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Chapter 331 The Alluring Assassin

The city center under the cover of night.

Skyscrapers stand tall, neon lights flash, resembling a dazzling galaxy.

Meanwhile, the lights remained on in the top-floor office of an office building.

It seems that some people are still busy working.

A soft, thick wool carpet was laid on the gleaming marble floor.

On the large mahogany desk sat a pure gold ashtray and a statue of Guan Yu with a red face and long beard.

Under the illumination of the crystal chandelier, there is a vulgar yet dazzling sense of ostentation.

On the wall behind the table hangs an elegant calligraphy banner that reads "Great Ambitions".

It subtly reveals the owner's lofty ambitions hidden within the lavish decor.

With his hands tied behind his back with hemp rope, Xiao Sa knelt in the corner of the wall in a sorry state.

His once handsome face was covered in bruises, his eye sockets were swollen, his mouth was cracked, and there was even blood that had not yet dried.

Clearly, after he was brought here, he received a good beating.

In the center of the room, the five thugs guarding him were sitting around the coffee table in front of the sofa, smoking and playing cards loudly.

"Damn it, K! It's blown up!"

"Damn, how come you're winning again? Did you get lucky today?"

"Haha, give it to me!"

A long-haired man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth spread his arms wide and deftly swept all the banknotes on the table in front of him.

It was the same thug who had threatened Xiaosai with a dagger and hit him on the head with a baseball bat.

"Ah Fei, are you fucking cheating?"

The tall, thin man who lost money stood up, looking resentful and cursing.

He walked to the corner, kicked Xiao Sa, and cursed viciously:

"It's all your fault, you unlucky bastard, for passing all your bad luck on to me!"

Xiao Sa let out a muffled groan, arching his body in pain like a boiled shrimp, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

But he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a single beg for mercy.

Seeing this, the others on the sofa not only didn't stop it, but instead burst into laughter:
"Ah Quan, if you can't handle losing, you take it out on others?"

"Exactly, look at you, you're so clumsy, you're putting so much effort into giving Brother Xiaosai a massage."

At this moment, the scarred man spoke up:
"Alright, go easy on them. The boss will be asking questions later. Who's going to take responsibility if you die?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Quan reluctantly withdrew his leg.

Another thug with dyed yellow hair blew a smoke ring and asked somewhat impatiently:

"Scarface, we've been waiting for ages, why hasn't the gang leader arrived yet?"

"Yes, didn't the gang leader tell us to bring the person over?"

Others couldn't help but mutter a few words as well.

"Be patient."

The scarred man explained:

"When I called the boss this afternoon, Secretary Liu said that he was entertaining a very important guest. He'll probably have to accompany him to dinner, drinks, and a sauna tonight."

"Oh--"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately revealed knowing, lewd smiles.

Just then, faint footsteps could be heard outside the heavy office door.

It seems someone is walking this way.

The noise suddenly stopped.

One second ago, they were staggering around, spewing vulgarities.

The next second, as if electrocuted, they all sprang up from the sofa.

Some people frantically stuffed playing cards and banknotes from the coffee table into drawers, while others hurriedly stubbed out their cigarettes in the ashtray.

Everyone quickly tidied themselves up, stood up straight, and looked solemnly towards the door.

Click.

The door lock turned and was pushed open from the outside.

Then, three people walked in.

The leader was a lean, middle-aged man.

He sported a signature mustache, wore a well-tailored gray suit, and sported gold-rimmed glasses.

His attire should have made him appear refined and cultured, but the eyes behind his glasses revealed a sinister and ruthless nature.

This outfit created a jarring and discordant feeling, exuding an untamed, rough-and-tumble air.

Two people followed behind him.

A young man, also wearing glasses and sporting a professional smile, carrying a briefcase, exuded a reserved demeanor, giving off an impression of "refined beast."

The other was a muscular man with a towering build and bulging muscles; just standing there, he exuded a strong sense of oppression.

"Boss!" "Gang Leader!"

The scarred man quickly led his henchmen to bow and greet them respectfully.

"How many times have I told you, call me Chairman!"

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, uttered a rebuke, and walked straight to the large desk that symbolized power.

The visitor was none other than Chen Chen, the leader of the Red Tiger Gang and now the chairman of the Yuanchen Group.

"Yes, Chairman!"

Upon hearing this, everyone changed their tune.

After Chen Chen sat down, he took off his glasses and casually placed them on the table.

He then tugged at his tie and exhaled a long breath.

