Chapter 151: A Beauty’s Stratagem (Part One)!

Chapter 151, A Beautiful Woman's Scheme (Part 1)!

Everyone was completely dumbfounded by this scene.

The one who took the beating was gritting his teeth to endure, while the one who delivered the beating was weeping bitterly.

What kind of play was being acted out here?

No one knew Tang Zhong's background, and therefore no one could possibly understand Jiang Keqing's feelings at this very moment.

Perhaps Su Shan knew half of it. Even so, she only knew the tip of the iceberg and could hardly probe into the deepest, hidden layers.

She was crying not just out of anguish for the grievances Tang Zhong was suffering at the moment, but rather as an eruption of repressed guilt for all the grievances Tang Zhong had endured over so many years.

Just as she had said to her older sister: You feel guilty toward him, and so do I.

Before he was even born, he was destined to have a life different from everyone else's, robbed of the warm and beautiful family that others took for granted.

What he ate was prison fare, and what he wore were tiny diapers improvised from work uniforms.

The very first word he uttered was "Ma", yet the person he had to answer to as a response was "Dad".

He had no amusement parks or playmates, only a towering mountain and eccentric uncles and aunts.

He experienced peace, yet he also suffered endless torment.

He went through trials and tribulations, sometimes tasting a profound emotion known as loneliness.

While in prison, he came to know a university student—a rapist. The man had raped his own half-sister, then murdered her and disposed of the corpse. In the eyes of the world, he was a heinous, unredeemable pervert. Yet, at times, Tang Zhong actually felt a trace of envy toward him.

Because despite committing such wicked deeds, there was an old woman who frequently lingered outside the prison gates. Wind could not blow her away, rain could not drive her off, people could not chase her away, and vehicles could not send her packing. She would leave only to return, carrying her own rice and flour, drinking spring water when thirsty, and chopping wood to cook when hungry, all for the sake of catching a glimpse of her son.

It was not until that university student was executed by firing squad that she vanished from the prison gates.

And what about Tang Zhong?

He could sing, dance, pick locks, mix medicines, fight well, climb tall trees, write calligraphy, and play chess. Every time he mastered a new skill, he longed for someone to praise him, to say, "Tang Zhong, you're so good, you're so amazing, you're so incredible."

The Bearded Man never spoke such words to him, and as for him—he had no mother.

That was the first time Tang Zhong felt that his life had a flaw.

Jiang Keqing did not know these details, but as a woman, she understood the agony of a mother and child being separated and the hardships of a child growing up alone away from home.

Perhaps, in her imagination, Tang Zhong had suffered from hunger and lacked proper clothing as a child, with no little toys and no fast food, sitting all day in the prison courtyard playing with mud or catching crawfish in the water with his bare bottom...

When a woman's maternal instincts overflowed, reason completely vanished.

This was only her second meeting with Tang Zhong; for the past dozen years or so, their lives had intersected in almost no way whatsoever.

Precisely because of this, she found it utterly intolerable for others to insult and bully Tang Zhong. Moreover, she knew a bit more than the others—she knew that Nomad had boasted wildly about breaking one of Tang Zhong's legs. Naturally, she also conveniently ignored the fact that Tang Zhong had said the exact same thing to Nomad.

Children, of course, were always best when they belonged to one's own family.

This was why she had recklessly rushed forward to slap Nomad across the face, because she feared Nomad might actually carry out his threat.

Others might not understand, but Tang Zhong did.

In his heart, there wasn't just a sense of being moved; there was something much greater—warmth. The warmth of someone caring about him.

This was a sensation he had never experienced before.

Tang Zhong patted Jiang Keqing's shoulder and said with a smile, "I've been doing very well."

Jiang Keqing's tears flowed even faster as she said, "That's good. Once I'm done slapping him, we can have a proper chat."

After delivering a few slaps, Jiang Keqing's anger had more or less vented itself. She glared at Nomad like a crazed tigress and threatened, "I know you're a mad dog, but I wouldn't mind playing the butcher for once."

"Are you done hitting me?" Nomad asked with a smile. His expression was twisted and distorted, his face resembling a crumpled ball of paper. Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, flowing all the way down to his neck, but he paid it no mind. "You can only beat me, you cannot kill me."

"That depends on whether it's worth it," Jiang Keqing said with a sneer.

"I never bother thinking about such complicated questions," Nomad laughed wildly. "I only care whether I'm happy or not."

"Then you'd better think about how many people will be buried along with you."

"I don't even care about my own life and death; who would care about anyone else's?" Nomad said in a manic state. "The weak do not deserve to live in this world."

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Keqing's eyes.

This pervert—not only did he loathe the entire world, but the person he hated most of all was himself.

He hated that he was deformed, hated that he possessed an illustrious lineage only to become the laughingstock of everyone. Precisely because his birth was far too distinguished, the sound of other people's mockery was instantly magnified tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, a millionfold.

He feared neither death nor others dying for his sake.

What a fascinating and thorny fellow this truly was.

"Oh? What's going on today? Why is it so lively?" A clear, bright voice echoed from outside.

Without needing to look deliberately, everyone saw a giant of a man step into the conference room.

The newcomer stood nearly two meters tall, dressed in an oversized suit, standing at the doorway like a small mountain that blocked everyone's view.

Seven Kills. Gongsun Jian.

