Zhou Jinbai looked up and indeed saw the face that was as flamboyant and bright as in his memory. Especially on her face, which was like a manga "cool girl," it was filled with intense ambition.
"Cen Zhiyuan, why are you here?" Zhou Jinbai's brows furrowed deeply. His intuition told him that seeing Cen Zhiyuan here would not bring anything good.
Because of Cen Zhiyuan's identity and status, as well as her arrogant yet aloof personality, she would not normally appear in this place.
"If you can be here, then I can't? Zhou Jinbai, it's been more than half a year, why have you become so biased?" Cen Zhiyuan sat directly in the seat that Lin Xingwan had occupied not long ago and asked, tilting her head, "Or, are you afraid that my appearance here will affect your relationship with your woman?"
After speaking, Cen Zhiyuan actually giggled.
Her laughter was extremely exaggerated, and her eyes even held disdain. "Someone like that good-for-nothing, so ordinary that even a dog I raise is more precious than her, do you think I would care about her?"
After speaking, Cen Zhiyuan completely ignored how many people were present and leaned herself towards Zhou Jinbai.
She acted like a hostess, tidying Zhou Jinbai's suit. Zhou Jinbai's expression was icy, and he looked at the woman in front of him with a blank face.
She was wearing a black slip dress with a mink coat draped over it. As she leaned in, the coat slid off her shoulders, revealing her alluring collarbone. Her long, black hair formed a stark contrast with her snow-white skin, making the men sitting behind them stare in awe.
As for Liu Mengqin and Bai Xiao, because they were a bit far from Zhou Jinbai, they couldn't see Cen Zhiyuan's face clearly. However, from their backs, Liu Mengqin's first thought was: why are so many enchantresses trying to seduce Zhou Jinbai while Xingwan is away? He's not the Tang Monk!
"Bai Xiao, go and drive away the woman next to Zhou Jinbai." Liu Mengqin ordered Bai Xiao, as it would be a bit strange if she went herself.
"What woman?" Bai Xiao's entire attention was focused on the King of Gamblers PK, and he hadn't noticed when Lin Xingwan had left or who was seducing his good brother.
However, it was normal for his good brother to be so charming that women were often interested in him.
It was only when Bai Xiao's gaze fell on Zhou Jinbai's seat and he saw the black-haired woman sitting beside him that Bai Xiao was struck as if by lightning.
Cen... Cen Zhiyuan...
Bai Xiao would never forget this woman even if she turned to ash.
The eldest princess of the MK Empire, she had been trained as the heir of the MK Empire since childhood. Even a heavenly talent like Qiao Ruosheng was no match for Cen Zhiyuan.
Currently, she held the key to the wealth of the entire Asian underground king's city, and even some dark territories bowed to Cen Zhiyuan.
Bai Xiao had suffered many losses under Cen Zhiyuan over the years, and on several occasions, he had nearly lost his life.
In this woman's eyes, only Zhou Jinbai was not a good-for-nothing; others would die as she wished.
Cen Zhiyuan was the only woman who made Bai Xiao feel fear, and a powerful existence he could never afford to offend in his lifetime.
"Bai Xiao... Bai Xiao, what's wrong? Bai Xiao?" Liu Mengqin found that Bai Xiao hadn't reacted for a long time and couldn't help but pinch his arm.
The man came back to his senses, still a little shaken, and said, "Since it's between sister-in-law and Jinbai, let's not interfere. If Jinbai really likes sister-in-law, he knows how to refuse."
Liu Mengqin thought about it and felt that Bai Xiao's words made sense, so she finally gave up.
Meanwhile, Lin Xingwan, who had left, had already exited the VIP lounge through another exit from the restroom.
She anxiously scanned her surroundings. Everywhere was shrouded in mist, with an atmosphere of extravagance and debauchery, and people blinded by gambling. There was no sign of that man.
Had she lost him?
Just as Lin Xingwan was about to give up, she spotted the man's figure.
He was walking towards the elevator.
Lin Xingwan was overjoyed and quickly followed.
By the time she reached the elevator, the doors had already closed.
Fortunately, the elevator displayed the 28th floor. Lin Xingwan immediately pressed the adjacent elevator and headed for the 18th floor.
In a few dozen seconds, Lin Xingwan arrived at the 28th floor.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a gust of strong wind blew, making her shiver from the cold.
