Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 14

“You have plenty of other ways to deal with Xia Zhixue. I can dig up all the dirt on her you want. Do you really have to take such a risk yourself?”

Qin Yu couldn’t help but nag Xia Jin relentlessly.

Xia Jin felt a pang of guilt. “Well, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing…”

“Cut the crap,” Qin Yu scoffed, not buying her excuse for a second. “I’ve only ever seen you beat others up since when does anyone dare lay a finger on you?”

Just as Qin Yu was about to say more, his phone buzzed, the caller ID showed Chi Fan.

Xia Jin secretly sighed in relief and quickly nudged his shoulder. “Go on, answer it! Chi Fan’s calling. If you’re a few minutes late, Lelai might go bankrupt!”

Qin Yu shot her a glare and lowered his voice to warn her, “Stay put and don’t run off. We’ll talk about this when I get back.”

Xia Jin nodded repeatedly, waving him off. “Got it, now go!”

Anli’s Assistant also spoke up, “Miss Xia Jin, please wait a moment. I’ll go get Anli for you right away.”

“Sure, thanks!”

Xia Jin glanced around and noticed few familiar faces, no one worth greeting so she settled alone on a corner sofa, waiting for Anli to find her.

As Xia Jin sat by herself scrolling through her phone, a shadow suddenly fell over her.

She looked up to see a young man holding a glass of wine standing beside her.

Xia Jin immediately recognized him as Zhou Chengye, the notorious playboy of their circle.

He had been embroiled in multiple scandals, even involving artists from his own company.

The backlash had been so severe that the entire internet demanded the blacklisting of the tainted celebrities.

Left with no choice, Xia Jin had to sideline the artists to minimize damage to the company’s reputation.

Zhou Chengye swirled his wine glass, his tie loosely hanging around his neck, his cuff stained with a half-smudged lipstick mark. He smirked and asked, “I was wondering which beauty was sitting here all alone. Turns out it’s President Xia.”

Xia Jin forced a polite smile. “Sorry, darling, but could you move aside? You’re blocking my light.”

Instead of stepping back, Zhou Chengye leaned in closer. “I love this icy, untouchable act of yours. If you’d just slept with me once back then, I could’ve helped clear your name. Too bad you refused.”

“If you like this type, I can introduce you to a few. But I’m already taken now, so I’ll have to pass.”

Xia Jin had no intention of engaging with him further.

Zhou Chengye, however, wasn’t convinced. He teased, “President Xia, you’re such a joker. Everyone knows you’re a notorious workaholic since when do you have a partner?”

“Congratulations, then,” Xia Jin replied, lightly swiping her phone screen without looking up. “You’ll be the first to know about it.”

Zhou Chengye clearly didn’t believe her and lazily raised an eyebrow. “President Xia, are you playing hard to get with me?”

Ugh, why was Zhou Chengye as clingy as a piece of sticky plaster? Impossible to shake off.

Xia Jin lowered her eyes and sighed. “Do you know the biggest difference between humans and animals?”

Zhou Chengye raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Humans can understand what others mean, but animals can’t.”

Zhou Chengye’s face instantly darkened with rage as he pointed at her nose. “Y-You dare call me a beast?!”

Xia Jin shrugged helplessly. “See? You understood that just fine, proves you’re not a beast after all.”

“I heard two top artists recently jumped ship from President Xia’s company?”

Zhou Chengye let out a cold laugh, his gaze dark and menacing as he stepped closer. He pointed at the champagne tower on the opposite table: “If President Xia can finish all this champagne, I’ll invest 40 million in Stellar Cube.”

Their argument had already drawn the attention of many around them. Upon hearing Zhou Chengye’s words, the crowd began murmuring.

“Just drink some alcohol and get a 40 million investment? Young Master Zhou is certainly generous.”

“But that champagne tower has at least 20 glasses. Drinking all that would be dangerous!”

“Damn, I always say women have it easier. Just drink with someone and get paid, while we men have to work our asses off. If it were me, I’d drink it.”

Xia Jin was appalled by these comments, feeling like she’d just witnessed the full spectrum of human idiocy.

The commotion also caught Ye Tiyan’s attention. Frowning, he was about to step in and help Xia Jin when Xia Hongchang stopped him.

Xia Hongchang, seeing Xia Jin in this predicament, only felt embarrassed. “Xiao Ye! I know you’re kind-hearted and treat her like a sister, but Xia Jin is nothing but an ungrateful wretch. There’s no need to help her.”

