Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: The Instigator

Qin Tuo and Han Zilin had just walked out of the company entrance when a voice called out from behind them.

"Qin Tuo, wait for me..."

He turned to see Liu Ping, of all people, chasing after them.

Liu Ping gave an awkward smile and forced himself to say,

"Qin Tuo, I’ll go with you!"

Qin Tuo was surprised.

"Liu Ping, aren’t you scared?"

Though Liu Ping was worried, he insisted,

"Qin Tuo, I’m on your team. How can I just stand by and watch you go on this risky venture alone?"

Liu Ping’s eyes still held a hint of cowardice, but he was a man of principle.

Qin Tuo found himself admiring his guts and nodded with a smile.

However, they had barely taken a few steps before Liu Ping’s old habits flared up.

He mumbled,

"Qin Tuo, you think maybe we should file a police report before we go? You know, just in case something happens and we can’t get away in time."

Qin Tuo almost laughed. Liu Ping really couldn’t shake his old habits.

He patted his chest and said earnestly,

"Don’t worry. You’re coming with me to collect a debt, and I guarantee you’ll be fine. If something does happen, I’ll take full responsibility."

For some reason, hearing Qin Tuo’s words put Liu Ping’s heart at ease.

The three of them then hailed a cab and arrived at their destination.

The company was called the Qian Group, a large, publicly traded corporation.

As they arrived at the entrance, they saw it was a magnificent, imposing building.

Han Zilin couldn’t help but grumble,

"This company is obviously so wealthy. How can they not have the money to pay their debts?"

Liu Ping chimed in,

"Yeah, this company has a reputation for being a deadbeat. I heard the last person who came to collect a debt even got their legs broken..."

The memory made his face cloud over with worry.

But Qin Tuo just smiled and said casually,

"Things like this are all too common these days. Nothing to be surprised about."

A flash of anxiety crossed Liu Ping’s eyes; he was clearly intimidated by the imposing company headquarters.

"Let’s go."

Qin Tuo led the way, about to walk into the company.

Just then, someone from behind called out Han Zilin’s name.

Han Zilin turned her head.

"Oh, Xiaoqian, what are you doing here?"

A stylish, fashionably dressed young woman carrying a designer handbag walked over.

It was Han Zilin’s university roommate, Zhang Xiaoqian, one of her supposed best friends.

Zhang Xiaoqian looked Han Zilin up and down, a flicker of contempt hiding in her eyes.

But upon seeing Han Zilin’s obviously prettier face, a hint of jealousy surfaced.

"Zilin, what are you doing here?"

Han Zilin forced an awkward smile.

"Oh, nothing. Just here to take care of some business."

But Zhang Xiaoqian feigned surprise, saying,

"Business at the Qian Group? Oh, you probably don’t know this, but my boyfriend is a general manager here at the Qian Group!"

At this, a look of envy flashed in Han Zilin’s eyes.

"Wow, Xiaoqian, your boyfriend is amazing."

The smug look in Zhang Xiaoqian’s eyes intensified.

"Of course! My boyfriend is young and successful. You have no idea how many beautiful women flock around him, but he only has eyes for me!"

Seeing the envious look on Han Zilin’s face, Zhang Xiaoqian was secretly gloating.

Back in college, Han Zilin had been the campus belle of their department.

All the guys had chased after Han Zilin, while they barely gave Zhang Xiaoqian a second glance.

Because of this, Zhang Xiaoqian had always been secretly jealous of Han Zilin.

Now that she saw Han Zilin wasn’t doing so well, she was determined to rub her own success in her face.

"Oh, right, Zilin, I bet you haven’t heard. My boyfriend promised to make me a project manager. I’ll be a manager soon! If you ever want to change jobs, you can come work for me!"

Zhang Xiaoqian adopted the tone of a superior, her voice dripping with condescension.

Han Zilin just nodded and mumbled an affirmation, an inexplicable sense of loss welling up inside her.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Zhang Xiaoqian took out her car keys and pressed the fob.

BEEP BEEP!

Not far away, a bright red BMW 5-Series flashed its headlights.

"Wow, Xiaoqian, you drive such a nice car?"

Han Zilin was stunned.

Zhang Xiaoqian lifted her chin, crowing,

"Another birthday present from my boyfriend. What do you think? It’s a beauty, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, it’s gorgeous!"

Sweet and naive, Han Zilin was completely oblivious to Zhang Xiaoqian’s arrogant tone.

Zhang Xiaoqian’s eyes fell on the work ID hanging around Han Zilin’s neck, and she couldn’t resist asking,

"So, what kind of job did you end up getting?"

Han Zilin looked a little embarrassed.

"I’m just a regular sales rep for a company."

Zhang Xiaoqian’s eyes went wide. She put on an exaggerated expression and even circled Han Zilin dramatically.

"Oh! Zilin, you were so exceptional back in college! So pretty, all the boys were crazy about you... How did you end up doing so poorly for yourself?"

Han Zilin’s face flushed, and she didn’t know how to respond.

Zhang Xiaoqian went on,

"A regular sales rep? How is a job like that worthy of a pretty face like yours? Isn’t it a waste?"

Han Zilin lifted her head and said resolutely,

"I may just be a regular employee, but I’ll make my life better through my own hard work."

Pfft!

A disdainful look crossed Zhang Xiaoqian’s face.

"Well, you’d better work really hard, then. Otherwise, how are you going to pay back the hundreds of thousands you owe?"

At these words, all the color drained from Han Zilin’s face, leaving it ashen.

The words instantly brought back memories of that unbearable past.

Just then, Qin Tuo, seeing Han Zilin was done chatting with her friend, walked back over.

He arrived just in time to hear Zhang Xiaoqian’s last sentence.

His eyes narrowed, and he asked,

"Oh? And how would you know she’s in debt?"

Zhang Xiaoqian didn’t answer. Instead, she looked Qin Tuo up and down, her eyes filled with contempt.

"Zilin, is this your boyfriend? He looks like a country bumpkin!"

Han Zilin quickly explained.

"Brother Tu... he’s a great person. It’s not what you think."

She shot Qin Tuo an apologetic look as she spoke.

Qin Tuo couldn’t care less whether Zhang Xiaoqian looked down on him. He just wanted her to answer his question.

"You still haven’t answered my question. How do you know about this?"

Qin Tuo repeated coldly.

From the tone of Zhang Xiaoqian’s voice, he was beginning to realize something.

Zhang Xiaoqian couldn’t even be bothered to reply, making it clear she looked down on Qin Tuo.

Fearing Qin Tuo would be embarrassed, Han Zilin explained in a low voice,

"Brother Tu, the reason I took out those online loans... it was on Xiaoqian’s advice. She was the one who found the lender for me."

After hearing this, Qin Tuo’s expression turned frigid.