Upon seeing Jiang Keqing, Gongsun Jian greeted her with a smile, saying, "Oh my, has Sister Jiang graced Pearl City with her presence? How is it that I didn't even get a phone call? Isn't that a bit too distant? No matter what, you have to give us younger brothers a chance to show you some local hospitality!"

"Am I that close with you?" Jiang Keqing retorted ungraciously. "Why would I call you?"

"Hehe, I always thought Sister Jiang and I were pretty close." Gongsun Jian knew Jiang Keqing's explosive temper, so he didn't get angry and kept smiling. He swept his gaze across the conference room, then looked at Nomad, whose cheek was red and swollen, and asked, "What's this? Is Sister Jiang bullying people again?"

"Things are already this obvious, do you even need to ask?" Knowing that this kid was here to smooth things over, Jiang Keqing showed him zero courtesy.

"Yes, yes. It's my fault for being muddled." Gongsun Jian nodded repeatedly.

He looked at Nomad and said, "How did you end up running over here? You made an appointment to meet me at Splendid at eight o'clock, but when I got there, I couldn't find hide nor hair of you. Are we still going to talk business or not? If we are, let's make it quick; I don't have time to waste hanging around with you."

Nomad glanced at Jiang Keqing and walked past her.

The group of men he had brought with them felt even less need to stay and hurried to follow behind him.

Gongsun Jian smiled at Jiang Keqing and said, "Sister Jiang, if you're not leaving in the next couple of days, you simply must let me play the host."

"No need. I'm very busy." Jiang Keqing flatly refused.

Gongsun Jian then greeted Su Shan and Tang Zhong before turning to leave. As he walked out, he didn't forget to help close the private room door.

Now, only the members of the Red Eagle Club and the two outsiders, Tang Zhong and Jiang Keqing, remained in the conference room.

Jiang Keqing looked at Tang Zhong and said, "Come with me. I have something to ask you."

"Can it wait a moment?" Tang Zhong said. "I need to handle some business first."

"Fine. I'll wait for you in the second-floor cafe." With that, Jiang Keqing turned and left the room.

Su Shan looked at Tang Zhong, Lu Junzhuo looked at Tang Zhong, and all the members of Red Eagle looked at Tang Zhong.

They had no idea why Tang Zhong was staying behind at a time like this. Did he want to rejoin Red Eagle? Or was he planning to exact revenge for the opposing votes they had just cast?

"Should we now reintroduce ourselves to Mr. Tang Zhong?" The chubby Rice Bug was the first to break the indoor silence. Relying on the fact that he had voted in favor when Su Shan initiated the referendum earlier, he walked over enthusiastically to cozy up to Tang Zhong. "Brother, we've never heard of a big shot like you around here before! Is this what they call the true master hiding his brilliance beneath a modest exterior?"

"Indeed." Pang Ai also walked over, actively extending her hand to Tang Zhong as she said, "Who would be like you, hiding two dirty pennies as if you couldn't wait to tattoo them on your face? Pang Ai, from the Southeast. If Young Master Tang ever heads over that way, you simply must let me know."

"I think Tang Zhong is still very well-suited to stay in Red Eagle," someone chimed in. It was a person who had just voted against him—as if the person who had rejected Tang Zhong's membership a moment ago was a completely different individual.

Those who understand the times are wise!

Tang Zhong had already demonstrated his strength; what reason did they have left to refuse him?

"Thank you all for your enthusiasm," Tang Zhong said with a polite smile, acting as if he suffered from total amnesia and completely forgetting how these very people had just tried to freeze him out.

He looked at Lu Junzhuo and Su Shan, saying, "I'd like to discuss a few matters privately with the two presidents. We can talk more in a moment, is that alright?"

"No problem at all, no problem. I was just wanting to step outside and get some fresh air."

"I need to make a trip to the washroom."

"We're going outside to smoke a cigarette. Our Madame President doesn't like the smell of tobacco in here, none of us ever dare to smoke in front of her—"

Very quickly, only three people remained in the conference room: Tang Zhong, Su Shan, and Lu Junzhuo.

Tang Zhong walked right up to Lu Junzhuo and punched him squarely in the stomach.

Lu Junzhuo doubled over in agony, unable to straighten up for a long time.

"This punch is just to let you know that I already found out about how you used me," Tang Zhong said. "Now, we are even. You can leave."

Lu Junzhuo struggled to stand back up, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He cast a worried glance at Su Shan, and when Su Shan nodded at him, he finally turned and left with reluctance.

Tang Zhong walked over to Su Shan, shoved her backward onto the sofa, and with a swift leap, pressed her soft body down beneath him.

Her figure was so slender, yet her chest was remarkably full. He couldn't tell if it was the result of meticulous maintenance or pure natural endowment.

Su Shan showed no panic and did not struggle; she simply gazed up at Tang Zhong with bright, clear eyes.

"Now, it's our turn to talk."

"Go ahead and ask. I'll tell you everything." Su Shan knew she couldn't keep anything from Tang Zhong now. With things having progressed to this point, if Tang Zhong still hadn't figured it out, it would only be deeply disappointing.

"All of this was a setup by you, wasn't it?"

"Yes. And no," Su Shan replied. "I knew Nomad would come, and I happened to know that Jiang Keqing was meeting with an elder of the Su family around here—I figured she might be interested in your affairs."