Chapter 395 - 416: Ambush
The crystal chandelier shed a soft radiance, bathing the private room in a brilliant but not blinding light.
A pleasant, high-end fragrance floated in the air, and the interior decor was so exquisite and magnificent it could rival the Upper City District.
Yuan Liang looked at Jiang Qingli, asking for her preferences.
Jiang Qingli wasn’t a picky eater, so she said anything was fine.
Yuan Liang was paying for this gathering out of his own pocket, and he didn’t hold back, ordering the finest wine.
But he also had a bit of a selfish motive.
He arranged for Qin Muye to sit next to Jiang Qingli, while conveniently moving Que Feiling to the seat furthest away.
Back when Yuan Liang worked under Shen Chi, he had looked after Qin Muye as if he were a young master. Now that Shen Chi had passed away, his only wish aside from his work was for Qin Muye to live well and be happy.
Anyone with eyes could see how infatuated Qin Muye was with Jiang Qingli.
And Jiang Qingli already had many Beast Husbands. It was one thing for Xie Youchen to have snuck his way into the position, but Que Feiling was also watching her like a hawk...
Although Yuan Liang also thought Que Feiling was a good kid, he couldn’t help but be a little biased and help Qin Muye out this time.
...
Jiang Qingli had Qin Muye sitting on her right and Lü Xin on her left. Qin Yu was several seats away from her.
They had all worked together for a while, and most of them were young people of a similar age, so they got along very well.
Qin Muye’s teammates also took this opportunity to toast Jiang Qingli with a few glasses of wine.
The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Even Qin Yu, who Jiang Qingli initially thought might try something, blended in perfectly.
After a few rounds of drinks, Qin Yu excused herself and went to the private room’s restroom.
But a moment later, she came out with a dark expression and said to a waiter, "The faucet is broken. Please have someone take care of it."
The waiter didn’t dare to delay and quickly called the manager over.
After a while, the manager returned from his inspection, bowing repeatedly in apology. "My sincerest apologies. This is our oversight. We will cover all of your expenses for today. If you need to use the restroom, please use the public one. Alternatively, we can move you to another private room after your meal."
As he spoke, he went around and poured a glass of wine for each guest as an apology.
"Let’s just switch after we’re done eating." Yuan Liang was easygoing and waved his hand to show it wasn’t a big deal.
The others had no objections either.
Qin Yu opened the door and left for the public restroom.
She returned twenty minutes later, still wearing a dissatisfied expression.
Just then, Lü Xin gently tugged on Jiang Qingli’s sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Qingli, I kind of need to go to the restroom... Can you come with me?"
The moment she finished speaking, Lü Xin met Qin Muye’s gaze.
It was full of vigilance.
He was clearly keeping a close watch on everything happening around Jiang Qingli.
Under the table, Jiang Qingli squeezed Qin Muye’s hand and gave it a little shake before taking a sip of her wine. "Okay, let’s go."
Qin Muye started to follow, but she shot him a look, so he reluctantly stayed put.
The public restroom was at the end of the hallway.
The lavish corridor branched out in all directions, brightly lit. A suit of exquisite, life-sized knight’s armor stood by the restroom entrance, its presence imposing.
Lü Xin stared at it for a few extra seconds. "I saw a similar antique at Vice Director Mo’s house last time. This replica is very well made."
Jiang Qingli smiled. "It is quite beautiful."
’But it probably isn’t a replica. It might be the real thing.’
When they reached the restroom entrance, Jiang Qingli stopped. "I’ll wait for you out here."
After Lü Xin went inside, Jiang Qingli dropped her calm facade. She paced around, scanning her surroundings, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
’Strange.’
’That waiter who poured my wine clearly told me that Ye Linyuan was waiting for me outside.’
’So where is he?’
’Could this be a trap?’
But Jiang Qingli paced by the entrance for nearly two minutes and saw no one who looked like they were about to attack her.
She was just about to send Ye Linyuan a message on her terminal when she suddenly heard footsteps from a nearby corridor.
But the footsteps were chaotic and stumbling. They sounded unusual, not like Ye Linyuan’s.
’That guy always puts on such an elegant, pretentious act whenever he walks.’
Jiang Qingli pulled the sword from the hands of the nearby suit of armor.
SHING! The sharp blade left its scabbard, reflecting a piercing glare under the lights.
Jiang Qingli held the sword steady, cautiously pressing herself against the wall as she moved to the edge of the corridor and peered inside.
The lighting was bright.
So Jiang Qingli could clearly see the source of the sound—
a tall male was hunched over, leaning against the wall. His skin had an unnatural, grayish pallor. He kept his head down and staggered forward, but the beast ears on his head were pricked high in an aggressive posture.
As if hearing a noise, the male abruptly raised his head and looked in Jiang Qingli’s direction.
The instant their eyes met, the male’s blood-red pupils contracted into razor-thin slits.
He let out a guttural roar, his fingers curling like claws as he lunged madly toward Jiang Qingli!
This crazed male Beastman had to be a high-level one. His speed was incredible, and he was upon her in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Qingli sidestepped, nimbly dodging the attack.
At the same time, she thrust the sword in her hand toward him.
The sharp blade sliced a bloody gash into the male Beastman’s arm.
But it was as if he couldn’t feel pain. Without even glancing at his wound, he continued to charge at Jiang Qingli like a madman.
Jiang Qingli didn’t want to seriously harm the crazed Beastman.
But he was attacking relentlessly, and several of his moves were lethal. It was like an indiscriminate assault. If this continued, she would be the one whose life was in danger.
Jiang Qingli took a deep breath. As he lunged again, she raised her sword and aimed for his chest—
A sickening squelch.
As the sound rang out, Jiang Qingli’s vision suddenly went dark.
Someone was covering her eyes.
Then, a tall shadow enveloped her from behind, and a familiar scent surrounded her.
A young man’s deep voice sounded by her ear. "Don’t move."
Jiang Qingli froze. Her fingers, still tense, trembled slightly, and her voice shook as well. "Ye Linyuan?"
"Mm, looks like you’re not a complete idiot," Ye Linyuan seemed to chuckle.
Hearing his chuckle, Jiang Qingli instantly relaxed.
The sword in her hand fell to the floor.
She urgently grabbed his hand. "That man..."
"He’s not dead." Ye Linyuan knew what she was thinking. "Your aim was off."
He moved his hand away.
Jiang Qingli’s vision cleared.
The male who had attacked her was now suspended in mid-air, wrapped in black mist. He appeared to have passed out. Jiang Qingli’s sword had struck him in the side of his waist.
Jiang Qingli let out a huge sigh of relief, but looking at his bleeding wound, she asked with lingering fear, "He’s not going to die, is he?"
"He won’t," Ye Linyuan said. "Someone will take care of it."
As he spoke, he took Jiang Qingli’s hand and led her toward the elevators.
Jiang Qingli asked, "Where are we going?"
"What do you think?"
Ye Linyuan seemed to be in a good mood. His golden, slitted pupils were fixed on her, the corners of his eyes tilting up slightly with a hint of allure.
Jiang Qingli recovered from the tension of the last few moments.
Seeing Ye Linyuan standing before her always made her feel at ease.
"I don’t know."