Ning Fei's footsteps halted.
Evidently, he had also spotted the smiling Chen Jin Chao.
The two were practically mortal enemies, unable to see eye to eye on anything.
Ning Fei had suffered a great loss at the underground fighting arena and had no desire to see Chen Jin Chao. He planned to take a detour to avoid any conflict. However, Chen Jin Chao did not yield, and instead, blocked Ning Fei's path once more.
"What do you want?!" Ning Fei growled, glaring at Chen Jin Chao.
Chen Jin Chao smiled faintly, "Nothing much, just wanted to thank you for the generous gift. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten so much money."
"You're truly a great person."
Ning Fei was furious, his fists clenched tightly.
He really, truly wanted to punch Chen Jin Chao in the face, but he also knew Chen Jin Chao's formidable strength. Engaging in a fight here would undoubtedly be to his own detriment.
This anger—
He would endure it!
Ning Fei stared fiercely at Chen Jin Chao. Chen Jin Chao smiled, "Don't misunderstand, I have no interest in scum like you. I just wanted to give you a warning: never set your sights on Xu Nian Qing again."
"One more time, and I'll beat you up."
"Chen Jin Chao, are you threatening me? This is a society governed by law. People like you who trample on rules will surely be punished." Ning Fei's entire body trembled with anger as he couldn't help but retort.
"You can interpret it that way," Chen Jin Chao replied.
Ning Fei lost all his spirit. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine, then you just wait! One day, I'll have Xu Nian Qing willingly climb into my bed. I won't mind showing you some videos then."
Chen Jin Chao's eyes narrowed, a chilling aura emanating from him.
Tao Qiyue realized the two were about to clash. Her profession was to prevent such incidents, but after taking two steps, she gritted her teeth, turned away, and mumbled, "I didn't see anything."
*Slap!*
The sound of a slap echoed precisely on time.
Tao Qiyue then said, "I didn't hear anything either."
Ning Fei was exasperated, roaring furiously, "Chen Jin Chao, how dare you hit me?"
Chen Jin Chao said expressionlessly, "Your mouth is too foul, and I lost control for a moment. Of course, you can continue talking; I won't guarantee I'll hold back."
Ning Fei had a thousand words in his chest, but ultimately, he dared not speak them in public.
"You!"
"You damn well remember this!"
"I'll remember this slap today, and I hope you won't regret it in the future."
After issuing this threat, Ning Fei turned and left.
Chen Jin Chao also said to Tao Qiyue, "Let's go too."
Tao Qiyue was stunned for a moment. After a while, she responded, "Oh, alright."
"What's wrong? You seem a bit strange," Chen Jin Chao frowned.
Tao Qiyue pursed her lips, hesitating several times before finally saying, "Chen Jin Chao, can you please not hit people in front of me anymore? You know my profession, but I don't want to arrest you."
This put her in a difficult position.
Chen Jin Chao was taken aback for a moment before realizing, "My apologies, I forgot about that."
The two left Ningcheng Steel Plant.
On the way back, Chen Jin Chao saw a message from Zhang Wanting. Li Xiaozhong's surgery was successful, which relieved Chen Jin Chao.
"Let's go back to your place first, I'll drive you," Chen Jin Chao said.
Tao Qiyue did not refuse, "My home is at the Seventh Military Rest House. You can just drop me off at the entrance. I'm afraid of causing misunderstandings."
Chen Jin Chao nodded, understanding Tao Qiyue's concerns.
Half an hour later.
The ride-hailing car stopped at the entrance of the Seventh Military Rest House, and Chen Jin Chao got out.
Tao Qiyue said to Chen Jin Chao, "Just drop me off here. I had a good time today. If there's a chance in the future, I'll look for you again. You won't refuse me, will you?"
Chen Jin Chao smiled, "You're always welcome."
Hearing this, Tao Qiyue felt genuinely happy. She waved at Chen Jin Chao and said, "Goodbye then!"
Chen Jin Chao nodded, hummed in response, and turned to leave.
Tao Qiyue stood at the entrance, watching Chen Jin Chao's retreating figure for a while before walking with light steps into the rest house. Not long after, she saw Tao Zixing, who was taking a walk in the compound after dinner.
"Grandpa?" Tao Qiyue walked up to him.
Under the night sky.
She did not see the extremely shocked gaze of Tao Zixing.
Tao Zixing was too, too shocked.
It wasn't until his granddaughter called out a few times that he snapped back to reality. Tao Qiyue hesitated, "Grandpa, maybe I should take you for a full physical examination tomorrow? I heard Grandpa Yu has Alzheimer's. You should also take precautions."
"I'm fine," Tao Zixing withdrew his gaze.
Tao Qiyue felt that her grandfather was acting strangely. Before she could speak again, Tao Zixing asked, "Qiyue, the man who drove you back just now..."
Fortunately, it was dark, or Tao Qiyue's blushing face would have been visible to Tao Zixing. Tao Qiyue said guiltily, "Grandpa, don't misunderstand! That's Chen Jin Chao—Sister Yu's ex-boyfriend. We're not in a relationship like you think, just ordinary friends."
"He's Chen Jin Chao?" Tao Zixing was shocked again.
Tao Zixing had seen Chen Jin Chao's face before, but back then, his codenames were—Eye of the Candle Dragon, Jade-Faced Asura!
He never would have imagined that Chen Jin Chao, the security guard who had single-handedly stirred up the storm in Ninghai, was actually the famous Eye of the Candle Dragon.
"Yes, I don't think he's as bad as people outside say. Instead, he's a trustworthy friend," Tao Qiyue put in a good word for Chen Jin Chao. She thought she might incur her grandfather's displeasure, but to her surprise, Tao Zixing chuckled, "Girl, you think I don't know what you're thinking? But you're right, Chen Jin Chao isn't as bad as people outside say."
"If you like him, go for it."
"Ah?" Tao Qiyue's eyes widened.
"Grandpa, what are you saying?"
"How could I..."
Tao Qiyue did have some good feelings towards Chen Jin Chao, but it hadn't reached the level of liking him yet. Tao Zixing interrupted her with a smile, "You can't hide it from Grandpa's eyes. Perhaps you don't like him now, but it's only a matter of time. No boy can make you speak so highly of him."
He intended to keep Chen Jin Chao's identity a secret—
In this regard, Tao Zixing had his own selfish motives; he wanted to matchmake Tao Qiyue and Chen Jin Chao.
If Tao Qiyue knew Chen Jin Chao's true identity, she might develop resistance, which would spoil the good match.
Similarly.
Tao Zixing would not reveal Chen Jin Chao's identity to Yu Lingxiao. Otherwise, Yu Lingxiao would definitely change her mind and agree to Yu Mengzhi dating Chen Jin Chao, which would leave his granddaughter with no chance.
Tao Qiyue's little secret was seen through by Tao Zixing, and she felt quite embarrassed.
"I know what you're worried about. It's nothing more than the engagement you have," Tao Zixing smiled and said again, "Go with me to the Yu family tomorrow and explain the situation to them."
"Grandpa will help you cancel the engagement."