I bought a secret manual of the Hehuan Sect for ten yuan.

"Mr. Xia, Mr. Huo prepared some gifts and asked me to bring them to you!"

Jiang Yunzheng smiled and clapped her hands.

A moment later, the door to the private room opened, and several women, also dressed in cheongsams, filed in carrying trays.

Jiang Yunzheng stood up, her lotus-like steps light and graceful, the slit in her cheongsam revealing her long, fair legs.

She peeled back the bright yellow brocade covering the tray piece by piece, revealing the translucent, icy jadeite cabbage leaves with clearly visible veins.

The blue and white lotus scroll vase has a rich glaze, intricate and exquisite lotus scroll patterns, and a fine and dense porcelain body.

This Hetian mutton fat jade pebble ornament is carved with a scene of a boy asking questions under a pine tree. The jade is warm and smooth like solidified fat, and the carving is exquisite, with the figures depicted in lifelike expressions...

Each one is a priceless treasure!

"Stop being mysterious and just say what you want. What exactly does Huo Qianjue want?" Xia Siyuan glanced at them and then looked away, showing no interest in the treasures whatsoever.

"I already knew about your schemes against Hu Qingshan and Han Qianyun. Do you think I would dare accept anything from Huo Qianjue?"

Tang Yirou's eyes widened in amazement. These items would be the prized possessions of the Linlang Pavilion!

Qin Ge was also drawn to it, but his eyes were only on that blue and white lotus vase; he showed no interest in anything else.

"Mr. Xia, this is just a small token of Mr. Huo's appreciation. He simply wants to express his sincerity. There's no need to take it to heart."

Jiang Yunzheng explained in detail, "It's true that we schemed against Han Qianyun and Hu Qingshan, but Mr. Xia, you might want to think about it from a different perspective."

"If we succeed, wouldn't that be a good thing for the Xia family as well?"

"If Mr. Xia were willing to join forces with Mr. Huo, the entire East China Sea would eventually be your territory, wouldn't that be much better than the current situation?"

"Stop with your little schemes!" Xia Siyuan said with disgust. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

"If you team up with Huo Qianjue, you'll be devoured by him sooner or later, leaving not even bones behind. Do you think his reputation is so great?"

"He sent you here, went to all that trouble to arrange a meeting with me, just to say this?"

"Naive! Do you think this petty trick of sowing discord can fool me?"

Qin Ge, standing to the side, asked in surprise, "Mr. Xia, was it this woman who plotted against Han Qianyun and Hu Qingshan?"

"Is Butler Ding one of their men?"

"You're Qin Ge?!" Jiang Yunzheng, who had always been calm and charming, was slightly moved. "You're truly a promising young man. No wonder Mr. Xia brought you here."

"Mr. Ding speaks very highly of you!"

As she spoke, she regained her seductive manner, staring intently at Qin Ge with a lingering gaze.

Qin Ge got goosebumps. "Old woman! Don't try to seduce me, my girlfriend is right here!"

Jiang Yunzheng's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed, her smile widening. She lightly stroked her hair, her fingertips tracing her jawline. "Am I old?"

She looked at Tang Yirou defiantly, "Then I'll wait until she's not around before I talk to you!"

Tang Yirou's mouth was slightly open, both embarrassed and bewildered. The misunderstanding had already occurred when she was facing Meng Haochen downstairs, and there was no opportunity or need to explain.

But now Qin Ge is saying this himself, what the hell?

She glanced at Qin Ge, unsure of his intentions, only knowing that her heart was pounding.

"Mr. Xia," Jiang Yunzheng suddenly turned to Xia Siyuan, her smile fading slightly, "Aren't you really willing to consider cooperating with our Mr. Huo?"

"We've taken action against the Han family and Hu Qingshan, and we've even considered taking action against the Shen family, but Mr. Huo has never thought of targeting you, Mr. Xia."

"It's clear that Mr. Huo admires and respects you. If you can join forces, eliminating obstacles and dominating the East China Sea may not be impossible!"

"Don't waste your time!" Xia Siyuan stood up. "If I had such ambition, I could have achieved it back then. Why would I bother cooperating with a scoundrel like Huo Qianjue?"

"Take the gift back. Tell Huo Qianjue that if he stirs up trouble again, even if he's overseas, we have ways to eliminate him completely!"

"Brother Qin, let's go!"

"Wait a minute!" Qin Ge stood up as well, pointing at the maids. "Mr. Xia, are you sure you don't want these things?"

"Why don't you give it to me?"

Everyone was stunned. This kid has such a thick skin!

You're shameless enough, but you even dragged Xia Siyuan down with you.

Xia Siyuan refused so firmly just now, but now he's accepting the gift. What's going on? Isn't this a slap in the face?

Qin Ge didn't care about any of that. He took a few steps forward and reached out to grab the blue and white lotus vase.

Jiang Yunzheng's smile and coquettish demeanor vanished without a trace, replaced by a sharp and sinister look. She secretly gestured to the maids.

Qin Ge sensed something, his expression hardened, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

At the same time, a cold glint flashed before her eyes, and the maid holding the blue and white lotus vase suddenly had a gleaming dagger in her hand.

If Qin Ge had been even a fraction slower, his hand might have been severed!

The other maids also drew their daggers, and Jiang Yunzheng pointed her pistol at Xia Siyuan. "Mr. Xia, are you really not going to reconsider?"

"Mr. Huo really wants to cooperate with you!"

"He repeatedly warned me that if I couldn't become an ally, I would be an obstacle to his cause and must be eliminated as soon as possible!"

"boom--"

Before she could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out.

Qin Ge reacted quickly, having been watching Jiang Yunzheng's movements the moment she pulled out her gun. Seeing that she was about to pull the trigger, he immediately grabbed Xia Siyuan by the back of her collar and pulled her back.

Bullets whizzed past him, but Xia Siyuan remained calm, his eyes as still as a deep well.

At the same time the gunshot rang out, all the maids attacked simultaneously.

"You wicked creature! Stop being so arrogant!" Butler Li had been concentrating and gathering his strength, but he still couldn't react when Jiang Yunzheng fired the gun, which really frightened him.

Fortunately, Qin Ge intervened in time to save Xia Siyuan!

Butler Li swept a high kick, knocking the tableware off the table towards Jiang Yunzheng, preventing her from firing a second shot. She then became entangled in a fight with the maid who rushed over.

Qin Ge pulled Xia Siyuan back, grabbed a chopstick, and then protected Tang Yirou as they retreated until they were close to the wall behind them, where he shielded them both.

Good heavens, it really was a trap! Xia Siyuan is really bold!

There was just one thing he didn't understand: the cheongsams the women wore were so tight that they outlined almost every detail of their figures. Where did they get their tools from?

Upon hearing the gunshots, the bodyguards guarding the door immediately rushed in. Most of them quickly and skillfully pulled out batons and joined the fray, while a few quickly located Xia Siyuan's position and formed a human wall to protect him and Qin Ge.

"Bang bang—"

Jiang Yunzheng dodged the cups and plates swept by Butler Li and fired two shots.

Her hair was a little messy, and her cheongsam was stained with soup, which made her look even more sexy and charming.