Qin Xiangyi immediately understood that Yan Lili had tried to set Lil Tang up, but he had upended her plan.
She nearly burst out laughing when she saw Yan Lili’s ashen face. She felt extremely cathartic.
“Haha, he does have eight-pack abs!”
She tried hard to hold back her laughter, but eventually could not hold it back and doubled over.
Some other people were chuckling as well.
Things were getting interesting. The ‘perfect man’ as Yan Lili had described him was making out with her best friend in a gathering. That was an ironic turn of events.
‘Perfect man? Haha! What a joke! He made out with his wife’s best friend. That makes him the ultimate scumbag!’
“How could this be?” Yan Lili’s expression became more and more unpleasant.
‘It shouldn’t be like this!’
She had seen with her own eyes the kid carrying Fang Ya into the room, so how was it suddenly her husband?
Furthermore, why were they making out?
She breathed heavily and clenched her fists tightly. She was trembling with anger.
“This can’t be… this can’t be… I don’t believe it!” She mumbled to herself, almost losing her mind.
Someone spoke up from behind the crowd.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered here? Is there an accident?”
Yan Lili shuddered when she heard that voice.
That voice belonged to none other than Tang Hao.
Tang Hao squeezed past the crowd as he spoke. He came into the room and stood next to Qin Xiangyi.
“Oh wow, this is spicy news!” He said.
Qin Xiangyi gave him a side-eye and grabbed his hand tightly.
She tickled Tang Hao’s palm with a finger, as though telling him, “I know you did all this.”
Tang Hao chuckled and held Qin Xiangyi’s hand tightly.
The ensuing scene was incredibly cliched. He Zhengyu struggled out of Fang Ya’s embrace, got out of the bed, and tried to explain himself. Meanwhile, Yan Lili grabbed everything within reach and threw the objects at him.
The scene was incredibly dramatic.
That was the climax of the gathering, and also the end of it.
The couple was still laughing when they left the mansion.
They sat in the rented sports car, and Qin Xiangyi immediately leaned closer to him. “Tell me, how did you manage to do that?”
Tang Hao grinned and said, “That’s too easy. I’ve already noticed that He Zhengyu isn’t as faithful as his wife claims. He has weak kidneys, probably from excessive wine and sex.
“After that, I observed him closely and saw that he’s been flirting with every female like he’s Ted in human form. He flirted with the female servants, and also Yan Lili’s BFFs. It seemed that he had previous encounters with Fang Ya too.”
“I took the opportunity to go to the washroom when he was flirting with a female servant. Then, that Fang Ya came to me.
“I pretended to be seduced, of course, then discreetly fed her a potion. After that, I used her phone and sent a salacious text message to that He guy. Of course, he fell for it.
“What happened next? Tinder met fire.”
Tang Hao relayed the events with a smile.
Chapter 384 - Another Encounter With Taoist Master Chang Qing
Qin Xiangyi was laughing uncontrollably when she listened to all that.
“Ted in human form? Are you serious?”
Tang Hao nodded.
Qin Xiangyi continued laughing. “That Yan woman must be blind to find a man like that. Then again, she hasn’t been the sharpest tool in the shed.
“She brought this onto herself for trying to set you up.”
She wrinkled her nose and grunted, pretending to be angry, though inwardly she felt incredibly vindicated.
They had been rivals since university, and their battle had been finally settled decisively. She was the big winner, and Yan Lili would not be able to look her in the eye.
She suddenly turned to look at Tang Hao, as though she suddenly thought of something.
Her eyes stared at Tang Hao straight unblinkingly.
“To be frank, I was a little worried earlier that the guy might be you,” she said.
“How would that be possible?” Tang Hao laughed.
The corners of Qin Xiangyi’s lips curled upward into a mischievous smile. “Don’t tell me that you’ve never been tempted before? That Fang Ya is at least an eight out of ten!”
“I really didn’t!” Tang Hao said awkwardly.
He knew that it was all a set-up, which was why he was not moved by Fang Ya’s advances.
“Really?”
“Really!”
Qin Xiangyi chuckled when she saw Tang Hao’s serious face. “Alright! I was just pulling your leg. I know that you don’t have any feelings for that Fang Ya. Your beautiful personal assistant is many times more beautiful than her anyway.”
Tang Hao coughed lightly and felt even more awkward.
Qin Xiangyi had seen Han Yutong many times before because Han Yutong was Tang Hao’s personal assistant.
“I allow you to make mistakes, Lil Tang. You’re still young, and I’m not expecting that you can withstand all temptations…”
Qin Xiangyi leaned closer to Tang Hao and looked into his eyes.
“Sis Xiangyi, I…” Tang Hao wanted to say something but she covered his mouth.
“I’m not done speaking yet. I allow you to make mistakes, but…” she poked a finger at Tang Hao’s chest as she spoke, “This part has to belong to me.”
She leaned closer and kissed Tang Hao’s lips.
Tang Hao was stunned.
Qin Xiangyi smiled and held his hand. “Why are you still standing there? Let’s go! We’re free for the next three days.”
Tang Hao came to his senses, started the car, and drove out of the mansion.
