When Qian Ying returned to the warehouse’s temporary break room, he hadn’t gotten close yet when he heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, followed by Lin Jiayan’s furious shout: “Get out!”

He silently sighed, thinking to himself that this young master was even harder to deal with than Bian Yiqiu.

The subordinate in charge of watching Lin Jiayan opened the door with a pale face. Upon seeing him standing at the door, his eyes lit up, as if he had seen a savior.

Qian Ying waved his hand, motioning for him to step aside, then walked into the room. Just after taking a few steps, he heard a crunching sound, realizing something under his feet had been crushed.

He looked down and realized the once simple and tidy break room was now in disarray. Everything that could be smashed had been, leaving the place in ruins. Lin Shaoye was still holding a military knife, clearly using it to pass the time. If he hadn’t come back, he probably would’ve killed someone by now.

Hearing the noise, Lin Jiayan lifted his head from the sofa and glared at him. “Are you going to imprison me?”

Qian Ying walked up to him and reached out to touch his face, but Lin Jiayan turned his head away to avoid it. Qian Ying wasn’t bothered; he just curled the corner of his lips, pulling his hand back, his voice still gentle. “How could I imprison you? I’m protecting you. Every room here is dangerous, so it’s safer for you to stay here.”

Lin Jiayan sneered. “Because every room is filled with weapons, right?”

The secret had been exposed, but Qian Ying didn’t show any intention of denying it. He had brought him here, fully prepared to lay everything out.

“So, what? Are you going to call the police?”

“What if I say yes?” Lin Jiayan stared at him.

“Then go ahead and call the police,” Qian Ying leaned down, locking eyes with him. “If I die by your hand, I’ll accept it.”

This time, Lin Jiayan didn’t turn away. Instead, he stared directly into his eyes, his molars nearly grinding out a loud creak. The knife in his hand seemed to long to plunge straight into Qian Ying’s heart.

He wanted to ask why—why lie to him, why provoke him, why get involved in the deadly business of arms dealing? Had he never cared about him? Never once put him in his heart? Never thought of actually being with him, which was why he was so reckless and confident?

He even started to suspect that Qian Ying had known about the Lin family’s background all along, and from the very beginning, had been deliberately getting close to him. Every word he said, every action he took, was meant to drag him deeper into this mess, making him helpless and trapped, so that the Lin family would become his shield!

And that line about being willing to die by his hand? It was just an upgraded version of sweet talk. He wouldn’t trust him again. Not a single word he said would he believe anymore!

“Fine, I’ll call the police in a bit.” Lin Jiayan pushed him away and stood up from the sofa, trying hard to appear indifferent to the situation. Then, as if nothing happened, he smoothly changed the subject. “I want to see Bian Yiqiu.”

Qian Ying didn’t expect him to make this request. “What do you want to see him for?”

“If it weren’t for you dragging him in front of me, I’d never want to see him in my life.” Lin Jiayan gritted his teeth, the hatred in his eyes very real. “But now that he’s in your hands, of course I have to get my revenge.”

“Tsk, you and Bian Yiqiu have a grudge?” Qian Ying looked at him with amusement, half-jokingly adding, “What could you two possibly have against each other? Did he steal your Mingxuan gege?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw Lin Jiayan’s expression change. Qian Ying cursed inwardly—no way, could it be true?

“So now I’m going to stab him a couple of times to vent my anger. Want to join me?”

After saying that, Lin Jiayan turned to leave, but Qian Ying quickly grabbed him and pulled him back. “Baby, not right now…”

Just as they were talking, one of the subordinates rushed in. “Ying ge, there’s—”

Qian Ying shot him a glare. “What’s going on?”

The man looked at Lin Jiayan and remained silent.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Jiayan shook off Qian Ying’s grip and started walking toward the door. “You guys talk.”

Qian Ying understood that some things weren’t suitable to discuss in front of Lin Jiayan, so he didn’t stop him. Instead, he gestured for the subordinate by the door to follow him and then turned back to the man. “What’s going on?”

“The mansion’s been surrounded by the police.”

“What?” Qian Ying could hardly believe his ears. “Why would the police suddenly come after the Qian family?”

“I’m not sure either. I just got a call from Uncle Sun. It seems like someone reported Old Master for dealing in arms…”

“Bullshit!” Qian Ying roughly interrupted his subordinate. “If the old man had the guts to deal arms, Longxing would’ve taken down Jiu’an years ago. You don’t know who’s involved in arms dealing? This is clearly aimed at me.”

“Then… what should we do now?”

