Chapter 103

Chapter 103: This Woman Is Jiang Shixu's Only Weakness On the roadside not far across the street. The window of the black Aston Martin was half-lowered. Fu Yuanzhou, sitting in the back seat, had a pair of peach-blossom eyes shimmering with a hint of amusement. He curled his lips. "She's Jiang Shixu's woman?" Gu Tingchen beside him replied, "Yes, Brother Zhou." Fu Yuanzhou tugged at the corner of his mouth. "She's pretty lucky to be alive." "The two men beside her should be bodyguards Jiang Shixu arranged for her." Fu Yuanzhou said meaningfully, "She is indeed beautiful. No wonder Jiang Shixu treasures her." Gu Tingchen chuckled. "This woman is Jiang Shixu's only weakness." "Heh." Fu Yuanzhou withdrew his gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Jiang Shixu ruined my plans. I should at least send him a welcome gift." That project in Country A—he had poured enormous effort and a fortune into it, only to have Jiang Shixu sabotage it at a critical juncture. The project suffered severe losses, nearly costing him half his life. This grudge, he would definitely repay with vengeance! Ruan Chutang, is it? Let's see if you're lucky every single time. ... At the police station. Chu Tang made a phone call, and within less than five minutes, the officer handling the case received a call from his superiors. After hanging up, the officer's attitude toward Chu Tang changed completely, and his tone became much more courteous. "Miss Ruan, we've received your report and have officially filed a case for investigation on charges of attempted murder. You may leave now. We'll notify you as soon as there are new developments." Chu Tang gave a slight nod. "Thank you for your trouble." After leaving the police station, Chu Tang received a call from an unfamiliar number. The voice on the other end was hostile. "I heard you took Liu Ming's case and plan to arbitrate our company?" Chu Tang frowned. "That's right." "Lawyer Ruan, is it? Got time to come over to my place? Let's have a good talk." The man's tone carried a hint of disdain and arrogance. "Who are you?" The man chuckled. "Me? I'm the former boss of Liu Ming's company, Liu Yuanlei." Chu Tang remembered that name. Labor arbitration required the company's business registration information, and the legal representative of Liu Ming's former company was indeed Liu Yuanlei. Chu Tang asked calmly, "What do you want to talk about?" "Talk about what? About settling this privately, of course. If it can be resolved privately, there's no need to go through labor arbitration. It's a waste of everyone's time." "Fine. Give me an address." Liu Yuanlei gave her an address. It was a business club, more than ten kilometers away. After hanging up, Chu Tang's slender, delicate fingers tapped the steering wheel idly. This person came with ill intentions—she couldn't let her guard down. He invited her to his turf, claiming it was to discuss a settlement. Who knew what tricks he had up his sleeve, or what kind of trouble he might stir up. Chu Tang called over the two bodyguards. The two bodyguards said in unison, "Young Madam, what are your orders?" "In a bit, I'm going somewhere with you. I'm worried the people there might pull something shady." "Yes." ... Private room at the club. A lean man in a black leather jacket with a buzz cut sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping his drink. Four underlings stood on either side of him. Liu Yuanlei's eyes were cold and sinister. "When that bitch comes in, you beat her within an inch of her life. If someone dies, the higher-ups will cover for us." The underlings replied in unison, "Got it, Brother Lei!" Chu Tang, dressed in a crisp light-gray suit with matching trousers and black high heels, walked to the door of the private room. The bodyguard beside her opened the door for her. Before Chu Tang could even step inside, the people within charged at her. There were four men, each wielding a weapon. Chu Tang reacted quickly, stepping back a few paces. The bodyguard beside her moved with lightning speed, his skills exceptional, every strike vicious. Screams rang out one after another. The bodyguards Chu Tang had brought took down Liu Yuanlei's four lackeys in no time. Chu Tang raised her eyes and looked into the private room, meeting Liu Yuanlei's terrified gaze. She curled her lips and sneered coldly, "So this is your way of negotiating a settlement?" Liu Yuanlei had been beaten into a swollen mess by the bodyguards. Chu Tang stood before him with her arms crossed, her icy eyes