”

Cheng Ji thought to himself, I should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, I’d have no reason to break Qi Beisong’s legs today.

They arrived at the hotel, and the woman immediately began acting weak again, insisting that Cheng Ji help her out of the car. Cheng Ji, not particularly concerned, decided to go along with whatever she wanted.

Once inside the hotel lobby, Cheng Ji couldn’t help himself and asked, “Since you work here, why didn’t you use the staff entrance?”

The woman froze for a moment, then laughed, “The staff entrance is farther away, and my foot hurts. I didn’t want to walk that way. This isn’t a five-star hotel, the management isn’t so strict.”

“The changing room for staff, what floor is it on? I’ll take you there,” Cheng Ji said.

“The changing room?” she said. “No need, I’ll change into my work clothes later.”

Cheng Ji thought to himself, how fake. She was clearly unprepared. If she were truly a staff member, she should have checked and rechecked every detail before acting.

The two of them took the guest elevator upstairs. The woman pressed the floor button and explained, “I’m responsible for this floor.”

The second or third floor. Cheng Ji secretly corrected himself. Given the size of this hotel, it would be more appropriate for each housekeeper to cover three floors, not just one.

In the elevator, the woman casually leaned her entire weight against Cheng Ji.

To avoid her falling, Cheng Ji didn’t move, just looking at the security camera above the elevator.

“What are you looking at?” the woman asked.

Cheng Ji replied, “I was wondering if the camera is broken.”

He was actually thinking about who might be monitoring him right now—Qi Beisong, Lei Jing, Wang Beifeng, or perhaps the other unfamiliar guys. They were all quite despicable, especially Lei Jing, who seemed so loyal but was involved in such underhanded tactics, trained in special forces anti-hijacking operations.

When they entered the room, he still needed to check for hidden cameras to make sure they didn’t have him under surveillance while making him pay for it.

“The camera is definitely fine,” the woman laughed. “Some people are so impatient that they can’t wait to get to their room and start doing things in the elevator. Hehe, I’ve seen it.”

Cheng Ji laughed too, his hands still in his pockets, unmoved.

Normally, he should pinch the woman’s flesh to show he was taken in, but being too naive, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“You’re really good-looking, little brother,” the woman said, and that was sincere.

Cheng Ji, trying to be polite, said, “You’re good-looking too.”

“Do you mean my face?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“I have even better things elsewhere,” the woman said, clearly being bold.

“Let me see later,” Cheng Ji replied.

The woman pinched him. “Little brother, your butt is really nice.”

Cheng Ji felt his face redden but managed to hold it in, mentally scolding himself for being so inexperienced.

The elevator doors opened, and the woman jumped out with one foot, grabbing Cheng Ji’s shoulder for balance. She even stopped to check the room direction signs on the elevator hall wall.

Cheng Ji thought to himself, since she was setting a trap, why couldn’t she choose a more familiar hotel where moving around would be easier?

“This way,” the woman pointed to the right.

“Is this the staff rest area?” Cheng Ji asked, pretending.

The woman responded with a mysterious tone, “There’s no coffee in the staff room. I have a special access card, so I’ll take you to the guest room where we can use the coffee machine. Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Afterward, you’ll show me something pretty?” Cheng Ji asked.

“You little rascal,” the woman teased, poking his cheek.

“I’m the little rascal, and what about you?” Cheng Ji asked, beginning to get into the role.

The woman playfully scolded, “I like little rascals.”

Cheng Ji laughed, saying, “How could you like me? I don’t know how to flirt with girls.”

“You don’t know, but you can learn,” the woman replied, finding the room and taking the room key out of her bag to open the door.

Cheng Ji asked, “Do you know why I don’t know how to flirt with girls?”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t have to,” Cheng Ji said. “I like men.”

He snatched the key card from the woman, who froze in mid-air, and quickly entered the room, locking the door behind him and leaving the woman outside.

Actually, just moments ago, he had two choices: one was to turn around and leave, the other was to enter the room.

Turning around and leaving would be easier, but he worried that if he hadn’t even made it out of the elevator, someone lying in wait on the same floor might intercept him. He still believed the entire scheme was planned by Qi Beisong and feared that with so many of Qi’s underlings around, he wouldn’t be able to handle them.

Entering the room seemed the safer choice because even if there were people hiding inside, there shouldn’t be more than two.

Standard hotel rooms typically had an area of 20-30 square meters, and anything over 40 square meters would be considered luxurious. With the bed and cabinets already taking up space, there shouldn’t be anywhere else to hide people.

In most honey traps, there wouldn’t be so many people involved, but Qi Beisong could be different. As the CEO of Hongsheng, gathering helpers was easy for him, so Cheng Ji had to be extra cautious.

Cheng Ji first pushed open the bathroom door to check, but no one was inside. The bathtub was also empty.

Couples usually shower first when they check in, and it seemed Qi Beisong’s lackeys were still smart enough not to hide in the bathroom.

He saw a plunger beside the toilet and couldn’t help but laugh, thinking it would be a great tool. Later, he planned to shove it in Qi Beisong’s face.

He grabbed the plunger and then opened the wardrobe. The hotel was quite basic, with no bathrobes hanging inside, only a few empty hangers. Still, no one was hiding there either.

The woman was still knocking anxiously on the door, calling out, “Hey, handsome, what are you doing? Let me in.”

Ignoring her, Cheng Ji walked quickly and lifted the bedspread to check under the bed. The bed frame was low, only about 10 centimeters off the ground, not enough space for anyone to hide.

