“Who are these people?” Zhou Hao quickly asked.

The doorman glanced at the Dragon King beside him, remaining silent.

Zhou Hao immediately understood—they were the Dragon King’s men.

It made sense. In Jiangzhou, who else could summon so many people at once besides the Dragon King?

Zhou Hao’s gaze fell on the Dragon King’s face, and he asked in a deep voice, “Dragon King, what do you mean by this?”

The Dragon King laughed heartily, “What can I say? I have a lot of people.”

“Are you trying to bully us with numbers?” Zhou Hao’s face darkened.

“Weren’t you just trying to do the same?” the Dragon King retorted. “Why is it okay for you to do it but not for me?”

“No, no, no, Dragon King, you’ve misunderstood. I just don’t want President Lin to leave. You’ve seen what happened tonight. Young Master Xiao is severely injured, his servant was killed. If the Champion Marquis holds us accountable, I, as the host of this banquet, won’t escape blame. So, I can’t let the perpetrator leave,” Zhou Hao explained.

“You’re so considerate of the Xiao family. Tell me, are you their dog?” The Dragon King’s face suddenly darkened, and he shouted, “If you’re the Xiao family’s dog, helping them catch the culprit, I can understand. But if you’re not, then don’t stop President Lin from leaving.”

As a major figure, his anger was not something ordinary people could withstand. Zhou Hao’s face turned pale immediately.

“Dragon King…”

“No need to explain further. I’m taking President Lin away now. If you dare to stop me, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Zhou Hao was stunned. He didn’t expect the Dragon King to protect Lin Jingzhi so fiercely.

“Dragon King, you must think this through. Lin Jingzhi is the murderer. If you protect her, and the Champion Marquis holds you accountable…”

Slap!

Before Zhou Hao could finish his sentence, the Dragon King slapped him across the face, cursing, “Are you teaching me how to do things?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Zhou Hao swallowed his anger.

“Hmph!” The Dragon King snorted coldly and said to Zhao Yun, “Let’s go!”

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Dragon King led Lin Jingzhi, Ye Qiu, and the others out of the banquet hall.

Zhou Hao’s face was grim as he clenched his fists tightly, cursing in his heart, “Old man, one day I’ll kill you.”

Li Qiancheng walked over, looking at the slap mark on Zhou Hao’s face with concern, “Brother Haoran, does it hurt? Let me rub it for you…”

As he spoke, he cupped Zhou Hao’s face with both hands and gently stroked it.

Zhou Hao wanted to refuse, but suddenly he felt the warmth in Li Qiancheng’s hands, just like the feeling when his mother stroked his face when he was a child. He was momentarily stunned, and even his gaze towards Li Qiancheng softened.

As Li Qiancheng stroked Zhou Hao’s face, he looked into Zhou Hao’s eyes. The two of them locked gazes, falling into a strange and wonderful state.

It was beautiful!

“Young Master Zhou, Young Master Li, what should we do now?” The hotel manager’s voice suddenly rang in their ears, waking them up.

Then, Zhou Hao and Li Qiancheng simultaneously glared at the hotel manager, their expressions displeased.

Did I say something wrong?

The hotel manager looked puzzled.

“What is it?” Zhou Hao asked coldly.

The hotel manager said, “Young Master Zhou, look at the scene. What should we do?”

Zhou Hao glanced around. The guests were all talking among themselves, and the place was in chaos.

As for Xiao Qingdi and Feng Youling, they were still unconscious on the ground. Qian Yanru was wailing, and the woman forced to drink white wine by Lin Jingzhi was also lying unconscious.

Zhou Hao immediately instructed the hotel manager, “Send all the injured people to the hospital right away.”

“Find the best specialists for Young Master Xiao. His legs must be saved. Also, get the best specialists for Miss Qian.”

“Seal off the information. No one is allowed to reveal anything that happened here tonight, or they will be severely punished.”

