At the bathroom door, Jin Yaotiao pulled her hand away from the grasp of Shen QiMing and took a deep breath. “Mr. Shen, can we talk properly without getting physical, please?”

Her palm burned with pain, the recoil from the gun earlier had been too strong.

It had shaken her from the palm of her hand to her back, and it would surely take some time to recover.

She pulled her hand back, and Shen QiMing didn’t grab it again, only watching her.

His expression, usually not very expressive, now showed rare anger in his eyes. “Do you even know how you use the gun?”

Jin Yaotiao rubbed her sore wrist and paused when she heard his words.

Shen QiMing had never spoken to her this way before, but she wasn’t afraid.

For some reason, she had never feared him.

Many people outside, as Luna had said, were full of awe and hesitation toward him, but no matter how insecure Jin Yaotiao felt, she had never felt danger from him.

She recalled something from long ago.

She had lied to Cheng Chen earlier—she had never passed the firearm certification exam.

It was actually Shen QiMing who had introduced her to firearms.

At that time, she had just followed Shen QiMing abroad for school.

After enrolling, Shen QiMing was already nearing graduation.

He had been managing company affairs since his first year of university, and by graduation, he was too busy to appear on campus often.

One time, a local classmate mentioned they were going to custom-make a gun but couldn’t decide on whether it should be pink or yellow, so they invited a few people, including Jin Yaotiao, to choose with them.

In that continent, firearms were not allowed, and none of the international students had ever seen one, so they eagerly accepted the invitation.

But unexpectedly, they ran into Shen QiMing there.

Shen QiMing was testing a gun.

His face was expressionless as he held a large gun, and his cold, powerful aura made the group of students, who had entered the shooting range cheerfully, freeze in place, not daring to approach.

After emptying the magazine, he noticed someone.

Among the crowd, there was a familiar face wearing the school’s uniform, but he didn’t greet them.

He merely glanced at Jin YaoTiao, then handed the gun back to the eager boss beside him and said, “This one.”

He left, and it took the students a while to come to their senses and start discussing the scene.

Shen Qiming was the school’s influential figure, and his reputation wasn’t confined to just the international students; everyone knew who he was.

Later, Jin Yaotiao took a chance and carefully asked him if he could teach her shooting.

She had originally just wanted an excuse to talk to him, but Shen QiMing unexpectedly didn’t refuse.

But at that time, Jin YaoTiao’s health wasn’t good, and she wasn’t exercising much.

She was in worse shape than now. During her first lessons, she struggled.

After a few shots, her shoulder hurt as though it was dislocated.

Shen Qiming just stood by, watching her grimace.

He didn’t seem impatient, but after she emptied the magazine, he returned the gun to the boss and refused to teach her further.

She wasn’t discouraged and chased after him, asking when they could go to the shooting range together again.

Shen QiMing frowned and told her, “You’re breaking the law by holding a gun. Don’t make a fuss unless you want to get deported.”

This matter ended there.

After her injury healed, she went to the shooting range on her own.

The boss didn’t give her live ammunition, so she practiced with the limited teachings Shen Qiming had given her—mostly disassembling and assembling the gun and changing magazines.

Over time, she became quite proficient at it.

When she went abroad for real, she didn’t have time to apply for certification, and getting a permit there required a guarantor.

So, she could only occasionally go to a shooting range to play.

But Shen Qiming never taught her again.

---

Jin Yaotiao thought back to those youthful days and couldn’t help but laugh.

She hadn’t expected Shen Qiming to remember so clearly, having only taught her once.

However, being caught trying to show off in front of the opponent only to be exposed by someone who knew the truth was embarrassing.

She turned her face and said, “Mr. Shen, don’t laugh. I’m not that good at it, but today I got lucky and hit a nine-ring.”

Seeing her dismiss the matter so lightly, Shen Qiming took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then steadied his voice. “Your hand…”

“This?” Jin YaoTiao opened her palm and glanced at her flushed hand, realizing what he meant.

After staring at it for a while, she chuckled lightly. “What’s this? I’ve endured much worse, this is nothing.”

Pain in the muscles or bones?

To her now, what was that?

The fear of losing someone, the heart-wrenching pain when her parents passed away—those were the real torments that kept her awake at night.

After going through all that, she wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.

Shen Qiming was momentarily stunned by her answer. “You…”

Jin Yaotiao didn’t respond, instead squeezing her palm. “Mr. Shen, thank you for your concern, but my subordinate is still waiting for me outside. I’ll leave now.”

Shen Qiming watched her, his brows tightly furrowed.

After she turned to leave, she smiled and added, “By the way, your friend is here.”

He glanced ahead and indeed saw the girl brought by Mr. He standing at the corner, not sure how long she had been standing there, looking at them from a distance, too nervous to approach.

Shen Qiming furrowed his brows and couldn’t remember her name. “She’s not my friend.”

Jin Yaotiao gave him a look of indifference, and with a nonchalant expression, walked towards the exit.

The girl in the cheongsam at the corner, seeing her approach, pressed herself against the wall and looked at her with a complex, familiar gaze.

Where had she seen that look before?

Jin Yaotiao suddenly remembered—oh, Ning Meng had once looked at her like that too.

That gaze was too complicated for her to understand.

So she just smiled at the girl, nodded, and passed by.

---

Wan Wan clenched the hem of her skirt, glancing back at the departing figure.

For a moment, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Earlier, while they were drinking, the manager of the VIP section upstairs came down to report to Mr. He, telling him that the important guest they had been asked to look after had finished dinner.

He instructed the staff to take them to the club for activities.

Mr. He praised the manager, and casually asked what activities the guests were doing.

After the manager responded, Shen Qiming, who had been calm and distant throughout the entire social gathering, suddenly reacted strongly.

