Deng Sanyi, upon seeing his son's lecherous gaze, was instantly enraged.
He slapped Deng Qi and roared, "You scoundrel! Do you think that woman is someone you can covet? I advise you to pray for your own good fortune. Mr. and Mrs. Zhou are here to investigate the events of twenty-five years ago. If they find out about the dirty deeds you committed back then, none of you will escape unscathed."
Deng Qi's lecherous expression finally vanished. He craned his neck in surprise, "Could these two people be related to that woman from twenty-five years ago?"
"In my opinion, it's highly likely. Tomorrow morning they'll be going to find Ding Xinrong. If Ding Xinrong reveals the truth of what happened back then, all of you who are still alive will meet a terrible end. You should pack your bags tonight and escape to somewhere else before this matter is investigated."
Although Deng San spoke in a scolding tone, Deng Qi was, after all, his son. He had chosen to help him twenty-five years ago and had turned a blind eye to Deng Qi's misdeeds over the years.
After all, he only had one son.
However, after seeing that man tonight, Deng San's right eyelid had been twitching incessantly.
Decades of life experience told him that this man was not someone they could afford to offend. If handled improperly, the Deng family might fall at this man's hands.
Unexpectedly, Deng Qi showed no concern at all. His years of being a local bully had made him arrogant and reckless, completely disregarding the saying that there is always someone better.
Deng Qi pushed his wife, Hui Juan, aside and supported Deng San as they walked back the way they came.
"Dad, Anlong Village is so small, where can I escape to? If the man who came tonight is someone we can't afford to offend, it's useless for me to escape anywhere." Even in the darkness, Deng Qi's eyes gleamed with ruthlessness.
He didn't care who this man named Zhou was. Since he had come to Anlong Village, he would have to submit, whether he was a dragon or a tiger.
"Then will you just wait at home to die? I'm telling you, once the truth of what happened back then comes out, none of you will escape."
Deng San was so angry that he was spitting. Deng Qi, however, had a calculating look on his face. "Dad, have you forgotten what that person told us back then? Even if I successfully escape, I'll still die! Now, we can only save ourselves. If we succeed this time, we'll continue to live in luxury!"
Deng Qi's words brought back the events of twenty-five years ago to Deng San's mind.
He was trembling all over from fear.
Yes, even if his son escaped, where could he go?
"Save ourselves? How do you plan to save ourselves?" Deng San asked.
Deng Qi mysteriously leaned in and whispered his plan into Deng San's ear.
Upon hearing it, Deng San's tense and worried face transformed, his eyes darting around.
After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright, we'll do as you say. But this matter must be absolutely foolproof, otherwise, not only you, but the people of Anlong Village will pay the price!"
Deng Qi nodded repeatedly, "I'm best at this sort of thing, Dad. You should get some rest."
Deng Qi helped Deng San into his room and then walked out.
Hui Juan, who had been silent all along, looked worriedly at Deng Qi, who was humming a tune. "Husband, I don't think these two people who came tonight are easy to fool. Why don't we cooperate with them? I'm scared... scared..."
Before Hui Juan could finish, Deng Qi slapped her hard. "You slut, what right do you have to interfere with my business? Your job every day is to serve our family's food and daily needs. You're not fit to manage anything else. Why did I marry such a fool? Just looking at you makes me sick. Look at you, your figure is ruined, and you have so many scars on your stomach. Disgusting!"
Hui Juan, struck, dared not speak. She could only look at Deng Qi with wronged eyes as he walked towards the main door.
Her figure was ruined because she had so much work to do every day that she had no time to take care of herself. The scars on her stomach were from a difficult childbirth, requiring a C-section. She had given birth to their child at the risk of her life, yet she was treated like a burden. She had her own grievances, but years of living under her husband's authority and meekly accepting her fate had made her afraid to act out.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan, who had returned to their room, were now wearing bathing attire and sitting in the hot spring, enjoying the comfort of being enveloped by the warm water.
"Qingxi Town truly lives up to its reputation as a hot spring haven. Anlong Village is so far from it, yet the quality of the hot springs is still so high," Lin Xingwan said, looking up at the moon in the sky. She felt that the moon in the countryside was brighter, like a large light bulb, illuminating the scenery clearly.
In the city, such moonlight was rarely seen.
"If you like it, I'll bring you here to soak in the hot springs every once in a while," Zhou Jinbai said, sitting beside Lin Xingwan. He had no interest in soaking in the hot springs himself; his attention was entirely focused on his wife. Her thin bathing suit, wet and clinging to her skin, accentuated her voluptuous figure even more alluringly.
Zhou Jinbai held Lin Xingwan's hand and played with it in the water.