Just now at the hotel, he almost bent over to the bone in an attempt to curry favor with that "distinguished person" from a top-tier family.

The invisible pressure from the other person's innate, aristocratic air and the way they looked at him like dirt still haunts him to this day.

But there's no other way; for the sake of their future and to climb higher, they have to hold on tightly to this powerful figure.

Chen Chen hardened his heart:
Just wait, when I finally gain real power, it will be your turn, all you arrogant bunch, to grovel before me!

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Chen Chen raised his eyelids and glanced around the office.

"By the way, where's the person I asked you to invite today?"

He only saw a few underlings standing like clubs, and no other outsiders, so he frowned again.

"Boss... oh, no, Chairman."

The scarred man quickly pointed to the corner of the wall and replied, "We've already brought the person over there."

Chen Chen looked in the direction he was pointing.

When he saw Xiao Sa curled up on the ground, covered in injuries, the anger he had just suppressed suddenly surged to his head, and his blood pressure soared.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He suddenly stood up, pointed at the scarred man's nose, and roared:
"I told you to go and invite them over, and this is how you invite them for me?!"

The scarred man and his gang were all stunned.

They looked at each other, their hearts filled with confusion:
Didn't the boss always "invite" people like this before?
Chen Chen seemed to see through their thoughts, and paced back and forth in anger, becoming increasingly hysterical.

"Then was then, and the present is now!"

"I'm the chairman of a large corporation now. I need to be civilized and follow the rules, don't you understand?"

"Hold!"

He grew angrier and angrier, and with a swift kick, he struck Ah Quan, the tallest and most conspicuous man, hard in the stomach.

"What's the point of you being so tall? Did you grow up eating pig swill?! How come you don't have a brain at all?!"

Ah Quan screamed in agony, then bent over and collapsed to the ground.

"Boss, we..."

The scarred man tried to explain.

"Fuck your mother!"

Chen Chen turned around and slapped the scarred man hard across the face with a loud "smack": "You still think I'm your boss? Why can't you ever remember what I tell you? Can't you use your brain to do things?"

"Okay, okay, Chairman..."

The scarred man covered his face and quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake.

The other henchmen also held their breath like quails, too scared to utter a sound.

"A bunch of pig-brains, utter trash!"

Chen Chen then pointed at everyone and began to curse:
"If I wanted to kidnap someone, would I bring him to my office?"

"I would have filled him with cement and thrown him into the sea to feed the fish long ago. You wouldn't even be able to find a hair on his head!"

"Damn it, if I hadn't recently started eating vegetarian food, I would have poured all of you into a cement bucket today!"

He lay casually on the ground, staring blankly at this surreal scene.

At the same time, he was so scared that he didn't dare to breathe, and tried to shrink into the corner of the wall, for fear that the gang leader would take his anger out on him.

"Chairman, please calm down."

At this moment, the young man with glasses stepped forward and gently tried to dissuade him.

After Chen Chen had scolded and berated him, the anger that had been building up inside him finally subsided a bit.

He took a deep breath and turned to look at Xiaosai, who was huddled in the corner, his eyes flickering slightly.

Then, the ferocious look on his face vanished instantly, and he forced out a smile that looked even uglier than a grimace.

"Oh dear, young man, I'm so sorry to have startled you."

He strode over and personally helped the bewildered Xiao Sa up from the ground:
"My men are so incompetent. Come here, let me see where they're hurt. How badly are they injured?"

He grimaced, wincing in pain, but inwardly cursed:

Damn, look at me, is there any part of my body that isn't injured?
He couldn't figure out what was going on, and when Chen Chen asked, he could only honestly answer, vaguely saying:

"The short guy hit me on the head several times with a baseball bat... The tall guy kicked me so hard my stomach hurt and I felt like throwing up."

He pointed with a trembling finger at the two guys who had hit him the hardest when he was being beaten.

"it is good."

After hearing this, Chen Chen turned around abruptly, his face darkening again as he looked at the muscular man:
“Awei, we must give an explanation to the distinguished guests we invited.”

Ah Wei clasped his hands together, his knuckles cracking, and grinned as he walked toward the thugs.

Those rock-like, bulging muscles exuded an explosive, oppressive power.

"Boss! No, no, Chairman, spare my life!"

"We know we were wrong, and we'll definitely think more carefully before we do things in the future..."

The scarred man and his men were so frightened that their legs went weak and they all knelt down.

They had no doubt that if Awei threw that punch, their heads would explode like watermelons.