radiating a dangerous glint. "Was the person who pushed me on the roadside just now someone you hired?" Being a lawyer was a high-risk profession. It wasn't uncommon for clients to harbor resentment and deliberately retaliate against their lawyers. Not long ago, Lawyer Zhang Tianxin was stabbed by a client and rushed to the hospital, nearly losing his life—a living example of this. Liu Yuanlei knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. "Forgive me, please, I'm truly sorry. I won't dare do it again." Chu Tang frowned. "I asked you—was the person who pushed me on the roadside someone you hired?" "What roadside? What person pushing you?" Liu Yuanlei was completely confused. "That wasn't me. This is the first time I've ever seen you." It wasn't someone he hired? Then who was it? Chu Tang furrowed her brows in thought. Could it be someone Chen Wan hired? Soon, Chu Tang dismissed that idea. Chen Wan was indeed a Green Tea Bitch and didn't like her, but Chen Wan didn't seem like such a vicious person. She wouldn't go so far as to try to kill her. Then who could it be? Chu Tang pondered for a moment. Suddenly, a name surfaced in her mind. Fu Yuanzhou. Jiang Shixu had told her about the history between Fu Yuanzhou and the Jiang family, and had specifically warned her that Fu Yuanzhou might come after her to get revenge on him. At the thought of this, Chu Tang lifted her eyes to look at the man before her, whose face was a mess of bruises and swelling. "Are you one of Fu Yuanzhou's men?" The man shook his head. "No, I don't know him. Please, miss, I beg you, let me go. I really won't dare do it again. I'll go back today and compensate Liu Ming right away. Please, just let me go!" Chu Tang asked coldly, "If you're not one of Fu Yuanzhou's men, then why did you lure me here and bring so many thugs? A small factory owner like you wouldn't dare act so arrogantly without someone backing you. Tell me the name of the person behind you, and I'll let you go." Liu Yuanlei couldn't help but shiver. The boss behind him had connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world—everyone in the criminal circles had to call him "big brother." This factory actually belonged to that big brother; Liu Yuanlei was just a front man as the legal representative, with no real power. He didn't dare expose his big brother. Thinking of the big brother's ruthless methods, cold sweat broke out all over Liu Yuanlei's body. Liu Yuanlei swallowed hard and replied, "I... I don't have anyone behind me. I just saw that you're a young girl and thought I'd scare you a bit." Chu Tang narrowed her eyes and studied Liu Yuanlei, trying to gauge how much of his words were true and how much were lies. Liu Yuanlei felt his skin crawl under her gaze, terrified that Ruan Chutang would have her bodyguards beat him up again. "Miss, I'll kowtow to you. Please, just let me go!" Chu Tang smiled without any warmth in her eyes. "I don't believe a small factory owner like you would have the guts to hire thugs to beat up the opposing attorney in broad daylight. Since you're not willing to talk, I'll have to call the police." Liu Yuanlei breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of the police—the big brother had people inside the station. ... Jiang Group, CEO's office. Jiang Shixu received the call from his bodyguard, his face darkening. Within a single day, Tangtang had encountered danger twice, and had nearly been in serious trouble. A wave of lingering fear washed over Jiang Shixu. He hung up the phone, grabbed his coat, and headed out. Lin Sen hurried after him. "President, where are you going? There's a meeting in ten minutes! Hey, hey, President?" Tinglanyuan Villa. The housekeeper, Auntie Zhang Caixia, had made a large table full of Chu Tang's favorite dishes. Zhang Caixia said with a smile, "Tangtang, you worked hard at work today. Come eat." Chu Tang picked up her chopsticks but had no appetite. She was still thinking about that terrifying moment on the road today. It was the closest she had ever come to death. One moment more, and she would never have seen the sun rise again. As she was lost in thought, Jiang Shixu returned. "Tangtang, are you alright?" Jiang Shixu's face was full of tension and fear. He strode over quickly, bent down, placed both hands on Chu Tang's shoulders, and examined her carefully. Chu Tang snapped back to reality. "Shixu-ge, you already know." Jiang Shixu hummed in acknowledgment and pulled Chu Tang into his arms, holding her tightly. So close—he had nearly lost her.