After confirming with the manager that the guests had gone to the shooting range, Shen Qiming didn’t even finish his meal.

After briefly apologizing, he immediately got up and instructed the manager to lead the way to the shooting range, walking so fast that neither Mr. He nor Wan Wan could catch up.

She followed them here, and finally, he stopped walking quickly.

But when she saw him standing quietly in front of her, she didn’t dare approach.

Then, she witnessed an unexpected scene.

She remembered just a moment ago in the private room, when Shen QiMing had firmly told her that he didn’t like being touched.

Yet, now, he had taken the initiative to grab someone else’s hand, only for the person to easily pull away, and he didn’t seem to make a move to stop them.

After just a few words, the person left.

So, Shen Qiming had been standing here all this time, just to say a few words to the person in the bathroom?

She had longed for him, yet someone else had easily taken what she wanted.

Wan Wan felt a sour and bitter jealousy rising in her heart.

And the person Shen Qiming had waited so long for just walked away without giving her a second glance, not even acknowledging her when their eyes met.

She watched for a while, then, feeling conflicted, turned around and timidly called, “Mr. Shen.”

It seemed like he didn’t hear her.

Without looking at her, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

As they passed each other, she heard his low voice—

“Mr. He, please check if anyone else was at the shooting range besides my… friend.”

Jin Yaotiao waved her wrist and walked out.

Her colleagues were waiting for her at the door.

She stopped, relaxed her fist, and casually smiled at them: “Let’s go.”

“Director Jin, you were so cool just now!” one of the project team girls said, unable to hide her excitement. “Just like that, bang, bang, bang!”

Jin Yaotiao smiled at her.

The project manager looked thoughtfully at the club and asked, “Was that Cheng from Yunding just now?”

Jin Yao Tiao nodded, and the project manager got excited: “It really was him. Hey, Director Jin, you did a great job. You should be as ruthless as a winter’s cold toward the enemy!”

Her cousin, Jin Sui, showed a hint of worry among her excited colleagues.

Jin Yaotiao arranged for her subordinates to take cabs and carpool, then motioned for her cousin to get into her car: “Get in. I’ll have Uncle Huang drive you home.”

Her cousin was stunned and quickly explained to the others, “I’m just going the same way as Director Jin.”

No one suspected anything else.

Everyone had had a great time today, eating, playing, and witnessing Director Jin slap the competitor’s CEO in the face.

They were all so happy, satisfied, and left.

Only after everyone had left did her cousin get into the car.

Once the door was closed, she finally expressed her concern: “Yaotiao, you’re being too stubborn. What if you get hurt?”

Earlier, at the shooting range, when she saw Jin Yaotiao about to confront Cheng Chen after hearing his words, she tried to stop her but couldn’t hold her back.

Jin Yaotiao signaled Uncle Huang to start the car and smiled at her cousin’s words: “What are you worried about? I’ve got it under control.”

Her cousin sighed: “With your temper… you’re a girl. How can you go head-to-head with a man…”

“So what if he’s a man?” Jin Yao Tiao shot her a glance, sneered, and didn’t hide her sharpness. “Who told you women can’t compete with men? Just watch. Not only will I compete with Cheng Chen, but I’ll also crush him underfoot.”

Her cousin stared at her, as though she had been struck by a heavy blow, confused and dazed.

The girls of the Jin family were taught to be well-behaved and dignified from an early age, and she was no exception.

Although she still had career aspirations, she couldn’t shake the belief that she was different from the boys in the family.

The reason she wanted to build a career was to be self-sufficient through her own abilities, so she could choose the life she wanted without relying on her husband after marriage.

But she never thought that she, too, could be as ambitious and sharp as the men.

She froze, struggling to process Jin Yaotiao’s words.

Yes, just now, Yao Tiao had clearly won, not just over Cheng Chen, an outsider, but also over the male relatives in the Jin family.

Even Jin Jiarui, the son of the third uncle, was thrown out of the company by her in disgrace.

Why had she thought that women couldn’t compete with men?

---

Jin Yaotiao noticed her cousin seemed to be coming to a realization and smiled, telling Uncle Huang to head to her cousin’s house.

But before the car started, the window was suddenly tapped.

Jin Yaotiao turned her head and saw a somewhat familiar woman standing outside.

Oh, she had seen her earlier at the shooting range, sitting across from Cheng Chen.

The woman had curly hair and wore a red dress with a light gray coat, holding a black accordion bag.

Her demeanor was very professional.

Jin Yaotiao lowered the window and asked, “Hello?”

“Hello.” The woman bent slightly and smiled. “Are you Miss Jin Yaotiao? Let me introduce myself, I’m Lei Qiu.”

The two exchanged glances, and Jin Yao Tiao nodded. “Hello, Miss Lei. What can I do for you?”

Lei Qiu smiled at her. “I work at Linjiang TV Station. I saw you at the shooting range earlier, and I felt an immediate connection. I have a collaboration opportunity and would like to talk with you.”

Jin Yaotiao was taken aback for a moment.

Her eyes dropped, and she noticed that Lei Qiu’s legs, exposed under the red dress in the cold winter night, were only covered by thin stockings.

After pondering for a moment, she opened the car door.

“Get in.”

---

After enduring Jin Yaotiao’s attack, Cheng Chen could no longer continue negotiating.

With the ambiguous response from Lei Qiu tonight regarding his request, he decided to retreat temporarily, leaving with his group of people.

Once outside, he directed the driver he had arranged to pick them up.

He decided to personally drive Lei Qiu home and put his male charm to good use, hoping to persuade her to give him the promotion slot.

But when he turned around—

“Where did Miss Lei go?”

Such a large presence, the cold and unyielding Lei Qiu.

Had she turned into a butterfly and flown away?