C5 Chapter 5

Based on the side story Xiaoqiang provided, the original owner’s bargain-bin older brother, Wang Xiaoye, was strikingly handsome in a pretty-boy kind of way. He wasn’t tall, but there was something about him—young, moody, and a little melancholy—that really did it for wealthy, bored women…

Unlike that stubborn, holier-than-thou snake who played innocent while stabbing people in the back, Wang Xiaoye was upfront about it. The family was broke. His parents couldn’t afford to keep him in school, so he leaned on his looks, cozying up to rich women at the Black Horse Club and trading charm for living expenses.

According to Xiaoqiang’s tip, tonight Wang Xiaoye was entertaining a wealthy woman named Maggie at the club—but she’d already had a regular there for a long time.

That guy wasn’t as good-looking as Wang Xiaoye, and now his sugar mama was getting stolen right out from under him. He’d been holding a grudge.

So tonight, while Wang Xiaoye was drinking with her, the other man secretly slipped him something and got him to take a hit.

At first, Wang Xiaoye felt like he was floating—euphoric, relaxed—and he got tangled up with Maggie in a haze of flirtation.

But early the next morning, the cops suddenly stormed in to search the place. They found a stash of cocaine on Wang Xiaoye.

Under the city’s laws, hiding more than 3.5 ounces of cocaine meant a life sentence.

With no way to clear his name, Wang Xiaoye was arrested and taken away—never to come home again…

When the original owner’s parents got the news, one of them got so furious they fell seriously ill, and the other cried day after day.

The family had already been struggling. After that, the house felt even colder—like all the life had been drained out of it.

“Hey, miss, need me to help?”

Ling Xiao’s expression tightened. There were more than twenty private rooms on the top floor. Checking them one by one—how long was that going to take?

“Hey, miss, don’t be shy. We’re partners, remember!”

“Miss? If you don’t mind…”

Ling Xiao snapped impatiently, “Idiot! Get out of my way!”

It just kept yapping nonstop, but it didn’t do a single useful thing.

Might as well earn it yourself!

A waiter just happened to be coming down the hallway. Ling Xiao glided over with a graceful, catlike stride, her presence fully unleashed—like a poised, high-born ruler descending into the night.

A flash of awe crossed the waiter’s eyes.

The next second, Ling Xiao struck like lightning, clamping down on his throat. “Which private room is Wang Xiaoye in?”

The waiter struggled to breathe, his eyes slowly reddening and bulging. In the end, he caved.

With directions in hand, Ling Xiao let go in a good mood. Everyone’s afraid to die.

Sometimes, the only way to solve a problem is with force...

The system practically freaked out: What kind of monster is the girl my host got assigned?

Ling Xiao stopped at the door of the private room and motioned for the waiter to knock. When the door opened, she slipped through the crack and slid inside.

Her so-called brother was sprawled on the couch, flirting with a wealthy older woman.

That scheming side piece, Bao Rongrong, sat across from the woman, staring at her with big, needy eyes—like an abandoned puppy desperate for its owner to pet it.

Ling Xiao swept the room with a calm glance. Two other young, good-looking guys were in there too.

But she didn’t bother looking closer. She walked straight up to Wang Xiaoye with that steady, sexy catwalk and lifted her hand, delivering a not-too-light, not-too-hard slap across his handsome face.

Smack! Wang Xiaoye didn’t even react at first, but the wealthy woman shot up from the couch.

“Who the hell are you? You dare lay a hand on my man? You got a death wish!”

“Sorry. Not really a fan of that,” Ling Xiao said, dead serious.

“What? Don’t play dumb! Apologize right now—and make it good!” The woman fumed as she yanked out her phone, ready to call the club manager to deal with it.

At places like this, when something happened, most rich women didn’t call the cops—they handled it quietly.

Too bad Ling Xiao wasn’t here for the rich woman. Her target was her so-called brother, sitting off to the side with his shirt open, showing way too much skin while he tried to sweet-talk her.