The three people enjoyed their time in River Delta City for the next three days.
When they went back to Westridge, she was immediately caught up with matters in her clothing factory, while Tang Hao was also busy handling the preparations for the formation of Haotian Group.
For example, where the location of the new company would be.
They had rented a location near Haotian Co. Ltd. but Tang Hao was not quite satisfied. He wanted to build his own building for Haotian Group and call it Haotian Plaza. That would be very impressive.
He had told Liu Dajun about his idea before, to which the latter agreed immediately.
With Liu Dajun’s connections, obtaining the necessary finances and construction site would not be a problem. He would let Liu Dajun’s Brilliant Property handle that.
Liu Dajun was incredibly enthusiastic about the idea. He wanted to make Haotian Plaza a landmark of Westridge District.
The next two days passed by uneventfully.
One afternoon, Tang Hao picked up a call from Captain Gao.
“Hey, Brother Tang!”
Captain Gao’s hearty voice was heard once the call was picked up.
“Is there anything, Captain Gao?” Tang Hao was curious.
“It’s like this. Do you know this guy called, what was it again, Chang Qing? He’s quite old, probably fifty or sixty years old,” Captain Gao said.
“Chang Qing?” Tang Hao was taken aback. The name sounded familiar.
Soon, he recalled where he had heard of the name before. That must be Taoist Master Chang Qing, the underdog of Mao Mountain.
He had not seen Taoist Master Chang Qing for a long time. Their last encounter was in September of last year when Taoist Master Chang Qing was abducted by a bunch of werewolves, and he had to be saved by Shabby Taoist Master and the others.
Tang Hao had not seen Taoist Master Chang Qing ever since then.
“I know him!” He said urgently, “What happened to him?”
“Ah, it’s good that you know him. He was beaten up quite badly by some people. He was knocked out and thrown at
the roadside. He’s now in the hospital.
“I found your name in his phone contact list, which was why I called you,” Captain Gao said.
Tang Hao was shocked.
‘Taoist Master Chang Qing was beaten up? What’s going on?’
Even though Taoist Master Chang Qing was not very smart and did not have a high cultivation base, he was nonetheless a cultivator and should have been able to fend against mundane people or weak ghosts.
Unless… there was someone or something more powerful?
“Captain Gao, I am friends with that person. Can I go over and visit him? There shouldn’t be any complications, right?”
“Other than the physical injuries, he’s fine. We’re investigating who had beaten him up. If you’re free, you can come over here too,” Captain Gao said.
“Alright!” Tang Hao ended the call and immediately went to the hospital.
Tang Hao met Taoist Master Chang Qing in the hospital ward.
He had just woken up. His face was swollen and bruised, and the corners of his eyes had crusted blood. According to the doctor, some of his ribs were broken, too.
When he saw Tang Hao come into the room, he struggled to sit up.
“There’s no need, please rest!” Tang Hao quickly said.
Taoist Master Chang Qing grimaced and laughed drily. “Long time no see, Fellow Cultivator Tang! I’m ashamed that you see me in such a sorry state!”
Tang Hao went near to him and sat on the bedside. “What happened, Taoist Master? Who beat you up?”
The injuries did not seem like they were caused by ghosts.
“Sigh! It’s a long story!” Taoist Master Chang Qing said sheepishly.
He paused for a while and spoke, “I was beaten up by a bunch of hooligans.”
“Hooligans?” Tang Hao was surprised.
“That’s right!” Taoist Master Chang Qing nodded. Then, his expression became serious.
“Fellow Cultivator Tang, you know about that Wang villain, right? I’ve heard from Senior Brother Xuan Ling that you’ve had an encounter with him before.”
“Indeed!” Tang Hao replied.
“Actually, I’ve been trying to track down this villain. I’ve finally gotten a lead, and I’ve been following it for the past few days.
“However, I was discovered when I was following them. They called over a bunch of hooligans and beat me up!
“I didn’t want to raise too much attention, which was why I didn’t fight back. That was how I got these injuries!”
Taoist Master Chang Qing shook his head and lamented his bad luck.
Tang Hao was curious when he heard that.
He knew that Mao Mountain had been searching for Wang Changsheng but had not found anything. [However, Taoist Master Chang Qing managed to find a lead!
He was quite surprised by that.
Chapter 385 - Hu Dahai’s Lucky Break
“What’s the lead?” Tang Hao asked.
His expression turned grim. If Taoist Master Chang Qing was in Westridge, did that mean that the lead had brought him there?
Did that mean that Wang Changsheng was in or near Westridge too?
Neither possibility was good news.
Taoist Master Chang Qing propped himself up and leaned against the headboard. “I’ve heard from Senior Brother Xuan Ling that, after the battle in South Beach, the Wang villain was nowhere to be found. He guessed that the villain must have hidden himself and was recuperating somewhere.
“That made the search a lot more difficult, which is why I’m also called in to help.
“I thought that I’d give it a shot. If I could find him, then I would have contributed to a good cause, and maybe I might be once again recognized as a Mao Mountain disciple.
“I didn’t find anything for the next month and a half. I was already planning to give up but I once found a lead by coincidence.”
