A Slap in the Face

Meng Huai had never been one to play by the rules. As long as it did not violate his conscience, he dared to play any card and use any means.

He felt a faint current of air and knew the killer was eavesdropping, so he did him a huge favor by exposing the boss behind it all. That was not something just anyone could do.

Qin Xiuying had been scared out of her wits, which was why she answered every question. Otherwise, with a formidable woman like her, there was no telling who would end up playing whom.

Qin Xiuying drew a breath and was just about to take them upstairs to see Chang Yanping when a bang rang out. A fat man fell from above and landed on the other side of the building.

The fat man had met exactly the same fate as the previous one. His body was smashed to a pulp, but his head remained completely intact, seemingly to make identification easier.

After the earlier shock, Qin Xiuying had grown considerably braver. She glanced at the head and said, "He's the project manager I mentioned. I never thought he would end up like this too."

Meng Huai gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "You can change the theme of your press conference. These two killed themselves out of guilt, and your company feels remorseful, so you're offering compensation."

Qin Xiuying froze for a moment, then realized that this really was a good opportunity. As she led the two upstairs, she called the Public Relations Department on an internal line and told them to proceed that way.

Chang Yanping paced incessantly around his office like an ant on a hot pan. There was no trace of the bearing of a major businessman left in him. He was nothing but a pitiful wreck.

When he saw Meng Huai, he was like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline, pleading over and over to be saved. He was clearly terrified.

Meng Huai smiled mockingly. "If you have a clear conscience, a knock at midnight won't frighten you. So no matter how high your position or how much wealth you have, you must never betray your conscience!"

Chang Yanping had abandoned all his airs. Despite the mockery, he kept smiling and nodding in agreement, demonstrating to perfection a man's ability to bend when necessary.

Meng Huai clapped his hands. "Rest assured, Mr. Chang. You have the protective gu I placed on you. You'll definitely be safe for seven days, and then I'll face him.

"Besides, everyone in your group who deserved to die is already dead. I believe he won't kill innocents indiscriminately—at least not right now. As for later, that's harder to say."

Chang Yanping flinched and said miserably, "Mr. Meng, do you mean you can't deal with him once and for all? There could be more trouble later?"

Meng Huai sounded equally frustrated. "We haven't fought yet, so I can't say for certain. But all the signs suggest that this man has already made contact with the Night God Church.

"Although I've dealt with the Night God Church once and got the better of them, I have to admit they're powerful. Their methods are extraordinary, and they aren't easy to handle."

Chang Yanping's face turned utterly miserable. If he had to spend the rest of his life in constant fear, he might as well die now.

Meng Huai smiled. "You don't need to worry so much. Once this matter is settled, the debt between you will be settled too. Even if he wants to touch you then, the Night God Church won't allow it.

"A wealthy man like you is exactly the sort of person the Night God Church wants. You'll certainly become an honored guest. They'll be too busy protecting you to let anything happen to you."

Qin Xiuying said in confusion, "Mr. Meng, you're contradicting yourself. Right now, the killer is with the Night God Church, which makes him difficult for you to deal with.

"But afterward, the Night God Church will try to win Mr. Chang over and protect him. Doesn't that make what they're doing now pointless?"

Seeing plenty of liquor in the cabinet, Meng Huai went over and took a bottle of Wuliangye. Once again, he drank straight from the bottle with abandon, emptying it in one go.

He smiled. "There's no contradiction at all. You can't have it both ways. The killer specializes in Wormless Gu, an extremely rare gu technique. That means he's highly capable and absolutely not to be underestimated.

"The Night God Church has done plenty of things and certainly has no shortage of enemies. They need enough talented people both to strengthen themselves and to intimidate their enemies."

Chang Yanping nodded. "I understand what you mean, Mr. Meng. Recruiting this man is their top priority right now. Everything else has to give way to that goal.

"So no matter how wealthy I am, I'm not as valuable as he is. But once this matter is over and there's no conflict between us, my value will become apparent."

Meng Huai took out another bottle, this time Moutai, and spoke as he drank. "You really are a clever man, Mr. Chang. Talking to clever people is so much easier. That's exactly it."

He had barely finished speaking when a dark shape flashed past the window, followed by screams from downstairs. There was no need to guess—someone else had jumped.

Meng Huai's expression turned extremely ugly. He had just said nothing would happen, and now someone else was dead. That slap in the face had come fast.

Meng Huai said to Qin Xiuying, "Find out who jumped this time."

Qin Xiuying hung up the phone and said, "It was the Public Relations Director this time. When he met with those family members last time, he said some very nasty things, but that hardly warranted death!"

Meng Huai's expression changed. "Call the Security Department immediately. Tell the guards to restrain the Security Director."

Qin Xiuying hurriedly made the call, but the Security Director was nowhere to be found. She immediately told the guards to look for him, focusing on places where someone could jump from the building.

Meng Huai rubbed his temples. "Zimo, get online right away and see if you can find a video of that incident."

Yun Zimo was about to search when Qin Xiuying said with a bitter smile, "Don't bother, Miss Yun. All the videos have already been deleted. That's the most basic part of public relations."

Meng Huai slapped his thigh. "You people just keep asking for trouble! Contact every website immediately and see who still has a backup. Get that video, and gather everyone involved in it inside this building—provided they're still alive."

He drained the liquor in his hand, then hurled the bottle against the wall, smashing it to pieces. His fury was plain to see.

Qin Xiuying did not dare delay and hurriedly made the calls. Competence certainly came in handy: she soon obtained the video and played it directly onto the wall with a projector.

After watching the video, Meng Huai said in a low voice, "I really shouldn't have gotten involved in this. This is utterly despicable."

Chang Yanping's face flushed red. "It's all my responsibility. I failed to keep my subordinates in line. I'll punish them severely. I absolutely won't tolerate their wrongdoing!"

Meng Huai wagged a finger. "There's no need. These people are as good as dead. I hope their deaths will at least have some value and help me find a way to deal with the killer.

"There's no need to keep watching the places where they could jump, either. These people won't get such an easy death, especially that Security Director. If it were me, I'd make sure he died in the most horrific way possible."

Chang Yanping's face went pale. He was now sick with regret. If he had known it would cause so much trouble, he would have fired that bastard no matter what.

A bitter smile tugged at Meng Huai's lips. Then he looked at Chang Yanping and said something the man would remember for the rest of his life.