“What should we do? Nothing. The police won’t act recklessly without evidence. The old man’s been in this business for years, so he still has some connections. I’ll check the situation first.”

As Qian Ying spoke, he took out his phone and dialed a number. The person who answered was Luo Zhongting, the director of the Donghai District Public Security Bureau. To his surprise, even he didn’t know what was going on. He said the city bureau had given a direct order, pulling out some of the best police teams from the East District and even mobilizing the riot police. It didn’t seem like they were just bluffing.

Luo Zhongting didn’t say much before hurriedly hanging up, likely trying to avoid any further association with the Qian family at this time.

“Damn it!”

Qian Ying made another call, this time to someone in the city bureau, and the news he received confirmed it: someone had indeed reported them, but the process hadn’t followed the usual channels. Director Feng from the city bureau had directly assigned the Anti-Organized Crime Unit, led by Officer Gu, to take on this mission.

Feng Jingtang, the director of the city bureau, was someone the Qian family had long wanted to connect with but had never managed to. It was rumored that he had a powerful background, and although he was just a police chief, his words held more weight than the mayor’s. As for Officer Gu from the Anti-Organized Crime Unit, he was known to be a tough nut who couldn’t be easily manipulated.

Qian Ying rubbed his temples, feeling that something about this situation was suspicious. On the surface, the Qian family was in the same line of legitimate business as Jiu’an, but their black market dealings had been overlooked for years due to certain maintained connections. The police had always turned a blind eye, and even during inspections or crackdowns, they would be notified in advance.

But this time, the city bureau’s actions were swift, large-scale, and carefully avoided all of his connections. What’s more, they had chosen this specific moment. If this wasn’t aimed at him, he wouldn’t believe it himself.

His first thought was that Ruan Chengjie had sold him out, but he quickly dismissed this suspicion. If Ruan Chengjie really wanted to betray him, it should have been after he dealt with Bian Yiqiu. Otherwise, what was the point of him seeking cooperation in the first place?

Besides Ruan Chengjie, who else knew about today’s events?

Bian Yiqiu’s subordinates? It was said that He Xu had extensive connections and was a private legal advisor to many political and business figures. However, he likely didn’t have the influence to get Feng Jingtang to deploy such a large force to rescue a mafia boss.

Could it have been Lin Jiayan? Did he call the police before Qian Ying arrived?

The thought of this possibility made Qian Ying nearly crush his fist, but he quickly dismissed it. It didn’t make sense. If Lin Jiayan had reported it, the police should have directly tracked his phone and surrounded this mountain. Why would they have gone to the Qian family’s mansion instead?

In other words, the police either didn’t know about him kidnapping Bian Yiqiu, and the surrounding of the mansion was just a coincidence, or they knew about the kidnapping but couldn’t pinpoint his location, so they used the old man to force him to reveal himself.

If it was the first scenario, he didn’t have to worry about a thing. The old man had been in the underworld for so many years, and the police had been to his house more than once. He had ways to get himself out of this. But if it was the second scenario, then it was quite interesting. Since when had Bian Yiqiu’s relationship with the police gotten so close? In just a few hours, he could stir up such a big fuss?

Of course, the one who could cause such a commotion wasn’t the kidnapped Bian Yiqiu locked in the warehouse, but rather Young Master Ke, who, unable to find Bian Yiqiu, was desperately trying to raze the Qian family mansion to the ground.

Unless it was absolutely unavoidable, Ke Mingxuan would never want to involve Director Feng. Because once Feng was involved, it meant the Commander Ke would be too. After that, no matter how this situation ended, his relationship with Bian Yiqiu would become exceptionally precarious in front of the family—of course, that was assuming Bian Yiqiu even made it back alive. So, he couldn’t afford to worry about such things.

Gu Ling said, “Young Master Ke, would you call this a rage for your lover?”

Ke Mingxuan replied coldly, “Shut up.”

With that, the two of them circled around the complex traditional Chinese courtyard of the Qian family mansion and entered the lavishly decorated villa. Inside, Qian Laosan was sitting on the sofa in the living room, wearing a bathrobe and handcuffed, being watched by armed officers.

At this moment, Bian Yiqiu had no idea what was happening at the Qian family mansion. The only thing on his mind was when his strength would return.

When the needle was injected into his body, he deliberately struggled violently, tightening his muscles, so the drug didn’t fully enter. But perhaps because Qian Ying was overly cautious with him, the concentration of the drug was exceptionally high. Even after four or five hours, he still couldn’t control his body properly. All he could manage was a slight movement of his bound legs and a small bend of his fingers. Even these simple movements left him drenched in sweat.

