Meng Yiyi was confident that the plan would likely succeed, so she urged Jiang Ling to stay sharp and not mess things up.

Hu Kun, being lecherous, didn’t want to wait any longer.

After eating a few pieces of duck, he pretended to be drunk and leaned heavily on Jiang Ling, asking her to help him to a nearby hotel to rest.

Jiang Ling felt suffocated under his weight.

The hot weather made Hu Kun sweat a lot and he had a strong body odor, which made Jiang Ling feel nauseous.

She had to endure it and couldn’t show her discomfort.

After walking a few steps, Jiang Ling suddenly changed her mind.

She called the manager to ask where Jiang Lin’s private room was and then guided Hu Kun over there.

Hu Kun tugged at her skirt, “What’s up? Have we arrived at the hotel?”

Jiang Ling chuckled lightly, “Brother Hu, I want you to see something interesting.”

She stood at the door of the private room, listening to the sounds inside—murmuring in a foreign language mixed with Jiang Lin’s calm voice.

She signaled to Hu Kun, who immediately moved closer.

“Listen.”

Hu Kun heard a melodious and pleasing voice, which immediately tickled his ears and made him curious to see the person behind it.

He wanted to know if the speaker was as beautiful as the voice suggested.

With a loud crash, he kicked the door open and swaggered in.

Inside the room, Jiang Lin and the others turned to look, surprised to see a big, overweight man barging in, clearly not one of the staff.

The head of the meeting group immediately said, “This friend, you’re in the wrong room.”

Hu Kun ignored him, his bloodshot eyes scanning the room.

He smiled and said, “No, this is the right room. Don’t think I’m drunk and messing around. I’m not drunk.”

When he saw Jiang Lin, his eyes lit up.

He thought Jiang Ling was beautiful, but Jiang Lin was even more stunning, making Jiang Ling seem like a mere imitation.

“Jiang Mei Mei,” he said, as his big, fat hand reached towards Jiang Lin’s shoulder, “I just went out for a while, and you’ve become even more beautiful?”

William, who was sitting next to Jiang Lin, immediately extended his hand to block him, indicating that he had mistaken her for someone else.

Hu Kun, however, paid no attention and lunged towards Jiang Lin.

Before he could reach her, Jiang Lin used her left hand, holding a pair of chopsticks, to jab at the overweight man, hitting Hu Kun’s big belly and causing him to howl in pain.

The men around Jiang Lin quickly surrounded Hu Kun, pulling him away and ushering him out.

The manager also came over and informed Hu Kun that he had entered the wrong room, and their private room was on the other side.

Seeing Jiang Lin, the manager said to Hu Kun, “Mr. Hu, it seems you don’t know the people in this room.”

Hu Kun immediately protested, “I know her.” He pointed at Jiang Lin.

The manager quickly corrected him, “You must have mistaken her for someone else. The lady you came with is waiting for you outside.”

The manager didn’t know Jiang Ling’s intentions.

When she had asked a few foreigners earlier, he thought they knew each other. Little did he know, Hu Kun had barged in and made a scene, and the people didn’t even know him.

The manager found this a bit odd.

Others didn’t understand what was happening, but Jiang Lin immediately became alert.

She quickly left the private room and, turning her head, saw Jiang Ling hurriedly trying to hide.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jiang Lin quickly caught up with her and grabbed her arm before she could return to the room. “Are you feeling guilty about something?”

If Jiang Ling wasn’t up to something, how would Hu Kun have the audacity to walk in and mistake people?

Jiang Ling snapped angrily, “What are you doing?” She tried to slap Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin, holding homemade pepper spray, swiftly aimed it at Jiang Ling’s face.

“Ah—” Jiang Ling felt a sting as if her eyes were being cut with knives, not knowing what hit her.

Meng Yiyi and the others inside, hearing the commotion, rushed out to see what was going on, and found Jiang Lin standing there with a cold expression.

Meng Yiyi instinctively wanted to hide.

The memories of her confrontations with Jiang Lin at Shuihua Village and the factory surged back, clear as day.

Deep down, she feared Jiang Lin—her slaps, her scrutinizing gaze, her presence…

She didn’t even know what exactly she was afraid of, just that she was afraid.

