Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: A Heart of a Snake and Scorpion

Qin Tuo had always been puzzled about something.

A good girl like Han Zilin, even if she was short on money, could have just borrowed from someone else.

No matter what, it didn’t make sense for her to inexplicably take out a high-interest loan from some street thugs.

And Qin Tuo was certain that someone must have set her up.

He never expected the truth to finally come to light like this—it turned out to be the handiwork of the woman right in front of him!

Qin Tuo walked straight up to her, his face a mask of cold indifference.

"Was it you who tricked Zilin into taking out that high-interest loan?"

Seeing Qin Tuo’s aggressive demeanor, Han Zilin immediately pulled him back.

"Brother Tu, don’t be angry. It’s not her fault!"

Until that moment, the naive Han Zilin still had no idea how serious the situation was.

Qin Tuo frowned.

"Zilin, you’ve been betrayed by your best friend, and you’re still completely in the dark."

"Huh? Brother Tu, why would you say that?"

Han Zilin looked utterly baffled.

Seeing Qin Tuo’s attitude, Zhang Xiaoqian, who had been ignoring him, seemed to decide to just go for broke.

"That’s right, it was me. So what?"

Qin Tuo’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them.

"Zilin treated you as her best friend. Why would you lead her down this road of no return?"

Zhang Xiaoqian was ready to drop all pretense. She snorted coldly and said:

"She was always the one in the spotlight at school, hogging all the good things for herself. I just couldn’t stand seeing her so well-off, so I wanted to ruin her so badly she could never get back on her feet!"

After this vicious tirade, Han Zilin was completely stunned.

Qin Tuo stared coldly at Zhang Xiaoqian, a fire of anger slowly igniting within him.

No matter how good his self-control was, Zhang Xiaoqian had managed to thoroughly enrage him.

Zhang Xiaoqian continued to vent her resentment, chattering on endlessly.

"It’s just a shame those loan sharks were so incompetent. The fact that you’re still wandering around means they’re a bunch of good-for-nothings. Otherwise, you’d probably have your arms and legs broken by now, turned into a cripple!"

Every word was a dagger to the heart, her venomous nature laid bare for all to see.

Han Zilin couldn’t believe her ears, frozen in utter astonishment.

She simply couldn’t comprehend how her roommate and best friend of four years could harbor such immense malice toward her.

Han Zilin asked in a hoarse voice:

"Xiaoqian, why? Weren’t we the best of friends? I don’t think I ever did anything to provoke you, did I?"

Zhang Xiaoqian laughed maniacally.

"HAHA! Han Zilin, I just can’t stand to see you happy! I just want you ruined beyond all hope of recovery! Is that reason good enough for you?"

"I... I..."

Han Zilin stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

Kind and honest her whole life, when had she ever been schemed against like this?

On top of that, the person she considered her good best friend had suddenly revealed such a vicious side, leaving her completely at a loss.

"Zilin, are you okay?"

Seeing Han Zilin’s devastated expression, Qin Tuo patted her shoulder with concern.

Han Zilin sagged weakly against Qin Tuo’s shoulder. In that moment, she felt incredibly vulnerable.

Seeing Han Zilin hurt so badly, Liu Ping’s own sense of justice flared.

"You damn bitch! To think she treated you as a best friend, yet you tried to ruin her! You’re utterly shameless!"

Zhang Xiaoqian shot Liu Ping a cold glance, a mocking expression on her face.

"And who the hell are you? You think you’re worthy of talking to me? What a country bumpkin!"

With that, she flashed a triumphant smile, as if she had just won a great victory.

Then, without paying the three of them any more mind, she sauntered into the company building.

The moment Zhang Xiaoqian was gone, Han Zilin could no longer hold back and began to sob.

Her mind was in turmoil, and her hands and feet grew cold.

Qin Tuo sighed softly. ’What a silly girl!’

"Brother Tu, am I really that stupid?"

Han Zilin’s face was pale, her voice filled with despair.

Qin Tuo comforted her:

"Zilin, don’t overthink it. What’s past is past. Someone like her isn’t worth your friendship. From now on, just be more careful about who you trust."

Han Zilin shook her head and gave a bitter smile.

"But I treated her as my best friend! Anything good that happened, I’d share it with her first. Why would she want to harm me like this? What did I do wrong?!"

Her repeated questions revealed the depths of her breakdown.

No matter how Qin Tuo tried to console her, it had little effect.

Qin Tuo knew that more words were useless at this point. Anyone who went through something like this would find it hard to accept.

To find out that the best friend she had trusted for years harbored such venomous thoughts, and that all her recent misfortunes were thanks to this very "friend."

It was already impressive that Han Zilin hadn’t completely lost control of her emotions.

Liu Ping stood silently to the side, not knowing what to do.

’Seeing Han Zilin like this, she obviously can’t go inside with me.’

Qin Tuo beckoned.

"Qin Tuo, what is it?"

Liu Ping said in a low voice.

Qin Tuo instructed:

"How about this: you stay here and make sure she’s safe. I’ll go up and collect the debt by myself."

Liu Ping’s face was filled with astonishment.

"Oh? Going up alone? Can you handle it?"

Qin Tuo snorted coldly.

"Don’t worry, it’s not a problem!"

However, Liu Ping was still very worried. They had sent several people to collect the debt before without success, and that other incident had even occurred.

How could it be possible for Qin Tuo to get the money back all by himself now?

But by then, Qin Tuo had already walked inside.

Liu Ping had no choice but to follow his instructions and watch over Han Zilin.

With a frosty expression, Qin Tuo walked into the Qian Group building.

One by one, the employees sized him up with hostile gazes.

Qin Tuo remained expressionless, exuding a cold aura that kept anyone from daring to approach.

He had already made up his mind. He was definitely going to settle the score with Zhang Xiaoqian today, and he couldn’t do it in front of Han Zilin.

This was precisely why Qin Tuo had come in alone.

Qin Tuo walked directly to the front desk.

The receptionist was extremely arrogant, head down, doodling on something, and didn’t even acknowledge him.

Qin Tuo said in a low voice:

"I’m here from Mani Company to collect a debt. Please have your general manager come down."

He got straight to the point, stating his purpose directly.

The receptionist looked up, sized Qin Tuo up for a moment, and couldn’t help but let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Kid, you came here all by yourself?"

Qin Tuo said coldly:

"What, is there a problem with coming alone?"

The receptionist had clearly seen a thing or two and said mockingly:

"Before coming here, didn’t you bother to ask around about who our boss is?"

Qin Tuo laughed too. ’This company really is shameless. Even a receptionist is this arrogant.’

He emphasized once more.

"I’ll say it again. I’m here to collect a debt. Get the person in charge out here."

Seeing how forceful Qin Tuo was, a flash of surprise crossed the receptionist’s eyes, and then he muttered under his breath.

"Well, I’ll be damned, the sun must have risen in the west. To think there are still people in this world who aren’t afraid to die!"

He pointed in a direction.

"There. The general manager’s office. Take the elevator over there to the fifteenth floor. You can go up yourself."