The other three men were terrified and kept their heads down, not daring to speak.
Qiao Ziqian put the cigarette back to his lips and took a few puffs. His fingers gripped the cigarette butt. Glancing at the butt in his hand, the blond man kneeling before him understood immediately and quickly cupped his hands, holding them above his head.
One side of the man’s eyebrow twitched. He pinched the cigarette butt and twisted it in the blond man’s palm.
The scorching hot tip of the cigarette burned the blond man’s mouth, causing him to grin, but he dared not make a sound.
Qiao Ziqian blew smoke from his lips. Wisps of pale white smoke circled the blond man, making him cough.
After a while, Qiao Ziqian turned and walked to the coffee table. He glanced at the stacks of crisp RMB bills on the table. Bending down, he picked up a stack, which, at a rough estimate, was fifty to sixty thousand yuan. He directly threw it in front of them, "Why so nervous? You performed very well."
Whoosh—
Six bundles of money landed in front of them. The ashen faces of the men immediately lit up with joy.
Qiao Ziqian bent down again, picking up several more stacks of new bills and tossing them to them. "You’ve worked hard. Take the money and get lost. Don’t appear in Yancheng for a while."
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you Second Master Qiao."
"Thank you Second Master Qiao."
"Thank you Second Master."
"Second Master, you should rest early, hahaha, rest early."
The men, clutching tens of thousands of yuan, were overjoyed and got up to leave the room, discussing how to split the money as soon as they stepped outside.
The room returned to silence. Qiao Ziqian sat on the sofa, his legs crossed on the coffee table, his eyes closed as if dozing.
Buzz buzz buzz—
The phone on the table vibrated.
He lazily sat up and picked up the phone. The screen displayed Li Shang's phone number.
Instantly, Qiao Ziqian's pupils contracted, and a chill flashed in his eyes.
"Whoosh~"
He irritably raised his hand to brush his short hair, slid the answer key, and a fake smile spread across his cold face. "Brother Shang, what’s the matter calling so late?"
On the other end, Li Shang reprimanded, "Qiao Ziqian, where the hell have you been? I gave you a few hours off to rest, and it’s this late, and you're still not here?"
As Li Shang's personal assistant, Qiao Ziqian was supposed to be by Li Shang's side at all times.
Being scolded, Qiao Ziqian leaned back, crossing his legs on the table again. His arm rested casually on the sofa backrest. He pushed his cheek with his tongue, his single eyelids releasing a cold glint. "Got it."
Even through the phone, the three cold words were clearly palpable.
However, Li Shang showed no self-awareness. "What, impatient? Do you want to quit? If you don’t want to do it, then get lost."
"I'll be there soon."
Qiao Ziqian hung up on Li Shang, placed the phone on the table, pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and leaned back on the sofa, smoking with his eyes closed.
Half an hour later, he lazily got up, changed his clothes, and took a taxi to the hotel where Li Shang was staying.
...
Private Hospital.
Tang Wanxing lay in bed asleep. Qing Muye had people send over a laptop and phone. He sat on the sofa, working through the night.
Late at night, Tang Wanxing woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Qing Muye engrossed in his work, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
This feeling was truly wonderful.
Qing Muye, busy with work, felt a gaze upon him. He looked up and saw Tang Wanxing, who had opened her eyes. "Why are you awake? Did I disturb you?"
"No. I'm thirsty and was about to get up to get some water." She casually uttered a remark with hidden intentions.
Qing Muye closed his laptop. "I'll get you some water."
Putting down the computer, he got up and walked to the water dispenser, filling a half-cup of hot water and mixing it with some cold water. He turned and handed the cup to Tang Wanxing.
Tang Wanxing sat up, took the cup, and gave a sweet smile. "Thank you."