Ye Tiyan paused.

He knew Xia Jin’s temperament too well. If he intervened now, not only would she not thank him, she’d likely snap at him too.

Ye Tiyan nodded. “Understood, Uncle Xia. Where’s Zhixue? Didn’t she come with you?”

“Zhixue said she wasn’t feeling well and went home after talking to that ungrateful girl. No doubt Xia Jin said something to upset her. Zhixue is too soft-hearted, she didn’t want me to see her upset, so she made an excuse to leave.” Xia Hongchang grew angrier as he spoke.

Ye Tiyan frowned. “Xia Jin has gone too far this time. Uncle Xia, I’ll go call Zhixue and check on her.”

Xia Hongchang nodded. “Go ahead. Comfort her properly.”

Just as Xia Jin lowered her head, thinking of how to counterattack,

Qin Yu’s voice suddenly rang out from behind. “Oh, Young Master Zhou, discussing investments?”

He strolled over casually, pulled out a chair, and sat beside Xia Jin, tapping the edge of the round table with his fingers. “Funny, I’ve been thinking about investing in something lately…”

Zhou Chengye’s heart leaped with excitement. Was Qin Yu considering investing in him?

“But for an investment…” Qin Yu also pointed at the champagne tower. “If you finish all this alcohol, I might be in a good enough mood to throw in some funds.”

Zhou Chengye’s pupils constricted. Everyone knew Qin Yu was notoriously generous with his investments. If he could secure this deal, projects worth hundreds of millions would be within reach!

He stared at the rows of champagne bottles, swallowing hard, but hesitated. “President Qin, this… drinking all this could be life-threatening.”

Qin Yu crossed his legs, a smile on his face but his tone icy. “You don’t have to drink.”

Serves him right!

Xia Jin couldn’t help but laugh at Zhou Chengye’s conflicted expression.

Qin Yu turned to meet her gaze, and seeing the amusement in her eyes, his tense heart finally relaxed.

He had been afraid Xia Jin might be on the verge of tears from humiliation.

Zhou Chengye finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind. What was a little alcohol?

If it meant securing a partnership with the Qin Group, it was worth it.

Zhou Chengye walked up to the champagne tower and began downing bottle after bottle.

As he tilted his head back to finish the last one, he staggered toward Qin Yu, his face full of ingratiation. “President Qin, what do you think…?”

“You’ve worked hard.” Qin Yu reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a check. He leisurely wrote a few strokes with his pen before handing it to Zhou Chengye.

Zhou Chengye’s eyes gleamed with greed, heaven had finally smiled upon him! This was his moment to bring glory to the Zhou family!

He eagerly snatched the check and scrutinized it.

Wait… something wasn’t right.

The entire check bore nothing but a solitary “One” followed by a decimal point and two zeros, along with Qin Yu’s hastily scrawled signature.

Zhou Chengye’s voice trembled as he spoke, “President Qin, what… what does this mean?”

Qin Yu feigned innocence. “Why, this is your investment, Young Master Zhou!”

The moment those words registered, Zhou Chengye felt the world spin before his eyes.

Whether it was the sting of Qin Yu’s mocking remark or the twenty-plus glasses of champagne churning violently in his stomach, Zhou Chengye suddenly retched, spewing blood-streaked liquor before collapsing heavily to the floor, his fingers still clutching that crumpled one-yuan check.

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

Some whipped out their phones to snap pictures, others pretended to make calls while sneaking glances, yet not a single person dared to step forward and help him up.

After all, Qin Yu had made him do it.

Well, not exactly.

It was more like Qin Yu had said it, and Zhou Chengye had actually gone through with it.

“How much did he drink? He needs to be rushed to the hospital!”

“Qin Yu is too ruthless. This is Anli’s welcome banquet, how dare he cause such a scene…”

“Shh! Watch your words. Qin Yu isn’t someone we can afford to cross.”

Just as the murmurs swelled, the sharp click of high heels echoed down the spiral staircase.

Anli, clad in a shimmering silver-gray mermaid gown, strode swiftly forward, her brows furrowing at the mess on the floor.

With a slight tilt of her chin toward her assistant, two black-suited bodyguards immediately stepped forward, hauling Zhou Chengye away like a sack of potatoes.

The one-yuan check slipped to the ground, trampled underfoot by a bodyguard until it was nothing but a crumpled scrap.