Especially now that Jiang Lin was successful and held a significant position, it made Meng Yiyi feel even more inferior and jealous.

Her inferiority turned into arrogance; she lifted her head high, pretending not to see Jiang Lin, and quickly retreated back into the room.

Jiang Lin had seen her and said coldly, “Meng Yiyi, Jiang Ling, I don’t care what you’re here for, but I’ve decided to report your illegal activities with Bian Haitao in the provincial city to the relevant authorities. If you hear Bian Haitao’s name, please steer clear!”

After saying that, she turned and left, ignoring Meng Yiyi’s ugly expression, Jiang Ling’s frantic attempts to find water to wash her eyes, and Hu Kun’s lecherous gaze.

The investigation into Bian Haitao was public knowledge, not a secret.

The relevant departments knew about it.

Jiang Lin’s actions had effectively blocked Bian Haitao’s path.

Although Jiang Lin wasn’t sure of Meng Yiyi and Jiang Ling’s exact intentions, seeing these two women who boasted about their connections with Bian Haitao together, and considering Bian Haitao’s recent situation, she immediately made the connection.

It didn’t matter if her guess was correct or not; she had hit the mark by chance.

Even if some people were initially willing to help due to money and beauty, now that the truth was exposed, who would dare to assist?

Thus, the table of guests quickly dispersed, leaving Meng Yiyi sitting there, trembling and pale.

It was over.

Although the people at the dinner didn’t know what had happened, and they didn’t have any ties with Meng Yiyi or Jiang Ling, they were merely introduced as women with abilities, so they decided it was best to leave when trouble arose.

Hu Kun’s attention shifted; his eyes were now completely focused on Jiang Lin, who had captivated him with her mature and charming demeanor.

He had never seen a woman like her before.

Relying on his influential relatives and his own status as a notable figure, Hu Kun had always dared to involve himself in matters, seeking wealth, beauty, and connections. He would help anyone who could be useful to him or elevate his status.

This was also part of the advice he received from above—to handle the initial stage well.

Throughout history, officials have often needed to align themselves with certain factions and build connections.

Those who weren’t flexible usually didn’t end well.

Thus, while he helped others solve problems, he was also building relationships with capable people.

Now, however, he was too preoccupied with Jiang Lin and her connection to the situation with Bian Haitao.

Publicizing Bian Haitao’s troubles would make it impossible to proceed with his plans.

Regardless of Bian Haitao’s influence, once the investigation was public, support from the capital would be unattainable.

If the discipline inspection or the anti-corruption bureau got involved, they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves.

Hu Kun followed Jiang Lin, smiling, “Excuse me, miss…”

“My husband is the deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in X Province. Are you sure you want to approach me like a thug?” Jiang Lin didn’t even look at him, scoffing before turning away.

Hu Kun’s double chin trembled as he opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

In the end, he silently left.

Finally, with his eyes hurting and unable to stand the pain, Jiang Ling hurried to catch up with him. “Brother Hu, you’re drunk. Let me help you.”

Hu Kun responded, “Forget it, I can’t be helped.” His bulky body became surprisingly agile as he quickly made his exit.

Realizing that Jiang Lin had significant connections, he needed to make arrangements to avoid getting entangled.

Jiang Ling, frustrated and stamping her feet, tears streaming from the pain, returned to the private room and said to Meng Yiyi, “Sister Yiyi…”

“Get lost, you worthless troublemaker!” Meng Yiyi’s face was dark with anger.

Jiang Ling pressed a handkerchief to her eyes, “Why is this my problem? I didn’t do anything…”

Meng Yiyi snapped, “Why did you bring Hu Kun to see her? Are you out of your mind, or do you just want to die slowly? I’ve been avoiding her for years. Do you really think that just because you’re a beautiful painter, you’re above everything?”

Jiang Ling realized she had caused trouble.

Although she had attended college and studied art thanks to Meng Yiyi and Bian Haitao, some inherent traits remained unchanged.

She felt bewildered, “So, what should we do now? Who can we turn to?”

Meng Yiyi replied coldly, “Just wait and see. There’s nothing to be done.”

She needed to think about her own escape plan.

If Bian Haitao was really investigated, she had to find a place to hide as soon as possible.

There were many places to hide if one was careful; it wouldn’t be hard to avoid being found.