C12 Bi Wenfeng Set the Trap

At the crack of dawn, Jin Biao, the chairman of Golden Cauldron Group, was seething with fury, having turned his office upside down in a fit of rage.

The company's executives lined up, silent and still as if frozen, not daring to even draw a breath.

"What's the point of employing you all if you can't handle a thing? The casino gets raided and you don't know who's behind it? You think it's funny to start my day with this kind of joke? What, are you sleepwalking?"

"Boss, those guys were armed to the teeth. We really..."

"Really what? They have weapons and you don't? A whole night's gone by without a single lead. We don't even know who we're dealing with. I might as well have a guard dog instead of you lot!"

Jin Biao, full of pent-up anger, grabbed an ashtray, ready to send a few of his men to the hospital for a serious rethink, when suddenly, his phone rang.

It was the old man.

"Out, all of you!" Jin Biao barked, shooing everyone away before composing himself to answer the call. "Dad."

"Forget the casino. These days, there's only one unsanctioned armed group to worry about: You Ming."

"You Ming?" Jin Biao froze, a mix of shock and confusion in his eyes. "What's that? You Ming?"

"Listen carefully, I'll only say this once."

"Go ahead, Dad. I'm listening."

"You Ming is a global assassination force, discreetly eliminating obstacles and solving problems for secret agencies worldwide. Classified SSS for secrecy, SSS for special operations, with a license to kill first and report later. Wherever they go, no one survives. Remember the Charles family massacre four years ago? You Ming was behind it."

"Wh... What?" Jin Biao was dumbfounded, struggling to grasp the revelation.

A sigh from the old man came through the phone.

"Just let it go. You Ming's reach is too vast and complex for us to comprehend. It's just a casino. Let it be."

The call ended, leaving Jin Biao standing there, stunned, for a long while, unable to snap out of it.

Meanwhile, Old Man Jin was engaged in a game of chess with Old Master Huang.

"The Netherworld has become that one person's domain. Can it truly still be called the Netherworld?" Old Man Jin queried as he placed his chess piece down.

Old Master Huang stroked his beard, shaking his head, "Is it or isn't it? Why not try and see for ourselves?"

Old Man Jin nodded, his smile conveying agreement. "True, I'm not one to take the risk, but someone out there is bold enough. I'd wager they're already on their way here."

...

Ye Fann left the hotel, dropping Huang Xinying off at her company before heading home, only to find that his key no longer worked in the lock.

Knocking brought forth Wang Ying's furious voice from within: "Scram! You and my Xinying are divorced, what business do you have here? Show some dignity, man, and get lost!"

Frowning, Ye Fann inspected the door and realized the lock had been changed.

"Mom, can I at least come in first?" he asked.

Silence was his only answer.

With a wry smile, Ye Fann waited at the door until noon, but it remained firmly closed.

Wang Ying was resolute in driving him out, likely with Huang Yong pulling the strings.

Without him around, Huang Yong would have free rein over the house, and selling his sister to pay off debts wouldn't pose any issue whatsoever.

To think such a brother existed. Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Ye Fann decided to look for something to eat instead.

In the diner, no sooner had Ye Fann settled into his seat than a woman, Yang Min, materialized before him.

At the entrance, Yang Min's entourage of bodyguards managed to intimidate all the other patrons into leaving.

Ye Fann raised an eyebrow and looked up at Yang Min. "Are you inviting me to eat, or expecting me to invite you?"

With a piercing gaze, Yang Min signaled her bodyguards, who promptly ordered the owner to prepare one of everything on the menu.

The owner, spurred by fear, served up the dishes with astonishing speed. Ye Fann, unfazed, began to eat voraciously.

Across from him, Yang Min watched, while the owner stood dumbfounded in the kitchen and bodyguards kept watch at the door.

Ye Fann enjoyed a particularly serene lunch that day.

Once he was well-fed and quenched, he turned to Yang Min. "Out with it. Your staring's making me uneasy."

Yang Min leaned in, her voice a hushed whisper. "Word is, you've got the ancient Cold Royal Seal."

Ye Fann's pulse quickened, his brow furrowed. "That's a national treasure. What are you after?"

"A treasure, even with a virus? You haven't fully purged the virus from your system, have you? Is that why you sought out Huang Xinying, with her unique constitution, to help you expel the chill with her body heat every night?"

Ye Fann's gaze on Yang Min shifted, now laced with a new understanding.

She had uncovered so much about him in such a short span. This woman was no ordinary person.

A true descendant of the Nine-headed Sky Wolf.

"Interested in a trade?" Yang Min cut to the chase.

"No deal," Ye Fann dismissed outright.

Yang Min's brows knitted together. "You're refusing without even hearing my offer?"

"I said no deal, and I mean it. End of discussion." With that, Ye Fann stood and strode out the door.

The bodyguard made no move to intercept; he had seen Ye Fann's capabilities firsthand just the day before.

Yang Min's frown deepened as she inhaled sharply. He thought he could just walk away? She wasn't one to give up so easily.

"Move out!" she commanded, and her entourage quickly followed suit.

Shortly after, Bi Wenfeng arrived. He made a beeline for the restaurant owner and slapped down a fresh stack of hundred-yuan bills. "Talk. What did those folks discuss here earlier?"

The owner, visibly conflicted, struggled to remember under the allure of cash. With reluctance, he spoke, "I... I overheard the woman ask the man about doing something, and... he flatly refused."

"She pressed, asking why not. He simply replied, 'No means no. We can talk about it some other time.'"

Clearly, the boss had only caught snippets of the conversation, leading his thoughts down the wrong path. His understanding was lacking, and he let his imagination fill in the blanks.

Bi Wenfeng's face turned an ashen shade of green upon hearing the news. To do or not to do? Yang Min, I swear I'll be your mother!

Ye Fann, you better wait, just wait!

In the afternoon, Bi Wenfeng, on behalf of the Golden Cauldron Group, visited Huang Xinying's company for business talks. By the time the negotiations wrapped up, night had fallen. The company hosted a banquet in Bi Wenfeng's honor, and he specifically requested Huang Xinying's presence.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

Huang Xinying wasn't originally involved in the negotiations, but Bi Wenfeng insisted repeatedly, claiming he had long admired her. The company had no choice but to reluctantly coerce Huang Xinying into joining the dinner.

Sensing something was amiss, Huang Xinying immediately sent a WeChat message to Ye Fann, detailing the situation.

Ye Fann, still unable to make it home and with nowhere else to turn, received the message and promptly headed for the hotel.

However, Bi Wenfeng unexpectedly changed the venue, and it was at this moment Huang Xinying realized her phone was missing.

The dinner proceeded at a different hotel, where, as if by unspoken agreement, everyone seemed intent on getting Huang Xinying drunk.

Before long, Huang Xinying, who was a lightweight when it came to drinking, was visibly intoxicated, her face flushed and her ability to stand nearly gone.

As the company's employees excused themselves one by one, and Bi Wenfeng's associates also departed, the two of them were left alone.

With no one to intervene, Bi Wenfeng effortlessly escorted Huang Xinying into a hotel room...