Huo Tianzong was puzzled. "Master Chen, Yang Ling said you attacked the Yang Group, but you've been here the whole time. How could you have attacked them?"
Chen Yang respectfully replied, "Master Huo, there are some confidential reasons I can't disclose. But I did indeed do something to the Yang Group."
Huo Tianzong was a perceptive man. Seeing that Chen Yang didn't want to elaborate, he didn't press further. He sighed with relief, "The important thing is that you're safe."
Chen Yang then said to Huo Tianzong, "Master Huo, please tell Yang Ling that I agree to his terms."
Huo Tianzong nodded and left.
After the agreement was reached, Han Yumei's family immediately changed their tune. They said they wouldn't press charges against Chen Yang, claiming that the incident had nothing to do with him and that Han Yumei had always had a pre-existing condition. It became clear they had just been trying to extort money from Chen Yang.
Qin Moyao had been aware of the situation's intricacies all along. The previous obstacle had been Han Yumei's family's insistence on blaming Chen Yang. Now that they had given up on pressing charges, releasing Chen Yang was the logical next step.
Qin Moyao had been out of Binhai City for the past couple of days and hadn't heard about the bloody incident at the Yang Group while in the provincial capital. Yang Ling and the Jiangnan City officials wanted to keep the matter under wraps, dealing with it privately.
Yang Ling had spent a fortune, using both threats and bribes to ensure the victims' families remained silent.
When Qin Moyao heard that Han Yumei's family had dropped the charges against Chen Yang, she was overjoyed. She immediately rushed back to Binhai City with Lin Qingxue and the others.
Qin Moyao knew that Chen Yang must have done something to force Yang Ling to back down.
Regardless, Chen Yang's safe release was the best possible outcome.
At eleven in the morning, Chen Yang finished giving his statement and signing the paperwork. He was then released.
Outside the police station was a courtyard surrounded by lush green trees.
Bright sunlight flooded the yard, making everything look vibrant.
After being locked up for over a week, Chen Yang howled like a wolf upon regaining his freedom.
That was just the kind of carefree and unrestrained person he was.
At that moment, several cars pulled up. Qin Moyao, Su Qing, Lin Qingxue, and Tang Qingqing—four stunning beauties—stepped out.
Each of the four women had her own unique charm. Su Qing exuded mature allure. Qin Moyao was valiant and captivating. Lin Qingxue appeared cold yet pure. Tang Qingqing was beautiful with a hint of mischief.
The four women were delighted to see Chen Yang released unharmed.
Tang Qingqing was the first to speak, giggling as she teased Chen Yang, "Hey, dead man walking! Was that a wolf howl or a ghost wail?"
Chen Yang looked at Tang Qingqing, unfazed. He chuckled and said, "Qingqing, you must have missed your big brother terribly. Come on, give me a hug." He moved as if to embrace her.
Tang Qingqing wouldn't have it. She quickly hid behind Su Qing, saying, "Hug Su Qing instead!" She pushed Su Qing forward.
Su Qing's face immediately turned red. Chen Yang felt too embarrassed to hug Su Qing in public, so he just scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.
Lin Qingxue looked at Chen Yang and smiled softly. "It's good that you're alright. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then treat you to a feast."
Chen Yang's diet hadn't been great during his confinement, so he eagerly agreed, "That's a great idea."
Qin Moyao, standing to the side, said, "I have some work to take care of, so you all go ahead without me."
But Tang Qingqing wouldn't hear of it. "Sister Moyao, you can't skip out on this. It'll be so much fun with everyone together. Your work can wait a bit."
Chen Yang chimed in, "Yeah, Captain Qin. I should properly thank you, too."
Unable to refuse, Qin Moyao finally agreed.
The atmosphere among the four beauties was quite harmonious, except for Su Qing, who still struggled to fit in. For one, she was the oldest. Secondly, her background made her feel inferior in their company.
Lin Qingxue and the others carried designer bags and drove luxury cars. Su Qing was just an ordinary working-class woman, and the gap felt enormous. Although Lin Qingxue and the others were considerate of Su Qing's feelings, she remained sensitive to the differences.
Su Qing didn't want to continue hanging out with the group, but at this point, she didn't want to spoil the mood either.
Everyone quickly got into their cars.
Chen Yang rode in Qin Moyao's car, sitting in the passenger seat. Su Qing sat in the back.
As they drove off, Qin Moyao couldn't help but ask Chen Yang, "What exactly did you do to Yang Ling? Why did he back down?"
"That's classified information!" Chen Yang said with a chuckle.
Chen Yang didn't dare let Qin Moyao know the truth. Although she wouldn't be able to arrest him since he hadn't personally done anything, Chen Yang knew that if Qin Moyao found out, she would be furious and might even come to hate him.
