Fyren Zhang couldn't wait to escape in haste. At this moment, he hurriedly made his excuses and fled the Chen family manor.
Walking along the canal outside the Chen family manor, Fyren Zhang asked nervously, "What's going on?"
Zaring's face turned pale as he anxiously scanned their surroundings. "Get in the car first - we'll talk there!"
Fyren Zhang realized something was seriously wrong.
At that same moment, Xena Xu received the news. Furious, she rushed out after Fyren Zhang and Zaring.
Zaring immediately fell silent and looked at Xena Xu with nervous apprehension.
Fyren Zhang remained dazed, completely out of his depth. "Aigoo, Xena, why the hurry? Is something wrong?"
Xena Xu's face darkened as she studied Fyren Zhang's expression. She thought to herself: This guy's really good at pretending! Embezzling funds meant for quality ingredients, ruining an entire batch of herbs that don't match the inventory list, and now acting completely clueless.
Xena Xu smiled, her expression sharp as a concealed blade. "Fyren, nothing unusual has been happening at the medicine factory lately, right?"
"Uh..."
Seeing Zaring frantically blinking at him, Fyren Zhang quickly replied, "Nothing major. Don't worry, I'll handle everything."
[How did this girl get here? Where's Otto Long? Shouldn't they be out drinking tea and chatting about medical techniques by now?]
Why is the female lead following me? Why is Otto Long's harem bothering me?
The medicine factory situation must be serious! It needs to be resolved immediately!
Xena Xu was taken aback. Judging by his reaction, he might genuinely not know the details about the factory. Could he really not be the one who embezzled the money?
After a moment's thought, Xena Xu smiled again. "Fyren, it must have been over a year since we last met, right?"
"Huh? Has it been? Haha, how time flies! When the wheel of history crushes our lost youth..."
Xena Xu nearly gagged - this person was becoming truly revolting.
She forced a smile and opened her arms. "Hug!"
Fyren Zhang's mind was in complete chaos.
He was now like a man covered in lice, unsure which one to catch first.
He'd already ruined Otto Long's plans twice in one day and had likely earned himself a spot on his blacklist;
That damned Eliza Leng insisted on getting engaged to him - he needed to resolve this quickly to avoid further entanglement with Otto Long's crowd;
And now Xena Xu, the female lead, wasn't following the script either, acting bizarrely and pestering him.
But the most important thing now was to deal with the medicine factory situation—that was fucking medicine! If something went wrong, it would be a disaster!
And now this witch wanted a hug from me!
What the hell kind of hug? Hug what? I don't even know who I'm dealing with here!
At that moment, Fyren Zhang saw Huan Chen and Otto Long walking out, and Otto Long's gaze instantly locked onto his.
Fyren Zhang grinned. Well, isn't this the fucking end of the game?
Otto Long's eyes narrowed slightly. This guy again—ruining my plans!
Fyren Zhang quickly forced a calm expression. "Uh, just a hug?"
He raised his voice hurriedly. "Aiyo, Otto! Perfect timing! Xena was in a bit of a mood earlier, but she actually admires your medical skills. Why don't you two find a café and chat? You're both so passionate about medicine—I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about. I've got things to take care of, so… goodbye! 886!"
Fyren Zhang turned to bolt, thinking to himself:
[Brother can only help you this much. Hope you two get together soon—just leave me out of it.]
"You two are perfect for each other. I'm just a piece of shit, okay?"
[We need to get out of here, or Otto Long will pick a fight.]
Xena Xu glanced back at Otto Long, snorted contemptuously, then grabbed Fyren Zhang's coat.
"Fyren, don't run away! Ever since you were little, didn't you always cling to people when you didn't want to say goodbye?"
Fyren Zhang's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the little loli.
Xena Xu's beautiful face was as enchanting as a demon's, her large eyes gleaming like black gemstones.
Yet, within that stunning beauty and clear gaze, Fyren Zhang detected a hint of smugness, a touch of cunning, a trace of ferocity—and even a flicker of malice.
She was doing this on purpose!
Xena Xu was absolutely doing this on purpose.
Fyren Zhang had thoroughly pissed her off.
He had assumed she would just throw herself at Otto Long—based on what?
Now, Xena Xu was retaliating.
Oh, so you're scared of Otto Long? Hmph, well, I'll just dangle this in front of you—let's see how you handle it!
Fyren Zhang's eyes burned with hostility and shock.
He slowly pushed Xena Xu's hand away, seething inwardly:
[This damn girl is setting me up!]
[It's like she knows I'm terrified of Otto Long and is doing this deliberately! She's absolutely doing it on purpose!]
Xena Xu was barely holding back laughter, still putting on a pitiful act, but her eyes taunted him:
Sister's doing this on purpose. Who would've thought Fyren Zhang could be afraid of someone, huh?
Funny, funny—today I just want to scare you to death!
Aigoo? Sweating already?
At this moment, Otto Long and Huan Chen had already approached. The corner of Otto Long's mouth curled into a cold smile:
"You need hugs every time you part? Young Master Fyren is quite the charmer!"
Fyren Zhang's mouth twitched. Before he could explain, Mang Cargo Zaring stepped forward and declared loudly, "So what if they hug? What, you think you're the only one in this district who—"
Fyren Zhang yanked Zaring back. "Don't make trouble for me. Even if you tied us together, he could still beat us both single-handedly."
Awkwardly, Fyren Zhang said, "Xena's just joking. It's nothing!"
"What do you mean, nothing? It's been like this since I was eight! Remember that family dinner when you tricked me into kissing and hugging in the corner? You even insisted I take off my clothes for your 'medical examination,' saying you were going to be a doctor someday... I was so naive I almost believed you..."
