Chapter 20: Five Million for the Wife’s Dowry

Zhou Shiyu had always known how to recognize the situation and adapt accordingly. He understood that the disparity in strength between him and the other person was too vast, so he remained silent.

Not struggling would save him some trouble.

It seemed the person was indeed targeting him. Not only had they come looking for him inside the bar, but now they were even waiting for him at the back door.

“Who is it?” Ji Duan hadn’t expected someone to crash into him.

Zhou Shiyu, hearing the voice behind him, froze for a moment. Wasn’t this person here to block him?

But the voice sounded strangely familiar.

“Who is it?!”

At that moment, a shout rang out, and a blinding light shone from the end of the alley.

It was the Federals, coming to investigate.

The officers only saw someone in the alley, and one of them immediately reached for his gun, cautiously stepping forward.

With Mosuo Bar sealed off, the sudden appearance of two people in the back alley was highly suspicious.

Zhou Shiyu did not want to go to the Federal police station for “tea.” If there were still N78 in the bar, even his connections with the Department of Public Safety wouldn’t save him as the bar’s owner.

The person holding him seemed to hesitate as the officer approached, loosening his grip slightly.

Seeing the Federal police officers, Ji Duan realized that finding the person was futile and was considering quickly leaving from the other end of the alley.

However, before he could let go, the person he had pinned to the wall suddenly found some strength and flipped over, pressing Ji Duan’s shoulder down and slamming his back into the wall.

A refreshing, yet slightly sour scent filled the air—it was the scent of lime pheromones.

The scent was actually quite pleasant.

Before he could think much further, a warm touch suddenly pressed against his lips. Ji Duan’s eyes widened in the darkness.

The word “damn” was quickly silenced by the kiss.

However, the other person only pressed their lips against his and didn’t go any further.

The Federal officers were now very close, their blinding lights shining down on the two of them.

Upon seeing their overlapping shadows, one of the officers muttered a “damn” under his breath, then waved his flashlight at them. “Hey, hey, what are you doing? This place is under investigation. Didn’t you see the tape blocking it off? Get out of here!”

As soon as the officer spoke, Zhou Shiyu immediately released the person he had pinned to the wall, putting on a startled expression. He lowered his head in a submissive manner and said, “Sorry, sorry, we’ll leave right away!”

With that, Zhou Shiyu grabbed the person’s wrist and turned to leave.

Once they were out of the Federal Police’s perimeter, Zhou Shiyu let out a sigh of relief.

Ji Duan kept looking at the person’s pink hair, feeling increasingly familiar. He quickly remembered, there weren’t many people in the bar with such eye-catching colors, especially long hair.

“Damn, it’s you!”

Ji Duan took a quick step and stood in front of Zhou Shiyu.

When Zhou Shiyu kissed the person, he had already guessed who they were from the minty scent of their pheromones. That unpleasant minty smell.

He had just transferred money from someone else’s card, and that memory was still fresh.

Zhou Shiyu lazily raised his eyes to glance at him. “What do you want?”

He was well aware of his own abilities, and Ji Duan absolutely had no idea that his money had been transferred by him.

“I don’t want anything, just the five million. Give it back.” Ji Duan extended his phone towards him.

Zhou Shiyu’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. “What five million? I don’t understand.”

“Stop pretending you don’t understand. I have plenty of ways to make you speak.”

Ji Duan was especially annoyed at the moment.

He had originally planned to sneak in through the back door to capture the person, and now the person was standing right in front of him—his first kiss was also lost.

Zhou Shiyu usually dealt with some shady transactions and had a fairly good relationship with Ruan Yan.

Hearing Ji Duan’s words, Zhou Shiyu wasn’t scared at all. “The Federal Police aren’t far from us.”

Ji Duan knew that Zhou Shiyu and Ruan Yan were friends. He didn’t want to do anything, he just wanted his money back. “Are you threatening me?”

Zhou Shiyu rolled his eyes. “Come on, the five million you’re talking about has nothing to do with me. How could I be threatening you?”

“Are you really good friends with Ruan Yan?” Ji Duan suddenly shifted the topic and asked a completely unrelated question.

