Chapter 99: I Actually Misjudged

Watching Qin Chuan, his face flushed with excitement at getting his wish, as he began pulling off his clothes, Tan Shuying and Wei Dapeng were both stunned speechless, utterly dumbfounded.

When had she ever agreed to his outlandish request? And besides, she was about to walk straight into the tiger's den, where who knew what kind of torment awaited her—how on earth did that count as "good deeds bring good rewards"?

"Wait, big brother, could you please not take your clothes off first? When exactly did I agree to anything?" Tan Shuying was the first to snap out of it, hurriedly speaking up to stop him.

Only then did Qin Chuan pause his undressing, replying with a question of his own: "Silence means consent—isn't that how it always goes in the TV shows?"

That actually made a weird kind of sense!

For a moment, she found herself with no rebuttal!

As a well-known actress in the industry, Tan Shuying had indeed played plenty of scenes where "silence means consent."

But TV dramas were TV dramas, and reality was reality—how could the two possibly be conflated?

"Wei Dapeng, I have nothing to say about you being coerced by someone, but could you at least let this innocent bystander go?" Tan Shuying pointed at Qin Chuan and asked.

Wei Dapeng hesitated for a moment, not immediately responding. Instead, he asked Qin Chuan, "Do you know my young mistress?"

"Is she famous?" Qin Chuan shot back.

Wei Dapeng raised an eyebrow, then signaled for Tan Shuying to take off her sunglasses.

Tan Shuying instantly understood what Wei Dapeng meant—he was worried that once Qin Chuan was released, he might spread the news of her kidnapping. After all, she was a household-name celebrity. If word got out prematurely, even that Master Zhuo would have to worry about the consequences.

Once the glasses came off, Qin Chuan got a clear look at the woman's true face. Her facial contours were like finely crafted porcelain, her flawless features arranged in perfect harmony.

Especially those bright, captivating eyes of hers—they were like a universe containing countless stars, irresistible in their charm, drawing one in helplessly and unable to look away.

Seeing the mesmerized look in Qin Chuan's eyes, Tan Shuying quickly put the sunglasses back on. She was long accustomed to that kind of gaze from the opposite sex. Still, holding onto the belief that saving a life was better than building a seven-story pagoda, Tan Shuying subtly waved her hand at Qin Chuan, signaling that no matter what, he had to say he didn't know her.

Seeing Qin Chuan flash an OK gesture in return, Tan Shuying breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least this guy wasn't completely ruled by his lower half—he still understood that life came before everything else.

However, Qin Chuan's next words nearly made Tan Shuying trip over her own feet. "I do know her. Of course I know her. I see her almost every single day."

Tan Shuying pressed a hand to her forehead, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer, and asked, "Didn't you just understand my hand gesture? Then why did you still say you know me?"

"I did understand it! Weren't you waving your hand to tell me it didn't matter whether I knew you or not?" Qin Chuan said with complete self-assurance.

Tan Shuying's mouth twitched. This guy was an absolute genius at misinterpreting things—he'd just single-handedly thrown away his only chance at survival.

Wei Dapeng sneered, "In that case, there's no reason to spare your life."

"Then can you at least grant the condition I mentioned earlier? Let me die without regrets. How does that saying go? 'Better to die beneath the peony, content even as a ghost.' Yes, that's the one. Let me be a lustful ghost—consider it you storing up some good karma. Who knows, it might come in handy someday?"

When Qin Chuan said this, Wei Dapeng couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, saying with profound admiration, "Unshakable lust, a true genius. A man is a lecher till the very end."

Tan Shuying simply closed her eyes, not wanting to say another word. Weirdos turned up every year, but this year had to take the prize. This guy was staring death in the face and still thinking about that sort of thing—it was absolutely off the charts!

"Young mistress, drive now. And don't try any tricks, or I won't hesitate to detonate the bomb in the car."

As he spoke, Wei Dapeng delivered a sharp chop to the back of Qin Chuan's neck. Watching Qin Chuan's head loll to the side as he passed out, Tan Shuying's last shred of hope died completely.

Earlier, in an attempt to dodge the knife, she'd found her chance and driven the car erratically, only to learn that a remote-controlled bomb had been installed in the vehicle.

