Xiao Cheng turned to Lu Ting, said a couple of things to her, then opened the car door and got out.
"Mr. Xiao, please." The man extended his hand in an inviting gesture.
Half an hour later.
Xiao Cheng arrived at Jiang Yun's residence, the Jiang Mansion.
Jiang Yun sat on the sofa with a document in his hand. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up, his intensely intimidating, oppressive gaze settling on Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng lowered his head slightly and nodded, neither servile nor overbearing. "Uncle Jiang."
Jiang Yun studied Xiao Cheng for a moment before quickly looking away, inwardly surprised by his composure.
What young person didn't become terribly nervous upon meeting him, to the point of being unable to speak smoothly?
Yet Xiao Cheng was far too calm.
Jiang Yun said, "You're Jiang Yuan's... friend?"
The name Jiang Yuan made Xiao Cheng pause.
He wasn't quite used to Jiang Chiyan's other name. After considering it for a moment, he said, "Yes. My name is Xiao Cheng."
Jiang Yun set down the document in his hand, looking like a kindly elder. "What do you do, Xiao Cheng? Where do your parents work?"
In fact.
Jiang Yun had long since investigated Xiao Cheng's background thoroughly.
He asked this to sound him out.
Xiao Cheng fell silent for a moment. "My father died when I was eleven. My mother remarried on the day of his funeral. I'm a minor actor, and I occasionally write a few songs."
After hearing this, Jiang Yun's opinion of Xiao Cheng improved considerably.
An award-winning actor in the entertainment industry who earned hundreds of millions a year called himself a minor actor, without the slightest hint of pride.
Jiang Yun thought that if this was an act for his benefit, Xiao Cheng's acting really was excellent.
"Xiao Cheng, has Jiang Yuan introduced you to his friends and his circle?"
Xiao Cheng's face paled slightly, as though his breath had been cut off. Jiang Chiyan had never mentioned that upper-class circle to him.
Jiang Yun was an old hand at manipulating people. He smiled. "Jiang Yuan has many friends, but... friends on different levels naturally belong to different circles. Being well matched in family background... perhaps that's what it means. Wouldn't you agree, Xiao Cheng?"
There was little expression on Xiao Cheng's face.
But his fists clenched, veins bulging across the backs of his hands.
Xiao Cheng did his utmost to remain calm. "You're right, Uncle Jiang, but..."
"But what?"
Xiao Cheng raised his head. "Plenty of marriages between families of equal standing are full of empty pretenses, too. Unequal family backgrounds don't necessarily mean two people can't grow old together."
Jiang Yun's smile grew even kinder, yet his eyes, so similar to Jiang Chiyan's, held a seasoned ruthlessness that Jiang Chiyan's lacked. "Then, Xiao Cheng, do you think it's easy to cross the Jiang Family's threshold?"
Xiao Cheng tilted his head, looking quite puzzled. "Uncle Jiang, does that matter?"
Jiang Yun froze.
Xiao Cheng said, "The door I want to enter is Jiang Chiyan's, not the Jiang Family's."
After a pause, Xiao Cheng added, "If Jiang Chiyan returns to the Jiang Family as Jiang Yuan, only then will I consider whether the Jiang Family's threshold is easy to cross. Besides..."
"Besides what?"
"Besides..." Xiao Cheng smiled and said confidently, "If the threshold is too high to cross, Jiang Yuan might carry me over it."
Jiang Yun was left speechless. He had never imagined that the minor celebrity Jiang Chiyan yearned for would be such a difficult person to handle.
Xiao Cheng's reasoning was clear and coherent.
There was no hysteria, no unreasonable fuss.
He merely laid all the facts before Jiang Yun and spoke openly.
Jiang Yun picked up his teacup and took a sip, then told Xiao Cheng, "Jiang Yuan has already been detained for two days because of you."
Jiang Yun was certain Xiao Cheng would beg him.
Throughout the entire Demon Capital, there really weren't many officials ranked higher than Chu Luo's father.
Xiao Cheng nodded and bowed to Jiang Yun, speaking quite politely. "Uncle Jiang, I'll take my leave."
He had intended all along to rescue Jiang Chiyan as Kill, not to beg anyone.
Jiang Yun watched Xiao Cheng's retreating back and sneered.
After seeing Xiao Cheng out, Jiang Yun's chief secretary returned to the mansion and asked Jiang Yun, "Sir, the fifth young master values Xiao Cheng so much. Why hasn't he introduced him to the upper-class circle? Could it be... that he isn't serious about him?"
Jiang Yun glanced sideways at him and gave a short scoff without speaking.
He knew the son he had raised.
Jiang Chiyan had offended plenty of people with his arrogant, domineering behavior over the years.
He didn't dare bring Xiao Cheng into the upper-class circle because he feared Xiao Cheng would become a living target.
Ultimately, he wanted to protect Xiao Cheng.
The chief secretary asked Jiang Yun again, "Sir, should we rescue the fifth young master?"
Jiang Yun leaned back on the sofa. "No one is allowed to act without my say-so."