"But don't you find it strange that a mere village chief can afford such a large villa and even a private hot spring for guests?" Lin Xingwan turned her gaze to Zhou Jinbai's face. In the moonlight, the man looked like an immortal who had just descended to the mortal realm, cold and handsome, with a distant aloofness, yet his eyes held a tenderness that could melt hearts.
"With his salary as village chief, he couldn't afford such a house in ten lifetimes. But the illicit income of a village chief, especially in a village not well-connected to the outside world, is like being an emperor. Deng San has certainly embezzled a lot of money. Coupled with the fact that the Deng family's tea business has been doing very well in recent years, selling to private clubs in various cities, it's quite normal for them to have made a fortune."
Before coming, Zhou Jinbai had already thoroughly investigated the Deng San family. He was also aware of Deng Qi's philandering ways.
"But I still feel their money is problematic," Lin Xingwan said, her brow furrowed, her beautiful face filled with confusion.
Zhou Jinbai pinched her cheek. "My silly wife, I've already given you so many hints. Shouldn't you be thinking about Deng Qi's connections rather than his earning ability? Once connections are established, the earning potential follows. The problem is... Anlong Village is thousands of miles away from any major city. How could Deng Qi possibly sell their tea to private clubs all over the country? Someone must be acting as an intermediary, but how would Deng Qi know such a person?"
Zhou Jinbai was guiding Lin Xingwan's thoughts step by step. Lin Xingwan's face lit up with excitement. "Yes! How could I have forgotten such important information? Private clubs primarily serve the elite and powerful, and the intermediaries would be no ordinary people. When we return this time, I must thoroughly investigate which private clubs the Deng family's tea is sold to, and who their benefactor is."
"Wife, there's something else I need to discuss with you."
Zhou Jinbai directly pulled Lin Xingwan onto his lap. Her short bathing suit, combined with her movements, revealed her slender, long legs swaying in the moonlight, a truly dazzling sight.
Their foreheads touched. Lin Xingwan could feel Zhou Jinbai's body temperature, which was even hotter than the hot spring.
The man's affectionate gaze was fixed solely on Lin Xingwan's delicate face. His thin lips moved closer, wanting to kiss her, but stopping just short, making her heart flutter with anticipation.
"What is it?" Lin Xingwan asked.
Zhou Jinbai gently bit her earlobe. It was soft and warm. Lin Xingwan cried out in pain and tried to pull away, but her waist was held firmly by the man.
Then, the man whispered into her ear what he wanted to discuss with her.
Lin Xingwan's originally flushed and delicate face gradually calmed down as she heard what Zhou Jinbai said.
This man was too crazy to tell her such a thing!
Even though the event hadn't happened yet, her heart was already filled with tension. "Are we... are we really going to do this? But I'm scared."
Thinking about Zhou Jinbai's plan, Lin Xingwan felt that this man was too crazy and risky. She had originally thought that coming to Anlong Village this time was simply to investigate her mother's past.
But Zhou Jinbai's plan made Lin Xingwan feel a chill run down her spine, even while she was in the hot spring.
"Wife, don't you trust me?" Zhou Jinbai cupped Lin Xingwan's face in his hands and kissed her bitten lip. His eyes held a confident, strategic gleam.
"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust myself. I feel like I'm not worthy of your plan."
Lin Xingwan naturally trusted the man's wisdom and composure. All his plans were designed to lure the enemy into a trap, but he placed too much faith in her, which put immense pressure on Lin Xingwan.
"Among millions of people, I chose you, Lin Xingwan, as my wife, the wife of Zhou Jinbai, and also Dongfang Junze. You are excellent enough to be my equal. I believe my wife will become a dazzling presence like the sun in the future, so I trust you as I trust myself."
Zhou Jinbai's words ignited a fire in Lin Xingwan's heart.
It was as if, at that moment, she had become a queen holding a scepter and sitting on a throne.
Lin Xingwan proactively kissed Zhou Jinbai, using her actions to show him how delighted she was at that moment.
Her slender hands even moved down from his face, caressing his collarbone and counting his abdominal muscles.
Hiss...
The man gasped but did not stop Lin Xingwan's actions. Instead, he leaned back against the edge of the hot spring, watching the woman sitting on his lap with a lazy, meaningful gaze.
It was interesting that his wife was taking the initiative to seduce him for the first time.
He wanted to see how far this woman, who was more shy than paper, could go.
As her delicate hands moved lower, Zhou Jinbai's playful gaze deepened.
She was truly daring!
He had no resistance to his wife in the first place, and now, with her acting like a seductive enchantress, he was losing his senses and only wanted to devour her completely.