“Little brother, handsome,” the woman called from outside.

“Stay out there for now,” Cheng Ji whispered to himself.

He looked around the room. It seemed either the room was empty, or…

He slowly walked toward the curtains.

Behind the curtains, someone could no longer hold their patience and jumped out first.

The person held a knife, around 15 centimeters long, and thrust it toward Cheng Ji’s stomach.

Cheng Ji quickly pulled in his stomach, blocked the person’s arm with his left hand, and hit the person’s chin with the plunger.

The plunger was made of rubber, so it didn’t hurt as much as a punch, but it was still enough to cause the person to lose some of their fighting ability.

Cheng Ji immediately closed in, sliding his arm under the person’s shoulder, pressing down on their neck with one hand, and using his knee to press against their stomach. As the person bent over in pain, Cheng Ji twisted his body, pulling the attacker down to the floor, straddling their back, and breaking their wrist to take the knife.

Now he felt safe. Cheng Ji tucked the knife into his waistband and began beating the attacker with the plunger, asking, “Who are you? Are you the obedient grandson of Qi Beisong? Did your grandpa get you workman’s compensation before sending you here?”

The attacker covered his head and shouted, “Who the hell is Qi Beisong?”

“Oh, you don’t recognize your grandpa? Impressive,” Cheng Ji said, giving a thumbs-up, then continued to beat him.

The opponent was a bald man in his twenties, much stockier than Cheng Ji. He had a square face, a thick neck, and was dark and ugly. Although he was shorter than Cheng Ji, he was incredibly strong.

For a moment, Cheng Ji was caught off guard and was knocked over. He gave up on questioning and quickly grabbed the plunger, using it like a baton to try to knock the man out.

Using a police baton to subdue an enemy has a trick to it: it’s important not to hold it flat, but to cross your hands and grip both ends, so you can use the angle and torque of your arms.

Cheng Ji was especially good at twisting people. Qi Beisong had almost had his arm broken several times by Cheng Ji, and the man in front of him was no exception.

After just a few moves, Cheng Ji quickly got behind him, kicked his knee from the side, causing him to fall to the ground on his back. Cheng Ji raised the plunger, slipping it across the man’s head, and with his other hand caught it, using both hands to pull back.

The man quickly tried to grab the wooden rod across his neck, but it was too late. The pulling force from behind and the torque caused him to start rolling his eyes shortly after.

With strength behind it, Cheng Ji gritted his teeth and asked, “What were you hoping to see hiding behind the curtains? How disgusting.”

The man made choking noises from his throat, and Cheng Ji estimated that his strength wasn’t enough to strangle him to death. He tightened the hold for a few more seconds before letting go.

The man collapsed, unconscious on the floor.

Cheng Ji stood up and kicked his head with his foot. The man didn’t move, so he wasn’t pretending.

“Heh,” Cheng Ji sneered, shaking the plunger.

“Good grandson, since Qi Beisong didn’t know how to educate you, I, Cheng Ji, will take over. I’ll teach you a lesson, and then I’ll go take care of him. A slip-up now and then isn’t a big deal, but society’s discipline needs to follow, to save a young man is to save his whole family, don’t you agree?”

During the fight, the woman outside continued to knock on the door, shouting for Cheng Ji to let her in.

Cheng Ji thought, might as well, I’ll educate these two little siblings together.

He was about to let her in when suddenly he heard the door lock make a “click” sound—someone was using a key card to open it.

Cheng Ji instinctively took two steps back.

The door opened, and three aggressive-looking men barged in. The leader was a young, plump man. He looked fairly presentable and wore expensive clothes, but his face was pale, his chest puffed out, and his belly protruding, making him seem like the epitome of the “greasy” stereotype.

This was Zhao Xiaojing, who had originally stayed behind the scenes. But with the situation escalating, he stepped in personally to avoid his subordinates losing control.

“Ah, so you want to rape my girlfriend?” Zhao Xiaojing shouted at Cheng Ji.

Cheng Ji, both angry and amused, asked, “Is that so? Then where’s your girlfriend?”

As the group entered, they had pushed the woman aside, and now she was peeking from behind them, watching the scene unfold.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaojing adapted quickly. He pointed at the unconscious bald man on the floor and shouted, “Oh my god, I didn’t expect this! Not only did this scumbag want to rape my girlfriend, but now he wants to rape my brother’s wife too? Brothers are like family, and now you’re going down! Let me show you how I deal with this!”

Cheng Ji didn’t know whether to hate this man or admire him. To speak such nonsense, he was practically the leader of all honey trap schemes.

Cheng Ji could only reply, “Stop slandering me. I didn’t rape anyone.”

Zhao Xiaojing pointed at him and said, “I just heard my girlfriend say that you’re a filthy pervert who not only likes women but also enjoys men. You’re so damn thirsty at such a young age. No wonder you can’t even leave my brother alone.”

Cheng Ji cursed, “Shut up.”

One of Zhao Xiaojing’s thin henchmen tried to grab Cheng Ji, saying, “Shut up and come with us. Criminals are always in denial. You’ve been caught in the act, and you still won’t admit it. You can talk to the police about it.”

Cheng Ji quickly dodged, swinging the plunger and knocking the man to the ground, twisting him in a few rolls.

He was furious, thinking, I’m a pervert? I practically pray every day. It’s your master Qi Beisong who’s the real pervert.