The chief secretary said, "But Minister Chu has always been at odds with you. I'm afraid he'll..."
Jiang Yun said mildly, "He won't die. It's time that little brat Jiang Yuan suffered a bit."
After some thought, Jiang Yun added, "My son isn't so helpless that that man named Chu can force him into a corner without any way to fight back."
After leaving the Jiang Mansion, Xiao Cheng received a call from Lu Ting.
Lu Ting sounded very anxious. "Xiao Cheng, you said you had a way to save Jiang Chiyan. Is that true?"
Xiao Cheng lowered his eyes and asked, "What happened?"
Lu Ting's voice was full of distress. "Su Jing. They took Su Jing away, too."
Su Jing had been knocked unconscious and taken in with her head covered.
The interrogation room.
When Jiang Chiyan saw Su Jing, he slowly straightened up.
Minister Chu noticed his tension.
Minister Chu smiled sinisterly. "Young Master Jiang, I know you're tough. I just don't know... whether you can disregard this girl's life, too."
Jiang Chiyan said, "What are you planning to do?"
Minister Chu pointed at Su Jing. "If you don't confess, I'll have someone strip her. We'll... just treat it like watching a livestream."
The smile on Jiang Chiyan's face slowly faded.
He licked his cracked lips, a chilling laugh slipping from his throat, and crooked a finger at Minister Chu. "Come here for a moment."
Minister Chu stepped forward in confusion.
Jiang Chiyan reached up, seized his collar, yanked him down, and drove his knee hard into his abdomen.
Minister Chu grunted and crashed to the floor, his expression changing.
Jiang Chiyan's tone was indifferent, but carried unbreakable resolve. "Just try laying a hand on her!"
Seeing their superior struck, Minister Chu's two subordinates swung their fists at Jiang Chiyan.
Having gone forty-eight hours without sleep or food, Jiang Chiyan had no strength to resist at all.
But at that very instant-
Su Jing suddenly lunged over and threw her arms around Jiang Chiyan.
The punches and kicks all landed on Su Jing.
"Su Jing!" Jiang Chiyan's gaze turned utterly cold. He abruptly stood, shielded Su Jing in his arms, and grabbed a wooden chair, smashing it at them and knocking all three men down in an instant.
"Brother!" Su Jing had taken a club blow to the back of her head. Rubbing her agonizing head, she gritted her teeth. "Don't worry about me. You can't confess to fabricated charges! Even if I die here, you still can't confess!"
Hearing this, Minister Chu climbed up from the floor, glared at Su Jing and Jiang Chiyan, and ordered, "Go get two electric chairs. Today... even if you two don't die, you'll suffer for it!"
Jiang Chiyan wrapped an arm around Su Jing, raised his eyes to Minister Chu, and said-
"Minister Chu, I hear you're keeping a pair of sisters as mistresses. You often spend the night together. Surely you're not just chatting under the covers?"
"Minister Chu, there's also your son, Chu Luo, who coerces actresses into sex in the entertainment industry. As many as eighty-five girls have been violated or forced by him."
Minister Chu's expression changed.
From his initial anger to terror.
Minister Chu pointed at Jiang Chiyan in disbelief. "How do you know all this?"
Jiang Chiyan smiled carelessly. Having gone hungry for too long, his blood sugar was a little low, and he leaned drowsily against Su Jing. "I guessed."
In fact, when he had kicked Minister Chu, they had made physical contact.
Only then had the system shown him... Minister Chu's future.
Jiang Chiyan asked, "Minister Chu, do you need me to keep guessing?"
Minister Chu's face darkened as though ink could drip from it.
Ten minutes later.
Supporting the drowsy Jiang Chiyan, Su Jing walked out of the interrogation room.
After two full days without seeing daylight, Jiang Chiyan had some trouble adjusting to the glaring sunshine.
He narrowed his eyes and saw a familiar figure not far away...
Xiao Cheng.
Seeing Jiang Chiyan, Xiao Cheng froze for a moment.
He hurriedly lowered his head and tapped twice on his phone screen.
Kill: [You don't need to come.]
Then he raised his head, stared straight at Jiang Chiyan, and walked over.
Xiao Cheng first took Su Jing to the hospital, then called Lu Ting to come and stay with her.
When Xiao Cheng sat back down in the car.
Jiang Chiyan slowly opened his eyes. "I'm a little hungry..."
His words stopped abruptly.
Because Xiao Cheng suddenly gripped the back of Jiang Chiyan's head, tilted his own head and leaned down, biting through the skin of Jiang Chiyan's pale neck.
The scent of blood lingered between their breaths.
Jiang Chiyan looked at Xiao Cheng with some surprise, neither disgusted nor frightened, only a little puzzled.
A wickedly alluring bead of blood still clung to the corner of Xiao Cheng's lips. His gaze as he studied Jiang Chiyan was like that of someone eyeing his prey.
Xiao Cheng said to Jiang Chiyan, "Hubby... your blood is so sweet."