Chen Yang didn't want to lose Qin Moyao as a friend, so he kept quiet.
Seeing Chen Yang's attitude, Qin Moyao knew he wouldn't spill the beans. She thought for a moment and decided it wasn't necessary to know all the details. Perhaps knowing would only bring more trouble. So, she dropped the subject.
The important thing was that Chen Yang was safe.
The rest of the day was spent showering, eating, and having fun. During this time, Lin Qingxue and Tang Qingqing also asked Chen Yang how he had managed to make Yang Ling compromise, but Chen Yang always deflected with a joke. He consistently refused to explain, leaving everyone frustrated but resigned.
After eating, they went karaoke singing.
After a wild day of fun, it was suddenly evening.
The group had dinner again, and by the time they finished, it was already nine o'clock. Through this round of merrymaking, Qin Moyao, Tang Qingqing, and Lin Qingxue had grown much closer.
Su Qing, however, became increasingly withdrawn.
Finally, Qin Moyao drove Chen Yang and Su Qing home.
Although quiet, Su Qing maintained her politeness. Upon arriving home, she thanked Qin Moyao once again.
Chen Yang was more casual, simply waving goodbye to Qin Moyao.
Qin Moyao didn't mind; in fact, she seemed pleased by the lack of formality between them.
Chen Yang and Su Qing stood in front of their rented apartment, watching Qin Moyao's car disappear into the distance. Once the car was out of sight, Su Qing silently turned and entered her apartment.
Chen Yang was taken aback. He had been looking forward to finally getting rid of all the "ladies" so he could enjoy some alone time with Su Qing. He hadn't expected this reaction from her.
Feeling dejected, Chen Yang followed Su Qing and called out, "Sister Qing, what's wrong?"
Su Qing had just opened her door and entered her apartment. When Chen Yang tried to follow her inside, she blocked him. Her expression was somewhat melancholic and distant. Without looking at Chen Yang, she said, "I'm tired today. You should get some rest too." With that, she closed the door.
Chen Yang stood there, dumbfounded. What was going on?
Being the carefree person he was, Chen Yang couldn't grasp the changes in Su Qing's mood. Unable to make sense of it, he decided not to dwell on it and returned to his own apartment.
This guy wasn't one to get discouraged easily. Instead, he was eagerly anticipating Su Qing's shower time.
He had been pent up for over a week, after all.
Sure enough, Su Qing soon went to the bathroom to shower. Chen Yang jumped out of bed, extremely excited. He quickly made his way to the wall and removed the loose brick.
He saw Su Qing enter the bathroom wearing the blue dress she had on earlier that day. She was carrying a set of pajamas.
Seeing this, Chen Yang took a deep breath and decided to take a cold shower to calm himself down. After the cold shower, all his restlessness had dissipated.
Chen Yang called Ye Buyi.
"Little Leaf, thanks a lot. I'm out of trouble now," Chen Yang said.
Ye Buyi's voice was unprecedentedly gentle as he replied, "Big brother, no need."
No need to say thanks.
Chen Yang smiled slightly and said, "Leave the country as soon as possible. If I get the chance, I'll come find you."
Ye Buyi said, "Understood." He paused, then asked, "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
"You did very well," Chen Yang reassured him.
He knew why Ye Buyi was asking this question. Ye Buyi knew that Chen Yang didn't like killing people, yet Ye Buyi had killed many.
But Chen Yang wouldn't blame Ye Buyi for this. The people Ye Buyi killed were all part of Chen Yang's own debt. He was only grateful to Ye Buyi.
Moreover, Ye Buyi was an excellent assassin. It wouldn't have been possible for Chen Yang to instruct him to kill fewer people or how to do his job. That would have only held Ye Buyi back.
After hanging up, Chen Yang was about to go to sleep.
Unexpectedly, another call came in. This time, it was Yang Ling.
"This is Yang Ling," he said by way of introduction.
Chen Yang wasn't surprised. He calmly asked, "What can I do for you, Young Master Yang?"
Yang Ling said in a deep voice, "I must admit, I underestimated you."
Chen Yang laughed coldly and said, "It's the middle of the night, Young Master Yang. Don't you sleep? Or did you call just to say these meaningless words?"
Yang Ling fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "What would you do if I were to capture Su Qing, Lin Qingxue, Tang Qingqing, and the others?"
Chen Yang was slightly taken aback, then grinned and said, "Then I can guarantee you that the Yang Group would go down with them."
Yang Ling let out a cold laugh and said, "The only reason I'm tolerating you is that I don't want to alarm the Yong generation uncles or my elders in Beijing. Don't think for a moment that I can't deal with you if I wanted to."