"Chairman, please calm down."

Secretary Liu once again spoke up at just the right moment to offer advice:
"Give them a chance to make amends. They may be a bit slow, but they are trying their best to do things for you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chen turned his gaze back to Xiao Sa, seemingly wanting to hear his opinion.

Xiao Sa's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly realized that the other party was simply putting on an act for him.

So he quickly waved his hand, enduring the pain, and said:

"Forget it, forget it. My life is worthless, it's not worth the gang leader blaming the brothers for it..."

"Hey, handsome brother, you're being too polite."

Chen Chen immediately took over the conversation, then shouted at the loyal underlings kneeling on the ground:

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and serve Brother Xiaosai to sit down on the sofa."

"If Brother Xiaosai isn't willing to forgive you, I'll throw you all into the sea to feed the fish tonight!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

The scarred man and his men were overjoyed and scrambled over to help him untie the ropes binding his hands.

In particular, Ah Quan and Ah Fei, who were specifically mentioned, were extremely attentive.

"Hey handsome, slow down, be careful not to slip."

"Handsome guy, let me wipe your face..."

Xiao Sa, feeling dizzy and disoriented, was surrounded by the group of thugs who had just been punching and kicking him, and sat down on a soft leather sofa.

Some people even went so far as to tear off their sleeves and carefully wipe the blood off his face, making him look a little more presentable.

"Alright, all of you get out!"

Seeing this, Chen Chen waved his hand impatiently.

After the scarred man and his men left, the office became quiet again.

He then spoke again, gesturing as follows:
"Secretary Liu."

Secretary Liu, who wore glasses, nodded, took out a metal ring that looked like a detector from his briefcase, and pressed the switch.

After a soft "beep" sound.

He carried the equipment and moved around the office with practiced ease.

I carefully swept every corner, from the chandelier to the potted plants.

Only after confirming that it was safe did he nod to Chen Chen.

Chen Chen finally relaxed completely.

He didn't sit back in his executive chair, but instead sat down on the sofa opposite Xiaosai.

Those sinister eyes seemed to hold some hidden meaning as they scrutinized Xiaosa.

Xiao Sa felt uneasy under his gaze, her hands nervously twisting together.

Recalling his neurotic behavior just now, I felt even more uneasy.

After a long silence, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed in Chen Chen's eyes before he slowly spoke:
"Handsome Brother, you and that... 'Mr. Assassin' should still be in contact, right?"

The moment the words "Mr. Killer" left his mouth, Xiao Sa's heart skipped a beat, realizing that it was indeed related to that person.

But he still chose to play dumb immediately, shaking his head in confusion:
"Wh...what Mr. Assassin? I don't know..."

His lips were still swollen and red, and he spoke with a lisp.

This denial therefore sounded rather weak.

"Hey, don't worry."

Chen Chen smiled slightly, his tone incredibly gentle:

"Although you resigned from our company and joined a new company, this is a normal flow of talent in society."

"I won't blame you. After all, people strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. A wise person knows when to yield."

As he spoke, he stood up again and walked towards the large desk.

"In the past, there were indeed some misunderstandings between us."

As Chen Chen spoke, he took out a fine Cuban cigar from the cigar box on the table and cut it himself with a cigar cutter.

Then he handed it to Xiaosai and took out a windproof lighter to light it for him.

"But now, we have a common enemy and a common goal. We can completely turn hostility into friendship, don't you think?"

With a cigar thicker than his finger in his mouth, Xiao Sa was completely dazed.

He nodded, somewhat confused.

I really can't understand why this gang leader, who used to be aloof and ruthless in my eyes, is now showing me all sorts of goodwill. What is he up to?

Chen Chen lit one for himself, took a slow puff, and exhaled a thick white smoke ring.

Seeing Xiao Sa's bewildered expression, he continued:
"To be honest, I really admire this assassin."

"One man with one sword, taking the head of a general amidst thousands of troops as easily as taking something out of a bag—such style and such heroism are truly captivating."

He deliberately used flowery, literary language, as if he were very cultured, but it just seemed out of place.

"It is a great pity that I have never had the opportunity to meet you in person and share a drink with you. It is truly a great regret in my life."

"Right now, I happen to have a business deal that I'd like to discuss with him."

At this point, Chen Chen finally revealed his true intentions.

He chuckled, but his eyes suddenly sharpened as he stared intently at Xiao Sa:

"To be precise, it should be cooperation!"

(End of this chapter)