This cruise ship was at most 28 stories high, and she was now on the top floor of the ship.
There was no one around, and things were scattered messily. It was both terrifying and lonely.
She had clearly seen the man heading to the 28th floor, but why couldn't she see anyone here?
Had she mistaken him?
Just as Lin Xingwan began to doubt herself, she heard someone speaking.
"Yes, it's absolutely true. That necklace is too beautiful, I wouldn't be mistaken. Don't worry, I will deliver that necklace to you, and I will also capture the woman wearing the necklace and silence her."
Lin Xingwan quietly approached the source of the sound and saw the middle-aged man speaking on his phone with a respectful tone.
She didn't know who this man was talking to, but the fact that he was so humble and fawning indicated that the other party's status was extremely high.
Necklace?
The woman wearing the necklace?
Lin Xingwan remembered the photo Duan Muxing had sent her. The man on the phone was staring at Xue Manting with a calculating gaze.
He was definitely after that necklace.
Not good!
Manting is in danger now!
Lin Xingwan quickly unlocked her phone, intending to send a message to Xue Manting, when suddenly she heard a scream.
"Ah—why is someone here?" Yun Qingqing, holding a basin of rags to dry, screamed in fright. When she saw that it was Lin Xingwan, her astonished expression turned to confusion.
Before Yun Qingqing could say anything, Lin Xingwan grabbed her arm and ran towards the elevator.
"Run!"
Lin Xingwan was quite speechless. At such a crucial moment, this girl had ruined her plans, and she hadn't even managed to text Xue Manting.
"Catch them, don't let them escape." The middle-aged man immediately ordered his subordinates, and a few subordinates quickly captured Yun Qingqing and Lin Xingwan.
"Let go of me, let me go! Who are you? I haven't offended you, why are you arresting me?" Yun Qingqing was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Especially the eyes, which her classmates called 'Little Zhao Wei,' were filled with tears, making her look pitiful.
Although Lin Xingwan was also very scared, her expression was much calmer than Yun Qingqing's.
"Let go—"
The middle-aged man had already walked up to Lin Xingwan and them.
He fiercely snatched the phone tightly held in Lin Xingwan's hand. Seeing that there was an unsent text message on the screen, he raised his hand and slapped Lin Xingwan.
The crisp sound of the slap seemed to be amplified countless times in the dark night. Even Yun Qingqing, who was wailing beside them, was startled by the ferocity.
"Trying to send a message?" The middle-aged man leaned in front of Lin Xingwan. Looking at the exquisite and beautiful face before him, he recalled past events. He couldn't help but speak to Lin Xingwan again, "You should be thankful you have a pretty face, otherwise it wouldn't just be a slap."
After speaking, the man's scrutinizing gaze fell on Yun Qingqing.
Although she wasn't as charming and alluring as the woman next to her, she was still quite pure.
"Master Yuan, what should we do with these two women? Throw them to the fish, or?" a subordinate asked the middle-aged man.
Yuan Qisheng snorted, "These two women can still be sold. Take them away together."
"Yes."
"I advise you to let us go, because you can't afford to offend my backer. You just saw it, Dongfang Junze is my man."
Lin Xingwan knew that at this critical juncture, pleading for help was useless.
Yuan Qisheng snorted, "Tonight you learned our secret. Even if your backer is the King of Heaven, it's useless. I'm telling you, the one above us, even if Dongfang Junze's father were resurrected, he wouldn't dare to be presumptuous."
This statement was extremely arrogant and extinguished Lin Xingwan's last glimmer of hope.
These people tied their mouths and limbs with ropes and tape, and then threw them into a box.
When the box blocked all light, Lin Xingwan and Yun Qingqing could see nothing. They could only feel the box being pushed.
At the same time, in Xue Wencheng's ward, a scene unfolded.
The doctor had already diagnosed Xue Wencheng and cleaned and bandaged his wound.
"Although your father only suffered superficial injuries, he is elderly. It's best to avoid such incidents in the future. When people are old, their recovery ability weakens, and sometimes even a simple fall can cause organ failure."
"Okay, thank you, Doctor. We will be careful."
After Xue Manting saw the doctor off, Su Mo Yao pulled her to the corridor and reprimanded her in a stern voice, "Xue Manting, you're becoming more and more willful. Do you know that you almost died tonight!"
Even though Xue Manting had won three billion tonight, Su Mo Yao couldn't help but feel a chill of fear whenever he thought about what had just happened.
