Golden Temptation – A Yuri Story - Chapter 94

Hearing this, Qiao Fei suddenly took interest. “Could you tell me more about her?”

Jing Cheng looked up, his gaze turning cold and sharp again.

Startled, Qiao Fei shrank back and quickly added, “Forget I said anything.”

A heavy silence fell, broken only by the rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the hull. After a while, Jing Cheng finally spoke slowly, “She was the woman I loved most. She was incredibly beautiful. I will never forget the flutter in my heart the first time I saw her.

I was sixteen then, a reckless boy, and she was a simple country girl helping Afu sell ice. Afu was a well-known widower in our town. When a girl suddenly appeared, everyone noticed. Later, I found out she was his niece, named Aiyun. Every day after school, I’d stop by their stall to buy a bowl of red bean ice — that taste was unforgettable.”

“One day, I came back from school just as the weather changed. It was typhoon season, and the rain came down fast and hard. The rain was so fierce it made it impossible to keep your eyes open. Afu hadn’t had time to close his stall, and Aiyun was flustered and scrambling. I went over to help. Unexpectedly, my older brother came to pick me up and, seeing what was happening, helped too.”

Jing Cheng suddenly fell silent. Qiao Fei listened intently. When he said no more, she pressed on, “And then?”

“Then? Hmph. Then she became my wife.”

Qiao Fei couldn’t help but smile softly. Jing Cheng suddenly stood and looked down at her with an imposing gaze.

“Young lady, be thankful for that face of yours — it saved one of your ears!”

The memory of Jing Cheng pulling out a knife, ready to cut off her ear, still made her shudder.

“I… can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you hate Jing Xuan so much? Isn’t she your niece? Your only blood relative?”

Perhaps the mention of blood relatives touched a sore spot, and Jing Cheng’s expression softened momentarily, but he quickly regained his usual harshness.

“I don’t hate her. But there’s a rule — debts of the father must be paid by the son. What I’m doing is merely collecting a debt.”

________________________________________

Elsewhere, Nishikawa Gorō received a report from his men and hurried to the warehouse where Lan Qing was being held.

“Miss Lan Qing, why would you do this to yourself? Why hurt yourself?”

Lan Qing lay weakly on the floor, dried blood staining the corners of her lips.

“If I die, you’ll have no leverage to threaten Jing Xuan anymore.”

Nishikawa Gorō turned to his subordinate, demanding, “What did she eat?”

“Master, we don’t know. Miss Lan suddenly became like this.”

“Useless!”

Lan Qing weakly reached out to grab Gorō’s jacket.

“Gorō, please, for the sake of our past friendship, help me persuade Uncle Nishikawa to stop. I promise no one will make things difficult for you or your father. Jing Xuan won’t, and neither will Dad.”

Gorō ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Ah, you foolish girl. I never meant to hurt you. Why are you so stupid? If not for yourself, at least think about your family.”

Lan Qing murmured again, “Help me… please help me.” Her voice grew fainter until only her lips moved, tears welling in her eyes — a truly heartbreaking sight.

“Go find a doctor.”

“Master, I’m afraid that’s impossible. If we do, we’ll expose ourselves. The police are probably already searching for us.”

“If she dies, we’re doomed anyway! Find a discreet place and then get a doctor, okay? Must I really tell you?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll do it immediately.”

Nishikawa Gorō picked up Lan Qing and took her to a small inn in town, waiting for the doctor. Suddenly, his phone rang — it was Nishikawa Heiji.

“Father, understood. I’m on my way.”

After hanging up, Gorō glanced at the still-unconscious Lan Qing, gave some quick instructions to his men, then hurried off.

________________________________________

Feeling alone, Lan Qing opened her eyes and jumped out of bed, no longer looking like a dying person. Seizing the moment, she tiptoed to the window and peered down. The sight deflated her like a punctured balloon; she slumped back beside the bed.

“Six or seven stories high… if I jump, I’ll be pancake filling!”

Since escape was impossible, she might as well get some comfortable sleep. After all, the purpose was achieved. Nishikawa Gorō would surely report to his father. The Nishikawa family was adept at playing the winds — they wouldn’t choose a risky path when there was a safe one. Thinking this, Lan Qing couldn’t help but smile faintly.

But the recent bite on her lip throbbed painfully, making her grimace. Relaxing, she lay back down, fluffing her pillow into a comfortable shape and drifted off.

________________________________________

Nishikawa Gorō returned to his father’s place. It turned out Nishikawa Heiji had received instructions from Jing Cheng to bring Lan Qing to meet with him the next day. Jing Xuan had already been informed. The show was about to begin.

“Father, there’s something I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“Why must we be puppets to Jing Cheng? He’s past his prime, yet we still help him with these kidnappings and extortions! Though our Nishikawa family isn’t what it used to be, with what I’ve learned, restoring our family’s reputation is only a matter of time. Why must we remain under his thumb?”

“Ah, Gorō, you don’t know. Our predicament today stems from a mistake I made in my youth.”

“Father, please believe in me.”

“Back then, I was a hall master in the Jingdong Society. Brother Jing Long treated me well. But I was misled by villains and joined Jing Cheng’s faction, helping him annihilate Jing Long’s family. Afterwards, Jing

Cheng ruled with an iron fist. Over time, his cruelty became clear. To survive, I took a sum of money, left the society, and returned to Japan. Now, the Jingdong Society has been rebuilt, and many old veterans have returned. If they discover my past deeds, they won’t spare me. I have no choice but to keep working with Jing Cheng.”

“Father, whether we succeed or fail this time, we won’t have a good outcome. Jing Cheng is on his last legs; he just wants to escape. If the plan succeeds, he won’t spare us.”

“But the current head of the Jingdong Society is Jing Xuan. Regardless of her grudges with Jing Cheng, I’m an accomplice in her father’s murder. She won’t let us go.”

“Father, this time we also kidnapped Iga Lan Qing! Do you think Iga Jonin will just let us go?”

Nishikawa Heiji slumped in his chair, defeated. This was a dead end — a checkmate.

Seeing his father’s despair, Gorō stepped forward and steadied Heiji’s shoulders, meeting his tired eyes with a determined gaze.

“Father, I have a plan.”