Taming The Hidden Bigshot By Kissing Him
Chapter 358: Young Master Zhong Turns the Tables

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Young Master Zhong Turns the Tables

"Mingzhu, Mingzhu! I couldn’t even make it to the preliminaries, and there are people plotting against me from behind. You have to help me! I can’t explain this to my family when I get home!"

Li Songwen was clearly treating Xiang Mingzhu as his last hope.

He was in love with Xiang Mingzhu too!

If it weren’t for Xiang Mingzhu’s hints, he wouldn’t have targeted Qiao Xi.

It must have been Qiao Xi’s people who beat him up.

Xiang Mingzhu, failing to extricate herself from his embrace, said, "Li Songwen, let’s go inside and talk!"

It wouldn’t look good if they were seen pulling and tugging at each other in the hotel corridor.

Li Songwen immediately agreed.

He followed Xiang Mingzhu into the room and watched as she closed the door, then said, "Mingzhu, what should I do? Ten years ago, I was ninth in the Needle Trial Competition, and my family was hoping I would make the top three this time. But I didn’t even make it to the final round..."

He had been drowning his sorrows in alcohol all night and had even been beaten up while stuffed in a sack!

What bad luck!

Xiang Mingzhu looked down on him in her heart, but her face remained coolly indifferent as she said, "What can I do? I lost to Qiao Xi too, and was scolded mercilessly by my uncle and cousin. To admit in front of so many people that Ghost Gate’s Thirteen Needles were inferior to Plum Blossom Nine Needles, do you know how much I hate it?"

Her resentment was hard to quell.

"Li Songwen, I never would have thought you’d be so foolish as to not even make it to the final round."

Li Songwen felt utterly humiliated by her words, "Mingzhu, I lost the competition for you. You’ve got to give me some benefit, right?"

Reeking of alcohol, he reached out to touch Xiang Mingzhu, wanting to hold her and kiss her.

Xiang Mingzhu pushed him away, "Li Songwen! Be careful, I am a member of the Xiang Family. Before the competition, I never promised you anything. If you keep making a scene, I’ll call security."

Li Songwen, his eyes red, said, "Xiang Mingzhu, you’re ruthless! You’re trampling all over me because you know I like you!"

Xiang Mingzhu, with her hands covering her sleeping robe, said, "I can show you a clear path. The preliminaries rank by points and only take the top one hundred, and if I remember correctly, you’re at 101. If something happens to the person ahead of you, according to the rules, you can substitute into the final round. It’s up to you to make it happen, understand?"

A gleam of hope lit up in Li Songwen’s eyes.

He still had a chance!

"I got it, thank you, Mingzhu."

Xiang Mingzhu, with a hint of disgust, said, "You’d better leave quickly and don’t let anyone find out about our connection."

She was going to marry Zhong Yi and become the Young Madam of the Zhong Family, Li Songwen counted for nothing.

Li Songwen staggered out.

Sporting a face as swollen as a pig’s head, he returned satisfied.

He had remembered the grudge of today, he would certainly not let that woman Qiao Xi get away in the final round!

...

In the wee hours.

The night deepened completely.

Wan Jiang, his body damp with dew, returned to the presidential suite at the top floor of the grand hotel. With a gossipy smile on his face, he approached the young man feigning sleep beside the sofa, and said, "Young Master Zhong, a surprise for you!"

Young Master Zhong opened his bleary eyes, his voice lazy, "What surprise?"

Wan Jiang respectfully handed him a stack of photos, "Our guys beat up Li Songwen, and it turns out he went to find Xiang Mingzhu. They snapped some photos on the fly."

Zhong Yi’s slender, fair fingers flipped through the photos, one by one.

They showed Xiang Mingzhu and Li Songwen hugging at the hotel door, one of them almost captured a kiss. Xiang Mingzhu’s sleeping robe was nearly pulled open by Li Songwen.

Due to the angle, it looked very intimate.

No one would believe they had nothing to do with each other.

"Young Master Zhong, wouldn’t you say this is a pleasant surprise?" Wan Jiang ventured, gauging his thoughts.

"Mm, I’ll reward you with a set of inner-circle property."

Zhong Yi’s generosity was staggering at times.

Wan Jiang was ecstatic!

Overnight riches couldn’t be better; he had become a landlord of the Imperial Capital’s inner circle.

Zhong Yi lightly tapped on the photos, "Aside from the photos, is there anything else?"

"Yes!"

Wan Jiang hurriedly said, "We intentionally damaged the hotel’s surveillance, but those men were exceptionally reliable, recording the entire time directed at Xiang Mingzhu’s room. That Li Songwen stayed in her room for over half an hour."

Zhong Yi’s lips curled slightly, his affectionate eyes holding a clear gleam of mirth, "Wan Jiang, could you accomplish things in half an hour?"

Wan Jiang flushed at his probing, being in his thirties he clearly understood what Young Master Zhong meant.

But he also wondered if he was being too dirty-minded.

He could only respond with a dry laugh.

Zhong Yi smiled faintly, "Half an hour is almost enough, isn’t it?"

Wan Jiang pretended to be confused, "I guess so."

Zhong Yi said, "Keep the video, I’ll need it."

"Sure."

Wan Jiang had come to understand his way of doing things—plan every move far in advance.

Young Master Zhong’s affections for Xiang Mingzhu were all feigned, giving her the token of marriage to reassure her, to let her follow his script. After everything was done, Young Master Zhong would surely kick Xiang Mingzhu aside.

By then, accusing Xiang Mingzhu of stealing his Jade Pendant, regardless of the truth, the Lu Family would abandon the pawn that was Xiang Mingzhu to ensure Lu Yingxue married into the Zhong Family without issue.

Now, with this video and pictures, Young Master Zhong could even turn the tables!

Claiming that Xiang Mingzhu was having an ambiguous relationship with someone else, when confronted, Xiang Mingzhu would certainly have nothing to say!

Masterful!

Spending another day by his side, Wan Jiang could feel his calculating schemes!

Such careful planning!

Silently drawing everyone into the trap, boiling frogs in warm water so none could escape.

No wonder a bastard could secure a place in the vast Zhong Family estate!

Astute near the point of demonry!

"Wan Jiang, what are you imagining now?"

"Nothing. Young Master Zhong, I was just silently admiring your greatness!"

Zhong Yi laughed softly.

...

The next day.

The sunlight was soft and bright, penetrating the clouds and pouring down to earth.

Aunt Qian and Old Chen moved Qiao Xi’s medical books to the top-floor terrace to give them a good airing.

Huo Xingzhou, in a suit and leather shoes, saw them lugging stacks of yellowed ancient books to the top floor as he walked through the corridor.

"Good morning, young master."

Aunt Qian paused and said, "You ordered us yesterday to sort out the Young Madam’s medical books and move them to your study. But seeing the good weather today, I decided to air the books. The Young Madam’s medical books are very old and a bit damp; such books need to be well aired."

"Aunt Qian is very thoughtful."

Huo Xingzhou nodded slightly.

"Young master, breakfast is ready. I was going to call you and the Young Madam after I finished airing the books, but you hadn’t woken up, so I didn’t disturb you."

As she spoke, the heavy stack of books in Aunt Qian’s hands toppled over.

The antique medical books scattered on the ground, and from the pages that flickered open, an old photo taken with a film camera fluttered out, already somewhat faded and aged.

Aunt Qian didn’t notice and continued tidying up the fallen books to carry on to the terrace.

Huo Xingzhou bent down, his fingers gently picking up the photo.