Chapter 22: Taking a Little Advantage Isn’t Such a Big Deal

"It's fine, you can leave now. I have my own arrangements." Li Shihao instructed, then hung up the phone.

Hua Shao put away his phone with a chuckle and turned to leave. In his view, there was no one in Jinling who dared provoke Li Shihao, let alone have dinner with the woman he was pursuing. That fellow in the long robe was surely in for a bad end; unless something unexpected happened, he’d be severely dealt with tonight.

...

"I just got back from a business trip out of town. As soon as I walked out of the train station, I started feeling dizzy. When I came to, I was already in that abandoned factory. I have no idea what method Zhou Daqiang used," Su Muqing said, frowning slightly.

Qin Xuan knew several ways to make someone dizzy. Zhou Daqiang was a habitual murderer; it was no surprise he had some tricks. What surprised Qin Xuan, though, was Su Muqing’s resourcefulness.

"You even managed to find an opportunity to untie the rope in that situation. You’re really impressive," Qin Xuan said, genuinely admiring her.

When he subdued Zhou Daqiang, Su Muqing had already freed herself from the ropes. This had surprised Qin Xuan at the time. Now, thinking about it, he realized that although Su Muqing was a teacher, her abilities were not to be underestimated.

"Untying the ropes didn't do much good—I was scared to death at the time. The criminal had a gun. I’m not like you, so abnormal that you can dodge bullets."

"Uh, actually, the gun was just too poor in quality, too slow. If it had been any faster, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge it either," Qin Xuan scratched his head. "And that driver, he really had no professional ethics. I paid him two hundred, and he still left me behind and ran off..."

Muqing covered her mouth and laughed, "You can't blame him. I was terrified at the time and gave him five hundred to make him leave as quickly as possible."

"So that's how it was. You’re ruthless," Qin Xuan grumbled, realizing he had ended up being late by two hours.

Su Muqing continued, recounting how she had reported the incident early the next morning. Yang Weiyang’s father, the police chief, quickly brought people to investigate and finally subdued Zhou Daqiang. Only then did Su Muqing realize she had misunderstood Qin Xuan before.

Qin Xuan also understood why Yang Weiyang had kidnapped Dongfang Qingwan and brought her to the abandoned factory. Zhou Daqiang had chosen the place—it was perfect for a kidnapping, the ideal location in every respect.

"Qin Xuan," Su Muqing suddenly called.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what my real identity is?" she asked, her eyes shining with interest.

"Aren’t you a university teacher? My current class advisor," Qin Xuan replied with a smile.

"And besides that?"

Qin Xuan shook his head. "I don't know."

"Do you want to find out?"

"If you’re willing to tell me, I’d be happy to know," Qin Xuan said.

A sly glimmer crossed Su Muqing’s face. "How about we make a deal? I want to know your background, and I'll tell you mine. What do you think?"

"Deal," Qin Xuan agreed readily.

Su Muqing was a bit surprised—she had expected Qin Xuan to keep his secrets, but he agreed so easily.

"I’m from the mountains of Sichuan. I grew up training under my master, and now, following his orders, I’ve come to Jinling for some experience," Qin Xuan said simply.

Su Muqing was stunned. That’s it? She could tell he was telling the truth, but she had already guessed most of this herself. There was nothing more to say.

"No, that’s not enough. I want something more specific," Su Muqing insisted.

"There’s nothing more specific. Is there something else you want to know?" Qin Xuan said, a little helpless.

"What’s your relationship with Dongfang Qingwan?" Su Muqing stared at him.

"She’s the person I’m supposed to protect during my training. I have to look after her for three months," Qin Xuan answered honestly.

"Alright, one more question. Who is your master? What did he teach you? And—how powerful are you, really?"

"That’s more than one question," Qin Xuan laughed. "But I can answer them all. As for my master, you wouldn’t know him even if I told you, so there’s no need. The things he taught me wouldn’t make sense to you, so again, no need. As for how powerful I am, I don’t know how to describe it, so..."

"In the end, you didn’t answer any of them. That’s not fair—we’re making a deal here, and you’re making things difficult for your teacher," Su Muqing tapped the table, smiling brightly at him.

"There’s nothing I can do, that’s all I can say. Now it’s your turn," Qin Xuan replied.

"Alright, since you weren’t very forthcoming, neither will I be. Other than being a teacher at Jinling University, I also belong to one of Jinling’s prominent business families. Teaching is just my side job," Su Muqing said, leaving her actual family background vague.

But for Qin Xuan, that made little difference.

"A business family? I could have guessed as much. If you’re from a business family... do you know Zhao Long?" Qin Xuan asked with a smile. There were several families in Jinling, but only a few major business clans. For example, the Dongfang family was only famous for traditional medicine, not a true business clan. In terms of power, the largest business families in Jinling were far superior.

"You know Zhao Long?" Su Muqing was astonished.

Qin Xuan nodded. "That’s right. If I ask him, I could probably learn quite a lot about you..."

"You win, you’ve taken advantage of me," Su Muqing said with a resigned smile, then winked playfully, "But since you’re my savior, I don’t mind letting you take a little advantage."

Qin Xuan sighed, "In that case, there’s something I’d like your help with—if it’s convenient."

"Go ahead. If I can do it, I’ll help," Su Muqing promised.

"Well... could you make Zhou Xiaoyu our class monitor first?" Qin Xuan asked on behalf of his future protégé, feeling no embarrassment. He wasn’t foolish—Su Muqing was always close to him, and Li Shihao was surely displeased. There would likely be trouble soon.

He didn’t mind, but what if Dongfang Qingwan got involved?

So, to avoid complications, Qin Xuan wanted to limit his interactions with Su Muqing, despite her being a stunning beauty. If she helped solve this issue, he’d gain a little brother and they’d be even, and she wouldn’t bring up the matter of him saving her life anymore.

"No problem," Su Muqing agreed readily, without hesitation.

"Are you sure it’s okay?" Qin Xuan asked.

"Of course. I’m your class advisor, I can handle it. For example, Zhou Xiaoyu can be monitor for a month, then we’ll vote again... What do you think?"

"Good, let’s do that. Thanks—now we’re even," Qin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is just a small matter. You saved my life, that’s no trivial thing. I still owe you a proper thank you. Come, eat more," Su Muqing said with a radiant smile.

Qin Xuan felt like crying. Was she playing with him?

Just then, a corpulent figure moved beside them, blocking the light.

Qin Xuan saw it was a fat, balding man, probably in his forties or fifties. Around his neck hung a thick gold chain, and on his fingers were two large gold rings. His eyes were fixed on Su Muqing, sizing her up.

"Miss, may I ask your name?" the fat man asked Su Muqing lecherously, completely ignoring Qin Xuan.

"Who are you? I don’t believe I know you," Su Muqing replied coolly. For people like this, she never bothered to smile—speaking to him at all was already polite enough.

"We didn’t know each other before, but now we do, don’t we? My surname is Lei, I’m the chairman of Jinde Real Estate. May I have the honor of inviting you to dinner?" the fat man said, his greedy eyes never leaving Su Muqing, making anyone who saw it uncomfortable.

Qin Xuan narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected to encounter such a nouveau riche here, much less one who was interested in Su Muqing—he had definitely picked the wrong target.