"Let go of me. You have no right to interfere in my affairs. Where I die is none of your business. You shouldn't be here now; you should be with your fiancée, Qiao Ruosheng. After all, she is so outstanding. Only by marrying her will you form a strong alliance. As for me, a dispensable plaything, please don't trouble Young Master Su."
Xue Manting forcefully shook off Su Mo Yao's hand. Just as she was about to return to the ward, a group of men suddenly rushed out of the corridor.
Without a word, they beat Su Mo Yao to the ground and covered Xue Manting's mouth and nose with a towel soaked in anesthetic. Although Xue Manting was tall, she was slender and slim, so she was no match for the men who were well-prepared.
In less than ten seconds, she lost consciousness.
Su Mo Yao wanted to save Xue Manting, but he was beaten by seven or eight men. By the time these men ran away, Xue Manting was nowhere to be seen.
Su Mo Yao chased after them for a considerable distance, but there was no one in sight.
All of this happened in just a few minutes.
Zhou Jinbai lowered his head to look at his watch, wondering if Lin Xingwan had a stomachache, otherwise she should have returned by now.
"What, worried about your woman?" Cen Zhiyuan saw Zhou Jinbai's distracted look and felt very jealous. However, her face, which was full of aggressive beauty, was smiling sweetly. "But a canary without self-protection abilities is indeed not suitable to be let out, am I right?"
Cen Zhiyuan played with the bracelet on her wrist. The positions of the snake's eyes were natural black impurities in the jade, but they were ingeniously designed by a craftsman to look like snake eyes, making them extremely eerie.
"If you want our two families to be on good terms, don't touch Lin Xingwan. You can't afford to provoke her. I've already investigated the matter of Ye Qingning. The reason I didn't come to you was to give you a chance to reflect, not to become more reckless. Cen Zhiyuan, I know you have your ways, but I am not the right man for you."
Zhou Jinbai did not want to continue sitting with Cen Zhiyuan and stood up, heading towards the restroom.
As Cen Zhiyuan watched Zhou Jinbai's retreating back, her face turned cold.
Zhou Jinbai kept calling Lin Xingwan as he walked, but no one answered.
Zhou Jinbai frowned, a sense of unease vaguely rising in his heart.
When he reached the restroom door, he started calling Lin Xingwan again.
Still no answer.
Zhou Jinbai immediately called Liu Mengqin and asked her to come to the restroom.
In less than a minute, Liu Mengqin arrived.
"Go and see if Xingwan is inside."
Zhou Jinbai said to Liu Mengqin. Bai Xiao, standing beside Liu Mengqin, asked, "What's wrong?"
"Xingwan just told me she was going to the restroom, but it's been several minutes and she's still not out. I can't reach her by phone."
Zhou Jinbai wished he could rush into the restroom immediately to find Lin Xingwan. Of course, his last shred of rationality reminded him that he was a man.
Liu Mengqin went in and came out quickly.
"There are only two restrooms, and neither of them is occupied."
Liu Mengqin's words felt like a heavy punch to Zhou Jinbai's heart.
His thin lips were tightly drawn, and his jawline was exceptionally smooth, but every pore of the man was exuding his displeasure.
Zhou Jinbai turned and left. Bai Xiao and Liu Mengqin could only follow behind him.
Zhou Jinbai went directly to find Qiao Zheng to check the surveillance footage. However, as Qiao Zheng was leading Zhou Jinbai and the others towards the surveillance room, they saw Su Mo Yao running towards them.
Su Mo Yao's well-tailored suit was now covered in footprints, and his handsome face was full of bruises.
"Mr. Su... Mr. Su, what happened to you?"
Liu Mengqin covered her mouth in shock when she saw Su Mo Yao appearing before them, covered in injuries.
Su Mo Yao looked at the stern-faced Zhou Jinbai and the panicked Qiao Zheng and couldn't help but ask, "Lin Xingwan is also missing?"
Zhou Jinbai quickly stepped forward and grabbed Su Mo Yao's collar. "What do you mean 'also missing'?"
"Just a few minutes ago, a group of well-trained bodyguards beat me up and took Manting away. I was just about to come to the surveillance room to see where these people went."
Su Mo Yao was in severe pain and winced as he spoke. Being grabbed by the collar by Zhou Jinbai made it difficult for him to breathe.