Otto Long's fists slowly clenched, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Fyren Zhang.
Meanwhile, Fyren Zhang narrowed his eyes at the devilish Xena Xu. He finally understood—this damn girl seemed to know exactly how to push his buttons!
The worst part was her innocent, invincible loli face. With those big, guileless eyes, who would believe this little demon was actually so twisted inside, with acting skills this explosive?
[After finally getting a second chance to turn my life around, am I really going to be outplayed by this little girl?]
[Are Otto Long and his harem the insurmountable obstacles of my life?]
Xena Xu was calculating too:
He seems to know Otto Long well... and there's bad blood between them.
Perfect. Evil recognizes evil—neither of you is any good. One's a womanizing scoundrel, the other tried to stop me from saving a dying old man in the hospital.
Whoever kills who, I'll be happy. Nothing pleases me more than watching villains destroy each other.
Fyren Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile. "I don't remember any of that childhood nonsense."
"Then we'll just have to recreate it today, won't we?"
Xena Xu leaned in close and whispered, "You're not leaving until you hug me."
Fyren Zhang's eyes narrowed with bone-deep resentment as he hissed back, "You've got guts."
Summoning all his willpower, Fyren Zhang finally managed to contort his face into an ugly fake smile and gave Xena Xu a stiff, reluctant hug.
But Xena Xu grabbed Fyren Zhang in a bear hug and shouted, "Aiya, Fyren! You're so annoying—taking advantage of me again!"
Fyren Zhang pushed Xena Xu away, his anger rising.
Otto Long caught the unsteady Xena Xu and glared at Fyren Zhang. "Young Master Fyren, what's the meaning of this?"
Fyren Zhang's mind went blank.
[Shit!]
He forced a smile. "No, no—I just got a cramp! You two chat. There's an emergency at my family's medicine factory—I need to hurry back to handle it..."
Fyren Zhang turned and nearly broke into a run. Zaring froze for two seconds before pointing at Otto Long. "You fucking wait for me!"
With that, he turned and chased after Fyren Zhang.
Otto Long didn't pursue them—with the beauty by his side, Fyren Zhang was the last thing on his mind.
"Xena, are you alright? Are you hurt? Don't worry, I won't let Fyren Zhang get away with this."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xena Xu instantly regained her cold expression and stepped away from Otto Long. "He's the Fyren young master of Crystalpeak City. Ordinary people can't afford to mess with him. And you think you can?"
Otto Long laughed. "What four great families? In Otto Long's eyes, they're all ants."
A cold glint flashed in Xena Xu's eyes. "All ants?"
Otto Long realized his mistake and hurried to explain. "No, I mean—"
"Bye."
Xena Xu strode to her car. When she reached it, she ripped off her uniform, and her team of assistants swarmed around her, immediately draping a black trench coat over her shoulders.
In an instant, Xena Xu transformed from an innocent little loli into a cold-faced, arrogant queen—a smaller version of Eliza Leng.
...
Once in the car, Fyren Zhang was still trembling with anger, pounding the armrest.
"Damn it, I almost died back there!"
Zaring quickly raised the soundproof partition between the passenger cabin and the driver's compartment.
"Don't worry, Young Master Fyren! When we get back, I'll have someone take care of that Otto Long to vent your anger!"
"Bullshit! Bullshit!" Fyren Zhang gritted his teeth. "It's mainly that damn Xena Xu—that little—"
Zaring chuckled. "Young Master Fyren, it seems she's really taken a liking to you today! She even threw herself into your arms. Don't worry—I'll help you win over the Xu family's Divine Doctor Lolita. Once she's yours, the Xu family's resources will be ours..."
"You shut up!" Fyren Zhang was about to throw a fit. "Remember—no messing with Otto Long, and no ideas about Xena Xu! That damn girl is clearly playing games with me!"
"Well, that works both ways!" Zaring grinned shamelessly. "You're playing each other!"
Fyren Zhang stared at Zaring, on the verge of losing his temper. But remembering that Zaring was just a loyal dog who didn't understand the bigger picture, he realized getting angry would be like playing the lute to a cow—a complete waste of effort.
He could only sigh. "What happened at the medicine factory?"
What Fyren Zhang didn't know was that at this very moment, Xena Xu was sitting in her business car with headphones on, listening to their entire conversation.
That hug earlier had been her opportunity to plant the listening device.
Now, Xena Xu sat in her car with an icy expression and piercing eyes. Her team of secretaries watched her nervously, not daring to make a sound.
Zaring continued, "That bastard Zach from the drug regulatory department—what a piece of shit! To cut costs, you reduced some of the premium ingredients in this batch of medicine. But come on, it's just Chinese herbs—it's not like it can kill anyone."
"That damn Zach even wrote a fucking resignation letter and used it to expose the whole thing. Tell me, isn't that old fool begging for death?"
"Here's what we'll do! We'll ship the medicine with normal labeling. After all, it's all Chinese medicine—it won't kill anyone. If Zach's just after money, give him ten or twenty million to shut him up. If he refuses... well, we can always make him disappear completely. Once he's gone, this whole matter will—"
"Enough. Shut up." Fyren Zhang lowered the partition and said to the driver, "Speed up. Head to the medicine factory."
Xena Xu removed her headphones, her eyes turning even colder.
Fyren Zhang, don't blame me for being ruthless if you dare to do such unconscionable things!
Others may fear your Zhang family, but I, Xena Xu, don't!
Not to mention...
A bitter smile flickered at the corner of Xena Xu's mouth.