Taoist Master Chang Qing grinned smugly as he said that.
He continued talking. “A few days ago, I was in another district. I read in the local papers that there was a call for blood donations because the blood banks there were running low on reserves.
“I didn’t care about it too much, but I checked for more information out of sheer curiosity and found out that about half a month ago, there was another blood shortage in the local blood banks. That made me suspicious.
“The official explanation was that there was an increasing demand for blood in hospitals. However, I went to the hospitals to check and found that it was not true.
“If there isn’t a natural explanation for the phenomenon, then it must be something supernatural. That was when I realized that something was amiss!
“However, I didn’t think at that time that the incident would be related to the Wang villain. It was a blood-related incident after all, and it most likely had something to do with vampires.
“It was not the first time that vampires went after blood banks. I staked out at the blood bank for a few days and found out that the Wang descendants were behind it.
“They’ve planted an insider in each of the blood banks and used them to steal blood.
“After investigating it further, I’ve also found that not only Province Z, but also several surrounding provinces have the same thing going on. However, they were smart enough to space out the locations of blood banks from which they stole the blood.”
Tang Hao’s brows were locked tight when he heard that.
‘If the Wang family descendants are behind the blood shortage, then Wang Changsheng must be not far away. However, why does the Wang villain want blood?
‘Right, the Wang villain practices heretical sorcery. Blood is nourishing. Even though donated blood isn’t as nourishing as fresh monster blood, the quantity would make up for quality.
‘That old villain is quite smart. He knows that Mao Mountain is keeping a close eye on him, and that’s why he’s keeping a low profile. He’s not going after rare monsters but instead blood of mundane humans.
“Is there the same problem with the blood bank in Westridge too?” Tang Hao asked seriously.
Taoist Master Chang Qing nodded, after which his expression turned indignant.
“The manager of the Westridge Blood Bank is a total bastard. He looks like a fat pig and he has a bad temper. Half of my injuries are caused by him alone.
“His surname is Hu, and… what was his name again? Right, it’s Hu Dahai! Every one of those bastard hooligans calls him Brother Dahai!”
Tang Hao nearly did a spit take when he heard the name.
‘Hu Dahai? Why is it him again?’ Tang Hao was speechless.
‘Why doesn’t he ever learn? The first time, he brought trouble to Yan’er and her family. The second time, he brought bulldozers to Tang Village. This third time, he became a lackey of the Wang family descendants.’
“Why, do you know that guy?” Taoist Master Chang Qing was surprised.
“He and I go a long way back. He was arrested and locked up a while ago, but I didn’t expect that he would be back to his old self after he’s released,” Tang Hao explained.
“Oh? He’s been arrested before? No wonder!” Taoist Master Chang Qing said.
He gritted his teeth and said indignantly. “That damn fatty, if not that I had to hide my identity, I would’ve bashed his head in.”
Tang Hao smiled. “Yes, that damn fatty is very arrogant and despicable. How about we go there and teach him a lesson now?”
The Taoist master was shocked. “Well… Look at my current state. I won’t be able to go. Furthermore, if we look for him now, won’t that alert the old villain and his minions?”
“No worries! He knows who I am, and he has a grudge with me. If we can encounter at least one Wang family descendant too, that would be better. We can capture them, ask them where the old villain is, and wipe out their base of operations.”
The Taoist master was shocked when Tang Hao told him the plan.
‘That plan is a little too… straightforward!’
He laughed drily.
Taoist Master Chang Qing had a weak cultivation base and therefore could only sneak around. Meanwhile, Tang Hao had a strong cultivation base which he heard was on par with his First Senior Brother. Catching several Wang family descendants would be like child’s play.
He shook his head and lamented his fate.
Tang Hao retrieved some medicinal herbs and concocted a potion for the Taoist master so that he may recover faster.
The Taoist master was almost nursed back to his normal health about half an hour later. Tang Hao gave a call to Captain Gao and told him that he should consider the case settled, then brought the Taoist master out of the hospital.
In the manager’s office of Westridge Blood Bank.
Hu Dahai leaned back in the genuine leather chair. His legs were placed on the table.
After the stint in jail, he was slightly thinner. His hair was combed back neatly and shined with oil. He wore a white doctor’s coat and black-rimmed spectacles, which made him look rather pretentious.
The rings on his ten fingers were gone, though he held a cigar between the fingers of his right hand.
He took a long drag, narrowed his eyes in pleasure, and nearly moaned out of loud. He gently exhaled and filled the room with white smoke.
Amid the swirling smoke, he saw paradise!
There was a bottle of fine liquor on the table and fat stacks of cash in the safe. Not far away, there were two pretty ladies in nurse uniforms polishing the chairs. Their butts wriggled as they worked.
‘Oh my! I can’t hold it back anymore!
‘If this isn’t paradise, what is?’
He dragged his cigar another time and felt that his body was floating.
‘This is true happiness!’
Recalling his past, and comparing that to his current state made him count his lucky stars and almost cry tears of joy.
Two times he had all his riches taken away from him, but he had weathered through those tough times. Every time, he felt that he was a better person. He thought that he was as resilient as a cockroach, and he was beginning to be impressed by himself.
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