Xiaoye Wang had been drinking a lot and was pretty buzzed when Ling Xiao slapped him back to reality. Shame hit him all at once, and he looked utterly humiliated.

“What are you doing here? Who said you could meddle in my business?”

“Come home with me!”

“No! I’m not going! Not a chance!” Xiaoye was deep in that rebellious teenage phase, and he’d been holding a grudge against her for a long time.

Maybe it was their parents playing favorites. Maybe it was a clash in values between the two of them.

Ling Xiao couldn’t be bothered to argue. She grabbed the designer handbag off the couch and swung it straight at Xiaoye!

“Hey—hey! That’s my brand-new limited-edition Hermès! Do you have any idea how expensive that is?” The wealthy woman practically stomped her feet in rage.

Xiaoye scrambled away as Ling Xiao chased him down, a complete mess.

The wealthy woman’s longtime fling, Rongrong Bao, watched the scene and couldn’t help smirking.

Xiaoye Wang, aren’t you so tough?

Look at you now—getting run down and chased off like a stray.

Remembering tonight’s plan, Rongrong Bao quickly dissolved a pill into a glass of liquor, getting ready to slip it to Xiaoye.

“Stop! Stop! That hurts—seriously, it hurts! I’ll go! I’ll go home with you!”

Ling Xiao: Figures. Force works best.

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

If someone won’t listen, it’s usually because they’ve been coddled. One good beating fixes it.

Xiaoye reluctantly pulled on his jacket. Bruises colored the corner of his eye and the edge of his mouth, making him look pitiful.

The wealthy woman couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sympathy. “Xiaoye… you’re really going home?”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry. I… I don’t think I can stay the night with you,” Xiaoye said, trailing off.

From behind, Ling Xiao cracked him on the head with a sharp knuckle rap. “What are you dragging your feet for?”

The wealthy woman wasn’t stupid. She could tell this girl was family, so she didn’t try to stop them again.

After all, she was someone with a name and a reputation. If things blew up, it would seriously damage her standing in her social circle.

Ling Xiao walked up to the private room door and, with a sharp eye, spotted Bao Rongrong coming over with a glass of red wine, a fake smile plastered across his face.

It was so fake he looked like he was wearing a mask.

“Xiaoye, take this as your apology to Sister Maqi. By the club’s rules, you were supposed to stay tonight and keep Sister Maqi company.” With practiced ease, Bao Rongrong pressed the wineglass into Wang Xiaoye’s hand.

Wang Xiaoye froze for a beat, then lifted the glass, about to down it in one go—when a pale hand stopped him midair.

Ling Xiao snatched the glass away and gave it a light swirl between her fingers.

The wine’s vivid color, set against the girl’s clear, luminous beauty, only made her look brighter—almost dangerously alluring.

The rich woman saw it and jealousy flickered in her eyes.

What a shame. If the girl hadn’t come from such a poor background, she’d definitely grow into a knockout everyone in Qinghai would talk about.

“Your last name’s Bao—so what, you related to Judge Bao or something?” Ling Xiao wore an easy, carefree smile.

Bao Rongrong narrowed his eyes, deliberately lowered his gaze, and said nothing.

Tsk. The ones who don’t bark are the ones that bite.

And they do it when you least expect it. Better be careful.

“Look at you—so dark. I figured you must be Judge Bao’s descendant, all upright and righteous like him!”

Dark skin means he’s Judge Bao’s descendant? What kind of twisted logic was that?

Bao Rongrong finally snapped and shouted at Ling Xiao, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

But… the moment he opened his mouth to yell, in a split second, Ling Xiao shoved the drugged red wine straight into his mouth, grabbed him by the throat, and forced him to swallow every last drop!

Ling Xiao casually tossed the now-empty glass aside, then patted Bao Rongrong’s thick shoulder with a grave, almost fatherly seriousness.

“I made this mess myself—no matter how hard it is, I’ve got to swallow it.”