Bian Yiqiu absolutely hated the feeling of his fate being in someone else’s hands, but it was clear that right now, he had no choice but to submit. He suspected that when Ruan Chengjie, that freak, was negotiating with Qian Ying, he must have boasted about the glorious moment when he had been drugged but still managed to overpower him. Otherwise, why would Qian Ying go through the trouble of binding him up like a dumpling after injecting him with muscle relaxants? This was completely unnecessary.

Was he really going to die here today? Maybe he should just agree to cooperate with Qian Ying, and once he got out, he could figure out how to kill him. But Uncle Shi was still in his hands, and Qian Ying would never let him go easily, not while he was trying to control him.

He cursed under his breath, realizing he had underestimated that little bastard Qian. If he had known things would turn out this way, when he had destroyed his gambling ship, he should’ve just killed that little scoundrel and thrown him into the sea to feed the fish.

His first movie with Young Master Ke had been ruined just like that… Ke Mingxuan, if I survive and get back, you have to hear my explanation. I didn’t mean to stand you up.

Thinking about Young Master Ke, Bian Yiqiu couldn’t help but chuckle, as if his current situation had become insignificant.

Before he could retract the smile on his lips, the iron door was opened again.

He looked up, only to see someone he never expected.

Lin Jiayan stood in the doorway, clearly puzzled by the smile on Bian Yiqiu’s face. “Boss Bian, why do I get the feeling that you’re actually kind of happy?”

Bian Yiqiu thought to himself: Is the real reason they’ve captured me just to make up a mahjong game? A few enemies gathered together could start a round.

“I’m happy because I’m thinking about someone who makes me happy.”

“Who would that be?”

“Someone like your Mingxuan ge, of course.”

Normally, Lin Jiayan would’ve been furious upon hearing such words, but for some reason, seeing Bian Yiqiu in such a weak position, yet still trying to act smug, made it impossible for him to get angry.

“You better think twice, Boss Bian. Trying to provoke me right now is not in your best interest.”

“Like it would make a difference. As if you were going to let me go even if I didn’t provoke you.” Bian Yiqiu had no faith in this young master’s character.

“Maybe I would,” Lin Jiayan responded, stepping closer to him, looking down from above. “All you need to do is agree to leave Ke Mingxuan.”

Bian Yiqiu responded readily, “Sure, I’ll agree. Now let me go.”

Lin Jiayan was momentarily stunned by his answer, but then anger flared up within him. “Bian Yiqiu, are you saying that you’ll agree to anything just to stay alive?”

Bian Yiqiu shrugged nonchalantly. “Not really. For example, if Qian Ying wants me to cooperate in trafficking arms, I wouldn’t agree to that.”

Lin Jiayan’s temper flared even more. “So, Mingxuan ge doesn’t mean anything to you at all, does he?”

Bian Yiqiu suddenly let out a laugh, sounding genuinely amused. “Young Master Lin, do you want me to leave Ke Mingxuan to save my life, or would you prefer that I think he’s so important that I’d rather die than leave him?”

“I…” Lin Jiayan looked at his smile and suddenly realized. “You’re toying with me!”

“You’re the one who tricked me first. Qian Ying’s goal isn’t accomplished yet. How could he allow you to let me go for this reason?”

Bian Yiqiu said, his tone mocking.

Lin Jiayan shrugged nonchalantly. “If he disagrees, I can still let you go. But all I can do is untie the ropes on you. The people at the door, you’ll have to handle them yourself.”

This time, Bian Yiqiu was genuinely stunned. He didn’t expect the young master to actually come to his rescue, and judging by his actions, he had no idea that even if the ropes were undone, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

The hemp rope was thick, but the dagger Lin Jiayan held was small, and after a long while, he hadn’t even managed to cut through it.

Bian Yiqiu couldn’t help but comment, “I thought you’d be glad to see me dead.”

Lin Jiayan’s voice was laced with venom as he replied, “I’d love to see you dead. But if you die, Mingxuan will remember you for the rest of his life. If you’re alive, maybe he’ll get tired of you soon. I’m just waiting for that day to come, to see how miserable you’ll be when it does.” His words were full of malice, and Bian Yiqiu could feel the intense hatred that Lin Jiayan had for him.

Bian Yiqiu, for the first time, didn’t respond to his words. Instead, he let out a silent smile. In that moment, he suddenly realized that Lin Jiayan, who was desperately cutting the ropes to free him while arrogantly spouting threats, was actually just a spoiled child, acting out of his own immaturity.