The moon, as if ashamed by the scene, hid behind the clouds, and the entire world seemed to suddenly darken.
The ripples spreading across the surface of the not-so-large hot spring caused the flowers blooming beside it to sway their heads as they were splashed by the water.
No one disturbed their tender intimacy until Zhou Jinbai gently carried the weak woman into the room, and everything returned to peace.
Although he didn't know why his wife was acting so proactively, he truly loved her in this state.
Her docile and gentle demeanor was merely a facade. This woman was meant to live... wild and unrestrained.
The man gently kissed Lin Xingwan's forehead, then held her close as they drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day.
When Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai woke up, Hui Juan brought them breakfast.
"Mrs. Zhou, Mr. Zhou, this is your breakfast. We don't have many delicacies here, so please don't mind it."
Hui Juan humbly placed the breakfast on the dining table. Before leaving, she secretly glanced at Mrs. Zhou again.
This woman was too beautiful. The first glance was stunning, and the second and third glances were still stunning.
However, things that are too perfect are often easily shattered.
After finishing breakfast, Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai left the small villa.
In the yard of the small house, Deng San sat in a rocking chair, smoking his pipe and basking in the sun. Deng Qi, from time to time, cast glances towards the small villa.
When Deng Qi saw Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan emerge, he immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Dad, Mrs. Zhou and Mr. Zhou are out."
Deng San quickly put down his pipe and, with Deng Qi's support, walked towards Zhou Jinbai and his wife.
"Mr. Zhou, Mrs. Zhou." Deng San looked terrified, his head bowed in humility. The man's imposing presence during the day was even more formidable than at night.
Deng San even had the illusion that an emperor had come incognito.
Although Deng Qi also kept his head down, his gaze was fixed on the woman's slender waist, her jade-like fingers, and her straight, long legs.
He imagined how blissful it would be if those hands were around his waist.
"Let's go to Ding's house."
Zhou Jinbai paid no mind to the Deng father and son, his demeanor extremely haughty.
"Okay."
"Okay."
The Deng father and son quickly agreed. Only after Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan walked ahead did they dare to look up.
Deng Qi's eyes, filled with calculation, were also filled with malice.
Ding Xinrong's house was located halfway up the mountain.
The mountain road was narrow and steep, making it impossible for even an SUV to ascend, let alone a sedan.
The group of four had to resort to the most primitive method of climbing, step by step.
Along the way, Zhou Jinbai asked Deng Qi some questions.
Of course, they were all trivial matters.
About an hour later, a two-story small house finally appeared before them.
Although it wasn't as opulent as Deng Qi's house, this small villa, situated halfway up the mountain, was still conspicuous and unusual.
"The house in front is Ding Xinrong's home."
Deng Qi pointed to the distance and explained.
"I remember Ding Xinrong's child receives state subsidies. Why does his house look quite nice? It doesn't seem like they're short of money."
Zhou Jinbai asked lazily, and Deng San quickly replied, "Ding Xinrong's family was indeed in financial difficulties before. But after his son graduated from college, he earned money and returned here to build a house for his parents."
"How many years has Ding Xinrong's child been graduated?" Lin Xingwan asked.
"A little over a year," Deng Qi replied, his gaze sweeping over Lin Xingwan's chest. He felt all the blood in his body rush to one place.
He desired this siren so much that he would trade ten years of his life for her.
Why could other men possess such a celestial beauty, while he had to face that repulsive sow every day?
"It seems Ding Xinrong's child is very capable, building a new house for his family within a year of graduation," Zhou Jinbai praised, and Deng San readily agreed.
However, Zhou Jinbai exchanged a glance with Lin Xingwan. This house before them looked like it had been built at least four or five years ago. The ivy growing on the wall could not have grown so much in just one year.
"Yes, yes, Ding Xinrong's child is one of the few college students in our village. His abilities are top-notch..."
As Deng San spoke, he gave Deng Qi a meaningful look.
Deng Qi immediately understood and said enthusiastically, "Mrs. Zhou, Mr. Zhou, I'll knock on the door."
With that, Deng Qi began to shout at the top of his lungs.
"Ding Xinrong?"
"Ding Xinrong! It's Deng Qi, my dad and I are here to see you."
"Ding Xinrong, are you home?"
A second-floor window was opened, and a man with darker skin and a scar resembling a centipede on his face poked his head out and replied, "I'm coming down. Stop shouting."
Soon, footsteps were heard, followed by the sound of a lock being opened.
However, what rushed out were seven or eight middle-aged men with fierce expressions.
They lunged towards Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan.
Before Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan could even react to what was happening, they felt a sharp pain in the back of their necks, and both of them lost consciousness.