Tan Shuying had slammed on the brakes in a panic, and her plan to attract the attention of passersby had fallen apart. Instead, she'd cost an innocent person his life. Tan Shuying was now thoroughly regretful, and a hint of guilt crept into her gaze as she looked at Qin Chuan.

Sure, the man was a bit lecherous, but he didn't deserve to die for it!

Left with no choice, Tan Shuying could only follow Wei Dapeng's directions and drive toward the villa district in the southern suburbs.

About an hour later, the Porsche finally came to a stop in front of a villa. Wei Dapeng made a phone call, and five or six hulking black-suited bodyguards emerged from inside.

At the sight, Tan Shuying's heart sank to rock bottom. She'd long heard that there was a Master Zhuo in Binhai City who had a particular taste for sleeping with female celebrities. No fewer than fifty B-list and C-list actresses who'd come to Binhai to shoot films had all fallen into his clutches.

Among them, a few actresses who had wealthy backers had come afterward to seek justice. The result was that not only did they fail to gain any advantage, they were toyed with once more. Word had it that Master Zhuo's older brother was the boss of the underground world in Binhai City, with pull in both the legitimate and criminal spheres.

Tan Shuying had thought that as a top-tier celebrity with family support behind her, Master Zhuo wouldn't dare act rashly. But she'd never expected to have underestimated his audacity.

Still, judging by the means he'd used to force her here, Tan Shuying could see some signs that Master Zhuo was being cautious. When he went after other B-list and C-list actresses, he usually just grabbed them directly from the film set. For those with a bit more influence, he'd approach through dinner invitations, using a combination of sweet talk and intimidation to achieve his ultimate goal.

But with her, he'd resorted to threatening the lives of her personal bodyguard's family. From the outside, it looked like she was simply out running errands with her bodyguard. Disappearing for just a few hours wouldn't arouse any suspicion from the outside world.

"Young mistress, time to get out."

Wei Dapeng said in a low voice.

Tan Shuying let out a cold snort. Though she could foresee her fate, she still maintained her pride. Just as she was about to open the car door, she heard a voice from beside her.

"Don't leave me behind! I want to go with you and see the world."

Tan Shuying turned her head and saw that Qin Chuan had woken up at some point.

Wei Dapeng was equally shaken. In his estimation, Qin Chuan shouldn't have regained consciousness for at least several hours.

Just as the two of them were both stunned, Qin Chuan, with lightning speed, pulled Tan Shuying into his arms while simultaneously clamping his right hand around her neck.

"Have that Master Zhuo come out to see me. Otherwise, he'll only get to play with a dead celebrity," Qin Chuan said with a grin, rolling down the window with his other hand and addressing the black-suited bodyguards outside.

Wei Dapeng and Tan Shuying were completely baffled, their eyes fixed on Qin Chuan in utter disbelief.

As someone who had undergone systematic combat training, Wei Dapeng could tell from the fluid, practiced movements Qin Chuan had just displayed that he was clearly trained in martial arts. That explained how he'd recovered so quickly—it was even highly possible that his earlier unconsciousness had been an act all along.

"I can't believe I misjudged you!" Wei Dapeng said as he moved to engage Qin Chuan up close, but before he could make any move, he saw a flash of silver light, followed by a thin needle striking him with pinpoint precision in the chest.

"What... what is this?"

Wei Dapeng felt a numbing sensation spread instantly from his chest throughout his entire body. Any further movement was now next to impossible.

"Sit there and don't move. I'll deal with you after I've handled that Master Zhuo."

Qin Chuan's words sent a chill down Wei Dapeng's spine. Even a fool would realize by now that Qin Chuan's abilities were unfathomably deep, and everything he'd displayed earlier had been an act.

Tan Shuying, too, had her hope reignited amidst her shock. The fact that Qin Chuan had just said he would deal with Master Zhuo proved that he had no conflict of interest with her. The enemy of one's enemy is one's friend. Perhaps this could buy her a chance to escape humiliation.

"Handsome, we could cooperate..."

Before Tan Shuying could finish, Qin Chuan cut her off. "Cooperation is fine, and getting you out of this mess is fine too. But first, let me collect a little interest. You don't mind, do you?"

"I definitely—"

"I knew you definitely wouldn't mind. Come on, come on, give me a kiss to warm things up!"

"...