Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Her eyes sank as she continued, “I hate it when people point a gun at me. I’ll give all of you a chance. If you’re willing to work for me, I’m willing to take you in. If you want to continue working for this powerless old fellow, you should think it over. Today, will you all really be able to kill me? Also, can you guarantee that your family will not be taken revenge on? I’ll give all of you a minute to think through it. If you’re willing to work for me, put your gun down.”
The group of people seemed to have been convinced by her words. One by one, they slowly put their guns down.
Seeing how his men had obediently done so, old Mr. Shi flew into a rage. “Have all of you gone mad? You’re my men! Aren’t you scared that she’ll turn around and have all of you killed?”
“I won’t. I’m someone who stands by my word.” An Xiaoning curled her lips. “Detain this old fellow and put him in the car. Then, follow me back to the Autumn Palace.”
In just a while, those men who had changed their allegiance immediately did as they were told.
They completed the task in an efficient manner. They were not blind and were clearly aware of who was the one in power. Realistically, they would naturally work for that person.
Old Mr. Shi was captured and, together with Shi Xiaoyu’s biological mother, was brought to the secret chamber to be with Shi Xiaoyu. An Xiaoning had told them that since they missed their daughter so dearly, they should spend every day with her.
Toward her method, Shi Qingzhou did not have any objection. She had long ago thought through it. People from the Shi family were no longer related to her. They no longer mattered to her!
Toward this biological father of hers, she had long been disappointed to the core.
As An Xiaoning’s mother, she did not have any objections. Meanwhile, An Xiaoning’s biological father Tuoba Rui had also agreed tacitly to it.
While they were still in the middle of the elections, Tuoba Gucheng’s maternal side had been hauled down and had generally lost power. Tuoba Hancheng and his wife had come out to express their goodwill, but Tuoba Danxue did not even dare to show her face for fear that she would be implicated.
When it was time to return home from B City, the family of three left together.
By the time they reached A City, it was five in the evening already. At the thought that Jin Qingyan must still be at the office, An Xiaoning simply took a taxi from the airport to Jin Corporation.
Just as she entered, she was spotted by the sharp eyes of the manager at the lobby, who broke out in a wide grin. “Ms. An, you’re here to find CEO Jin?”
“Of course. Is he here?”
“Yes, yes. CEO Jin seems to be in a meeting. You can go directly up.”
“Okay.”
The lobby manager helped her to press the button of the VIP lift, which was used only by Jin Qingyan and other directors of the company.
She stepped into the lift and watched as the lift doors closed slowly.
During the period of the tsunami, she had stepped in to run the company, so An Xiaoning was very familiar with the floorplan in the Jin Corporation and knew where the meeting room was.
To prevent him from leaving directly after his meeting without returning to his office, she went to the entrance of the meeting room and discreetly raised her head parallel to the small window at the door to look in. She could see Jin Qingyan’s figure just fine, but because the sound-proofing of the room was superior, she could not hear what was being said inside at all.
His serious manner while in the middle of a meeting looked especially charming. He looked solemn and meticulous.
She had originally thought that by revealing just her eyes to look at him, she would never be discovered.
But the reality proved different.
The man who was originally talking turned his eyes like a radar detector to the door.
And so, those who were in the meeting witnessed the scene of this cold-looking man suddenly smiling.
Everyone’s eyes followed his gaze to the door and saw a pair of beautiful eyes.
Realizing that she had been discovered, An Xiaoning automatically moved aside.
The door was opened a few seconds later, and An Xiaoning looked at the man before her. She told him in a soft voice, “I’ll wait for you in your office. We can go back together after you’re done with your meeting.”
“I’m almost done anyway. I’ll just tell them.”
After his words landed, he returned inside the room and said two words in a plain tone, “Meeting dismissed.”
….
On the way back, Jin Qingyan stopped his car outside a tattoo shop. Seeing the situation, she asked naturally, “You’re getting a tattoo?”
“I want to get one done with you.”
“I don’t want to.” She knew what was coming, and An Xiaoning did not want to suffer such physical torment.
“It’s not very painful.”
“I don’t want to.”
Jin Qingyan had thought that she would be very willing to get a tattoo done with him. Unexpectedly, she actually rejected him.
This did not make him drop the idea but strengthened his urge to do so instead. He insisted in a strong tone, “You can’t disagree to it.”
Seeing that he seemed very keen to get a tattoo, An Xiaoning somewhat softened but still said on the surface, “If I go in with you, will… I get any reward?”
He answered in a resolute tone, “Of course.”
“What reward?”
“Are a hundred kisses enough?”
“Cliché.”
“Then, what reward do you want?”
An evil thought suddenly popped up in her head. “I want to dress you up as a woman once.”
“…!!!” Jin Qingyan was first startled, then he asked, “Just for you to see, right?”
“That goes without saying.”
“Alright,” he agreed readily. What was so difficult about this? In front of her, even if he had to dress up as a demon or a ghost, it didn’t matter. Other people would not see it anyway.
Just the thought of it made her delighted, and she got down from the car with him.
The boss of the shop was a mature man. Upon seeing them enter his shop, he recognized them instantly and asked them what tattoo they wanted in an especially friendly manner.
Jin Qingyan seemed to have already decided on the tattoo pattern. When the boss inquired on this, he immediately answered, “I want a dragon tattoo on my ankle and a phoenix one on hers.”
“Okay.”
Two tattoo masters came forward and helped them both at the same time.
As the tattoo master was disinfecting her skin, An Xiaoning asked, “Will it hurt?”
The tattoo master answered with a grin, “I’ll be lying if I said it won’t, but it’s within the tolerance level of most people. The level of pain varies depending on the spot too, but it’ll pass very quickly. Don’t worry, Ms. An, and don’t move around freely. It’ll influence the effect.”
An Xiaoning felt her heart tightening. She thought to herself, what kind of obstacles had she not experienced before? What kind of pain had she not gone through? It was just a tattoo, it was not a big deal at all. After all, she was not getting it done alone. There was someone seated next to her, accompanying her.
Having thought it over like this, her anxiety no longer seemed to get to her that badly.
There were some things that do not pose a heavy mental load while they’re happening. However, to expect pain from something even before it was to happen, this was a different matter.
After the tattoo master disinfected her skin, he used the machine that poked small holes on her skin while at the same time spurting out drops of ink. This level of pain was still fine for her and did not pose as much of a problem.
However, when the machine started to trace over the pattern, An Xiaoning first took in a breath of cool air. Then, when the stinging pain came from her ankle, her muscles tensed tightly and she clenched her teeth as she side-eyed the man beside her, who kept a straight face.
Suppressing the urge to launch a kick at the tattoo master, An Xiaoning sat through the torturous process and managed to have a phoenix tattoo completed on her ankle.
When it ended, her whole face had turned pale.
How was this not painful? It was simply a living hell!