Li Qiancheng stood beside him, looking at Zhou Hao with admiration, his eyes sparkling like those of a little fangirl.

…

At the entrance of the Crystal Palace.

Ye Qiu was shocked.

Looking up, he saw a dense crowd, at least a few thousand people, blocking several nearby streets.

The moment these people saw the Dragon King, they all fell silent, and the scene became eerily quiet.

“Sorry to trouble you, brothers. The matter is resolved. Everyone can go home now!” the Dragon King waved his hand.

Immediately, the thousands of people dispersed in an orderly manner. In less than five minutes, the street returned to normal.

Ye Qiu was filled with admiration. As expected of a major figure, his influence was incredible!

“Little Ye, President Lin, I won’t see you off. I’ll head back now,” the Dragon King said with a smile.

Ye Qiu nodded and said, “I’ll visit you later.”

“Alright.”

Lin Jingzhi smiled and said, “Thank you, Dragon King.”

“No need to be polite.” The Dragon King cupped his hands and quickly left with Zhao Yun.

Lin Jingzhi pointed at Bai Bing and asked Ye Qiu, “Are you coming with me or with her?”

Ye Qiu saw that Lin Jingzhi seemed to have something to say to him, so he said, “I’ll go with Sister Lin.”

Lin Jingzhi’s face showed a victorious smile. She said to Bai Bing, “As long as I’m here, you’ll always be the second wife.”

Bai Bing’s face turned ashen.

…

In the car.

Lin Jingzhi asked Ye Qiu, “Do you think I’m too ruthless?”

“No,” Ye Qiu shook his head vigorously.

Lin Jingzhi’s eyes widened, “Tell the truth.”

“Maybe a little ruthless.”

Honestly, if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Ye Qiu wouldn’t have believed that Lin Jingzhi could be so ruthless.

“You probably think I’m like one of those femme fatales, right? Do you know why I did it?”

Ye Qiu shook his head.

“It’s actually very simple. Since we’ve already offended them, why not offend them thoroughly? Even if you show mercy, they won’t appreciate it.”

Lin Jingzhi continued, “I didn’t kill Xiao Qingdi, not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t dare and couldn’t.”

“If Xiao Qingdi dies, Xiao Jiu will definitely pursue it to the end. By then, we’ll all be doomed.”

“But if I only cripple Xiao Qingdi’s legs, Xiao Jiu won’t come seeking revenge for now. After all, as the powerful Champion Marquis, he knows very well what kind of person his brother is. If he comes seeking revenge, it will only make him look petty. People will say he bullies the weak, and the renowned Champion Marquis will become a laughingstock.”

“So, I could only kill Xiao Qingdi’s servant to vent my anger.”

“As for that foolish woman Qian Yanru, I didn’t want to kill her because she’s the only one left in the third generation of the Qian family. If I kill her, the Qian family will have no descendants.”

“Ye Qiu, your performance tonight disappointed me a bit. Your methods are not ruthless enough, which can easily lead to suffering.”

“Sister Lin, I’m sorry, I…”

“You don’t need to apologize. I understand. You’re still young and haven’t experienced much. You need to grow.”

“But I hope you remember one thing: never show mercy to your enemies.”

“This doesn’t mean you have to kill all your enemies.”

“The most powerful tactic is to become a sword hanging over your enemies’ heads, making them fear you, always afraid that the sword will fall. When you can do that, you’ll be qualified to challenge the Champion Marquis.”

Ye Qiu knew that Lin Jingzhi was teaching him how to deal with enemies. He pondered her words carefully, and after five minutes, he finally understood her meaning.

At the same time, he admired Lin Jingzhi even more. This woman was not only beautiful but also incredibly intelligent.

Seeing Ye Qiu lift his head, Lin Jingzhi knew he had understood her words. She said, “Let me ask you a serious question.”

“Sister Lin, go ahead.”

“Are you still a virgin?”