Zhou Shiyu was slightly confused, but when Ruan Yan was mentioned, he relaxed a bit, sensing the other party was a bit naive.

He casually replied, “Yes, we’re quite close.”

Ji Duan said, “Fine, that five million is yours.”

Zhou Shiyu instinctively replied, “Then thank you.”

The next moment, he suddenly realized.

Damn, what did he just say?

This guy actually tricked him, and he had thought Ji Duan was the naive one.

Without thinking, Zhou Shiyu turned to run.

Ji Duan had only thrown the line out casually, never expecting that it would actually work. Now that he knew where his money had gone, there was no way he was letting Zhou Shiyu escape.

He stretched out his hand and pulled Zhou Shiyu into his arms.

Ji Duan’s strength was second only to Xiao Jin, and he would have the upper hand even against Qi Yuan.

Handling Zhou Shiyu was as easy as catching a chick.

There were still people from the Federal Police around, and Ji Duan was worried about the trouble.

He glanced around and spotted a hotel not far away. Without hesitation, he dragged Zhou Shiyu and checked into a room.

---

Bang.

Ruan Yan was slammed to the ground by Xiao Jin, who had locked his neck with a firm grip. The ground was covered with a soft mat, so it didn’t hurt much, but the impact left Ruan Yan feeling dizzy.

The soft mat had been specifically laid by Xiao Jin for Ruan Yan, to prevent him from getting hurt.

Ruan Yan had been forced by Ruan Hong to study the etiquette of aristocratic families. He didn’t know if it was because his pheromones were weaker than other beasts, but his natural physical abilities were lacking. Unlike his older brothers, who had been sent to learn combat skills, Ruan Yan had not been given that privilege.

The only reason Ruan Hong kept him close was because, despite his weak pheromones, Ruan Yan was still an S-class Alpha.

With his spine pressed into the soft mat, Ruan Yan felt the sting in the corner of his eyes. Though he had been trying to endure the pain over the past while, he still couldn’t quite get used to the feeling of suffering.

He had always been afraid of pain, and for this period, he had only been enduring it.

Xiao Jin let go of his grip and sat aside, not even out of breath after handling Ruan Yan.

On the other hand, Ruan Yan, who had been practicing combat techniques, was only wearing a loose light gray T-shirt, with a large neckline to facilitate movement.

Sweat dripped down his collarbone like morning dew on green leaves, slowly sliding down his skin. His slightly reddened eyes lifted, accidentally meeting Xiao Jin’s gaze.

His pheromones, unable to be contained due to the intense workout, started to leak out, and Xiao Jin, standing close to him, didn’t bother hiding his own pheromones either. The cold, icy scent of snow intertwined with the strong, intoxicating aroma of alcohol, making it hard to resist.

“Still practicing?” Xiao Jin licked his lips, his tone carrying an underlying pressure, as if holding something back.

In so much pain, Ruan Yan wasn’t particularly eager to continue training.

Recently, Ruan Hong had suddenly forced him to start handling matters for the branch company. There were many things he didn’t understand, so he often sought help from Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin had even set aside a corner of his exclusive study for Ruan Yan.

He had personally witnessed Xiao Jin managing business affairs. The business world was like a battlefield, and many things had to be carefully planned and executed.

The fact that the Ruan family could dominate the top ten of the richest families in the world clearly showed the extent of Ruan Hong’s methods.

He had no innate talent, and mastering combat skills couldn’t happen overnight. Gradually, the initial enthusiasm he had started to fade away.

Ruan Yan didn’t speak, but Xiao Jin suddenly broke the silence, “If you don’t want to practice, then don’t.”

Ruan Yan froze for a moment, remembering his childhood when he didn’t want to practice the piano, only to be slapped on the palm by Ruan Hong and punished by being forced to face the wall and skip a meal.

Xiao Jin had never expected Ruan Yan to become a master of combat. If Ruan Yan wanted to command his subordinates, there were other ways to go about it.

Xiao Jin stood up. Seeing Ruan Yan still sitting on the ground, he lowered his gaze. “What are you staring at? Aren’t you hungry?”

Ruan Yan followed him downstairs, but halfway through, Xiao Jin took a phone call and left the villa without eating.