Quan Jiu did not retreat a single step, her gaze fixed calmly on Qu Yi.
From Qu Yi's perspective, he had to tilt his head slightly to see the woman's stubbornness and the ferocity hidden in her eyes.
He kept his word, but he couldn't let the suffering he'd endured earlier go unavenged.
His large palm effortlessly gripped Quan Jiu's neck. The delicate neck seemed as though it could snap with the slightest pressure.
But to his disappointment, he saw not a trace of fear in the woman's eyes, only a hint of mockery and disdain.
He knew what she was mocking: his own hypocrisy as a man who went back on his word.
Qu Yi felt insulted. In truth, he hadn't intended to do anything to this woman; he just wanted to scare her. But her gaze made him feel insulted all over again.
"Heh," he thought, "My tolerance isn't this limited. Why am I stooping to the level of a woman? How embarrassing."
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, the woman in front of him, after her mockery, moved with lightning speed. She stepped forward with her left foot, hooking his left calf, while simultaneously gripping his waist with both hands and leaning her body against him.
His left calf was lifted off the ground, and his body instantly lost balance. With the added downward force, he was thrown backward, his head hitting the concrete floor with a painful thud that made his ears ring.
In just a few breaths of exchange, he understood one thing: this woman was no ordinary woman. His earlier counter-moves weren't entirely due to carelessness, but also because she possessed strength and explosive power comparable to a man. She was decisive, ruthless, quick-witted, and adept at assessing the situation.
Qu Yi grunted, then simply grabbed Quan Jiu's waist and pulled her down, pinning her on top of him. He chuckled, half in amusement, half in exasperation, "As a woman, you've thrown yourself at me repeatedly. Aren't you a bit too forward?"
A cold smile touched Quan Jiu's lips. "As a man, being in a passive state repeatedly, are you perhaps… impotent?"
"I…" Qu Yi choked, nearly dying of suffocation. He shoved Quan Jiu away, sat up, and touched the back of his head. His height meant he fell from a greater height. A bump had formed on the back of his head, and he wondered if he had a concussion.
Let alone women, he had never suffered such a significant loss at anyone's hands in his life.
Yet, it was a woman who had done it. His male pride prevented him from unleashing his anger on her. After all, he had only captured her to threaten the Quan family; he had no intention of harming her from the start.
"In all these years, you are the only wo-man who has made me suffer a loss," he said through gritted teeth. "I admire you."
Quan Jiu stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, her expression neutral. "You don't need to dwell on it. After all, in my life, I haven't made few people suffer losses."
She glanced at Qu Yi. "What time is it?"
Qu Yi raised an eyebrow. This woman, truly, could not be judged by ordinary standards. Even now, she cared about the time.
Despite his thoughts, he raised his wrist to check. "Eight fifteen."
"Let's make this quick. Don't delay your CT scan at the hospital, and don't delay me going home."
Quan Jiu looked at Qu Yi calmly. "I know you were instructed by Liu Zhi Xi. She either told you to kill me directly, or to capture me and hand me over to her for disposal. But judging by the lack of killing intent in your eyes, I suspect it's the latter. As an exchange, what will you get from her?"
Qu Yi picked up his suit from the floor, put it on slowly, then lazily sat down in a chair, looking composed.
He had never lost a negotiation.
"Can you give me what she can give me?"
Quan Jiu shook her head, her mocking smile undisguised. "Are you dreaming? In the contest between you and me, I have the upper hand. You are my defeated opponent. Do you think I'm here to seek peace with you? No, I'm just giving you an opportunity to be a man.
If you're willing to talk sincerely, I won't be so petty. But if you're not willing, do you think you and your men can still capture me? I could make you struggle even when my hands and feet were bound. Now that I'm free, escaping from here isn't difficult for me.
So, your options are: either be sincere and tell me what you want, or you fail. What will I lose? What does it have to do with me?"
Qu Yi's brow furrowed slightly. Indeed, he had almost forgotten. It wasn't that he had let the woman go, but that she had escaped from his grasp.
"All these people outside are mine. Do you think you can escape?" Qu Yi threatened, not wanting to appear too passive.
Quan Jiu, however, let out a cold laugh. "Then there's nothing to talk about. Fine. Call all your men in. I haven't sparred with anyone in a while, and my hands are getting itchy. Remember the last time this hairpin drew blood? It was about a month ago. That woman named Tai Shu Su Lian had her shoulder blade pierced by this hairpin. Her screams were quite… enjoyable."
Qu Yi's eyebrows shot up again. Coincidentally, Tai Shu Su Lian was also one of his former women. She was a fiery temper, excelling among women in both skill and methods, especially in poisons, capable of taking lives unexpectedly.
He also knew about Tai Shu Su Lian's injury, as she had hidden at his place to recover, afraid to report the injury to her family. Because the injury was so severe, he had always assumed that the person who injured Tai Shu Su Lian was a formidable opponent.
Now, he still believed that person was formidable, only now it was the beautiful and seemingly harmless woman before him.
Seeing his silence, Quan Jiu knew he was wavering and continued, "You can doubt my ability to escape. I don't mind you calling all your men. And I can tell you with certainty that my people are also on their way, not far away."
She removed the contact lens from her right eye. "I'm not afraid to tell you that this is a miniature human tracker, installed by my family for my safety. When my eyes are closed, this tracking device is off. Only when I open my eyes does it activate. Let me calculate… it's been a few minutes since I opened my eyes. How long do you think it will take for my people to arrive here?"
Qu Yi hadn't expected this woman to actually have a tracking device on her. In fact, he had had people scan her upon arrival, so all electronic devices were isolated. But… a miniature human tracker, he hadn't heard of it, but it sounded very advanced.
"Oh, and one more thing. When I opened my eyes, your appearance was also recorded. For someone as prominent as you, you must hold a significant position in the New City. It won't be difficult to find out who you are. So… do you have the confidence to face the repercussions from the Quan family, and even the entire New City?"
Quan Jiu's gaze was commanding and icy, her chin slightly raised. Her beautiful features added a regal aura, like a queen ruling the world.
At this moment, Qu Yi was completely thrown off balance. Although the Qu family was one of the four major families, each of the sixteen branches and thirty-two minor sects below them wanted to replace the four major families. Those people were like greedy snakes waiting for an opportunity, ready to attack in unison once they spotted a chance.
He had kidnapped the third young lady of the Quan family. For both public and private reasons, the Quan family could use this to control the Qu family and leave them speechless, unless they rebelled. But for one family to shake the rules of the New City was absolutely impossible, as too many interests were involved.
He suddenly felt a sense of frustration. This negotiation, before it even began, felt like he had already lost.