Chapter 95: I’m Your Neighbor, My Name is Jiang
At 8 PM, at the Zhou family mansion.
Xiao Fan, still groggy from his unconscious state, gradually came to his senses. Shaking his head to clear the fog, he struggled to get up from the ground.
“Look, the useless son-in-law is awake,” a woman nearby sneered disdainfully as she saw Xiao Fan stirring.
“Your wife ran off with someone else. You might as well be dead, you useless son-in-law.”
Xiao Fan’s mind raced as he recalled the last thing he saw before passing out – Jiang Che leading Zhou Lingxi out of the Zhou family’s door. A bad premonition surged through him, and he quickly took out his phone to call Zhou Lingxi.
At the Emperor International Hotel, Zhou Lingxi frowned at the caller ID on her phone. Just as she was about to decline the call, Jiang Che stopped her.
With a blush, Zhou Lingxi hesitated upon hearing Jiang Che’s words. Although she despised Xiao Fan, he was still her husband in name. Reluctantly, she answered the call.
Xiao Fan, noticing the call had gone through, quickly asked, “Wife, where are you? That scoundrel Jiang Che didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“Are you coming home now?” Xiao Fan asked, somewhat puzzled.
“Not yet… I’m negotiating a business deal worth billions. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”
With that, Zhou Lingxi ended the call abruptly, fearing she might give herself away if she continued. Xiao Fan, looking at his phone that had been hung up on, felt something was amiss but chose not to question it further.
He decided to head back to their home in Tianxiang Garden to wait for Zhou Lingxi and discuss things face to face.
The next day, around noon, Zhou Lingxi returned to Tianxiang Garden looking haggard with dark circles under her eyes, clearly having not slept well.
“Wife, you’re back!” Xiao Fan greeted her excitedly as he rose from his ‘dog kennel’. “Where were you last night?” He asked, looking at her curiously.
“I told you, I was negotiating a business deal,” Zhou Lingxi said with impatience, heading straight to the living room without giving Xiao Fan another glance.
She was exhausted and needed to catch up on sleep after spending the previous night gaming intensely with Jiang Che.
Observing Zhou Lingxi’s weary appearance and odd walk, Xiao Fan realized what must have happened, despite his naivety. He felt a surge of anger, not towards Zhou Lingxi, whom he considered a goddess, but towards Jiang Che, who had dared to cross the line with her.
“Jiang Che, I swear I’ll kill you!” His anger boiling, Xiao Fan felt a murderous rage enveloping him, believing Zhou Lingxi had been coerced by Jiang Che.
At the Emperor International Hotel, in the presidential suite, Jiang Che lay leisurely on the bed, casually smoking a cigarette, a content expression on his face.
“Smooth… so smooth,” he murmured, relishing the memory of his recent encounter with Zhou Lingxi, who had shown an unexpected talent for gaming.
It was only by drawing on his two decades of dedicated practice of the Fummo Sword Technique that he had managed to triumph over her.
“Ding! Xiao Fan has lost all hope and harbors a deadly grudge against the host. Reward: 2000 villain points.”
“Ding! Xiao Fan’s fortune -3000, reward: 6000 villain points.”
“Want to kill me?” Jiang Che scoffed at the system’s notification, feeling disdain for Xiao Fan’s futile anger. “Alice should be arriving soon…” He closed his eyes, pondering the upcoming plot.
“Time to send Xiao Fan off,” he thought, his cold laughter filling the room. Xiao Fan’s dwindling fortune meant he was no longer of any value to Jiang Che.
Deciding his next move, Jiang Che got out of bed, planning to deal with Xiao Fan’s subordinate, Yang Gaofei. In the original story, Yang Gaofei eventually betrays Xiao Fan due to constant humiliation. Jiang Che figured he could expedite this process.
“Have our brothers arrived?” Xiao Fan asked Yang Gaofei in a hotel room, his face alternating between shades of light and dark, making it hard to discern his thoughts.
“Our brothers encountered some mishaps on their way to Jiuzhou Country, so it might take a while before they can arrive,” Yang Gaofei replied cautiously, knowing Xiao Fan would likely become angry again.
“What kind of mishaps?” Xiao Fan frowned, clearly displeased. “Damn it, what’s going on recently? Why is nothing going right?” he grumbled.
“Our brothers were all killed by the Vice Lord’s people in a maritime area outside Jiuzhou Country…”
“What!” Xiao Fan stood up abruptly, looking at Yang Gaofei in disbelief. “They’re all dead?”
“Yes.” Yang Gaofei nodded woodenly, conveying the stark reality.
“Also, Elder Leng sent a message. The vice hall master is expected to arrive in Jiuzhou Country tonight. Elder Leng advised you to be cautious, as the her cultivation has significantly improved since her last emergence.”
“Good! Good Alice! You forced my hand. This time, I’ll make sure you never return!” Xiao Fan was utterly enraged. “How many of our brothers do we have in the capital?”
“A few dozen, spread across various industries,” Yang Gaofei thought for a moment before responding. Most of their people were at Shura Hall, their base of operations.
“Notify our brothers to gather at the eastern outskirts forest at ten tonight.”
“Yes,” Yang Gaofei complied respectfully and went off to relay the instructions. He knew Xiao Fan was truly furious, and a bloody battle was inevitable tonight.
Just as Yang Gaofei stepped out of the room, he was suddenly pulled into the room next door.
“What do you want?” Yang Gaofei asked warily, recognizing Jiang Che, the young man who had cuckolded their hall master.
“I want to make a deal with you. Don’t be nervous, have a seat,” Jiang Che said, patting Yang Gaofei’s shoulder and motioning him to sit opposite.
“What kind of deal do you want to make, Mr. Jiang?” Yang Gaofei asked, full of suspicion.
“Help me get rid of Xiao Fan, and when Alice takes over, you’ll be the vice hall master of the Shura Hall,” Jiang Che offered, painting a tempting picture for Yang Gaofei.
“You must be joking, Mr. Jiang. I won’t betray our Lord,” Yang Gaofei retorted coldly, standing up to leave.
“Do you think you can leave?” Jiang Che chuckled coldly. As he spoke, Yang Gaofei’s face suddenly contorted in pain, feeling as if countless ants were gnawing inside his chest.
He broke out in a cold sweat and wanted to scream, but Jiang Che quickly sealed his mute acupoint. Yang Gaofei could only whimper in agony, his forehead beaded with sweat, his expression etched with excruciating pain.