Fang Mingchao looked deeply at Chen Jinzhao.
His speech remained gentle and polite, revealing no slip-ups.
It was hard to imagine such a person having a double nature; a moment's thought made one's scalp tingle.
The trio returned to the main hall on the first floor.
Fang Mingchao resumed his seat as host, entertaining them with the courtesy of a landlord.
They exchanged pleasantries, with Fang Mingchao's replies remaining watertight.
Tao Qiyue found the atmosphere deeply unsettling.
If only she had proof, she would have arrested Fang Mingchao on the spot.
Little did they know.
Fang Mingchao was also under immense pressure.
Chen Jinzhao's questions were always sharp and pointed. Coupled with Fang Mingchao's knowledge of his true identity, his nerves were constantly on edge, almost giving him away several times.
To regain control of the conversation, Fang Mingchao smiled and said, "Just eating is not enough. I have arranged a dance for you two to enjoy."
As he finished speaking.
Fang Mingchao clapped his hands, and a woman in a qipao emerged from behind the main hall. The qipao perfectly outlined her graceful figure, as if sculpted by nature.
Any other man present would have been captivated by the qipao woman's figure and unable to tear his gaze away.
Fang Mingchao deliberately glanced at Chen Jinzhao and found that his gaze was indeed drawn to her. A slight surprise registered in his heart, followed by a wry thought: "Even with the eyes of the Candle Dragon, he cannot escape worldly desires. Heroes have always fallen for beauty; the ancients did not deceive me!"
Tao Qiyue, seated opposite, also looked at Chen Jinzhao in surprise.
She had never seen Chen Jinzhao stare at a woman with such earnest intensity, which made her feel a pang of irritation.
What time was it?
He still had the mood to appreciate beautiful women!
In reality.
Chen Jinzhao was unaware that his demeanor was being observed by the two.
His gaze had not left the qipao-clad woman.
This was because the woman in the qipao was none other than Zhuang Xiaoyue, who had saved his life.
Zhuang Xiaoyue saw Chen Jinzhao at first glance, but her lifelong training allowed her to instantly calm down, divert her attention from Chen Jinzhao, and immerse herself in her dance.
After a long while.
Chen Jinzhao finished the tea in his cup, calming himself down.
Since Zhuang Xiaoyue showed no sign of recognizing him, Chen Jinzhao knew he could not reveal himself at this moment, lest he put Zhuang Xiaoyue in danger.
The graceful dance soon concluded.
Fang Mingchao smiled and pulled Zhuang Xiaoyue into his embrace. Zhuang Xiaoyue feigned shyness, "Mr. Fang, the guests are still here, wouldn't this be inappropriate?"
"It's alright, these two are my distinguished guests."
Having said that, Fang Mingchao looked at them and introduced Zhuang Xiaoyue, "You two, this is my girlfriend, Zhuang Xiaoyue. I hope the dance she just performed did not disappoint you?"
Chen Jinzhao, on the other hand, smiled faintly and said, "She danced beautifully. Mr. Fang is truly fortunate."
Tao Qiyue snorted and remained silent.
Seeing this, Chen Jinzhao said to Fang Mingchao, "It's getting late, we should be going. Perhaps we can meet again another time. But it's best if we don't meet in prison, wouldn't you agree?"
A cold glint flashed in Fang Mingchao's eyes, and he chuckled coldly, "Naturally, we won't. Please rest assured."
Tao Qiyue no longer lingered, putting down her chopsticks and rising to leave.
Chen Jinzhao quickly followed.
Only the two of them remained in the main hall. Zhuang Xiaoyue quickly averted her gaze from Chen Jinzhao's retreating figure and nestled in Fang Mingchao's arms, asking sweetly, "Master, who were those two just now? They looked so fierce."
The smile on Fang Mingchao's face gradually faded. He let out a cold snort and said, "Just two fools seeking death. I'll get rid of them sooner or later."
As he spoke.
Fang Mingchao suddenly recalled Chen Jinzhao's gaze towards Zhuang Xiaoyue. A plan suddenly formed in his mind. He whispered a few words into Zhuang Xiaoyue's ear. A look of distress crossed Zhuang Xiaoyue's pretty face as she drew circles on Fang Mingchao's chest with her finger. "Master, I really don't want to do those things anymore. I just want to be by your side now."
"Xiaoyue, do you dare disobey me?" Fang Mingchao ruffled Zhuang Xiaoyue's hair and coaxed her softly, "I promise you, this is the last time. Once it's done, I'll leave China with you, and we'll find a place to spend the rest of our lives. We can have several children then."
A glimmer of longing and yearning appeared in Zhuang Xiaoyue's eyes, but thinking of Chen Jinzhao, she showed a hint of struggle, unsure whether to agree to Fang Mingchao.
Under Fang Mingchao's cajoling and deception.
Zhuang Xiaoyue bit her lip and nodded, "Master, you promised, it's really the last time!"
Facing the innocent and kind Zhuang Xiaoyue, Fang Mingchao felt a rare trace of guilt and murmured softly, "Don't worry, this is truly the last time."
On the other side.
Tao Qiyue stomped out of Taoyuan Mountain Villa, almost locking Chen Jinzhao out of the car.
Chen Jinzhao finally managed to get into the car, only to find Tao Qiyue with a grim expression. He asked, puzzled, "Why do you look so upset? Are you feeling unwell? We can go to the hospital first."
"No need," Tao Qiyue replied.
Chen Jinzhao remembered something and looked at Tao Qiyue suspiciously, opening his mouth but not asking the question.
Tao Qiyue, unable to contain her anger, said irritably, "You could have stayed at Taoyuan Mountain Villa and let that Zhuang Xiaoyue dance for you all night. Wouldn't that have been delightful?"
Hearing this petulant remark.
Chen Jinzhao suddenly burst out laughing. As he suspected, he was right.
Hearing the laughter beside her, Tao Qiyue's anger flared. She turned and glared at Chen Jinzhao, "What's so funny? I thought you were so devoted to Sister Yu that you couldn't tolerate any other woman! It's a shame Sister Yu didn't see the look in your eyes when you were staring at Zhuang Xiaoyue. She would probably be too angry to eat."
"Even if she were angry, it should be her, not you. Why are you angry?" Chen Jinzhao retorted.
Tao Qiyue blinked, stammering, unable to answer. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, "I'm angry on behalf of Sister Yu, not for myself!"
Chen Jinzhao laughed even more heartily.
In his heart, Tao Qiyue had always been a woman who did things by the book, making him mistakenly believe she was an emotionless work machine.
Now it seemed.
Tao Qiyue was also a normal person with her own little thoughts.
This made Tao Qiyue's face flush, as if her hidden thoughts were completely exposed. She said indignantly, "You're not allowed to laugh anymore, or you'll have to walk back!"
"Alright, alright. If I don't explain, you'll let this misunderstanding blow up. Actually, I've known Zhuang Xiaoyue for a long time. She used to be Meng Zhi's secretary. Later, she saved both our lives." Chen Jinzhao explained, causing Tao Qiyue's eyes to reveal deep suspicion, as if judging the truthfulness of his words.
"How could she have saved your lives?"
"Are you lying?"
Chen Jinzhao recounted the entire story of how he met Zhuang Xiaoyue truthfully to Tao Qiyue, then described the events of that night with Yu Mengzhi and how Zhuang Xiaoyue had rescued them, leaving Tao Qiyue stunned.
"This, is all true?" Tao Qiyue still didn't quite believe it, as it seemed too outlandish.
Chen Jinzhao sighed softly.
"Let me tell you about her experiences. She's actually a pitiable person too."