Volume 1, Chapter 36: The Formidable Queen, Ye Bing!!

By this time, Su Ming had arrived at the entrance of the Jun Tianxia Building in the city center. The skyscraper, soaring over a hundred stories high, was a landmark of Longzhou. It was clear evidence that the Lin family not only dominated the pharmaceutical industry but was also thriving in real estate, achieving significant success. The staff coming and going through the lobby were young and vibrant. Many drove cars worth over two hundred thousand, a testament to the generous salaries and benefits offered at Jun Tianxia.

Su Ming walked into the building and approached the front desk. "Excuse me, miss, I would like to see President Lin Ruoxue!" Su Ming said politely to the two pretty receptionists.

"May I ask if you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked upon hearing he wanted to see the CEO.

"No..." Su Ming shrugged, speaking quite bluntly.

"Sorry, without an appointment, the President has no time to see you." The receptionist pointed to a box filled with envelopes next to her. "See this? The appointment list is backed up until next week. Without an appointment, don't even think about seeing the President!" She then buried her head back into her work.

"Can you make an exception? I know your President. If she knows it's me, she will definitely see me," Su Ming said again.

The receptionist looked up, now visibly impatient. "Are you annoying or what? Plenty of people claim to know our President; we can't let everyone in to see her. If we did, the President would never get any work done and would just spend all day dealing with people like you! Take a look in the mirror and check your own status, seriously."

Su Ming frowned at the girl's mocking words but said nothing more, simply standing his ground at the counter. It seemed he needed to try a different approach. Thinking this, Su Ming pulled out his phone and dialed Ye Bing.

A few seconds later, Ye Bing answered. "I'm downstairs. Come down and get me!" Su Ming said in a calm tone before hanging up immediately.

Ye Bing, who was in the middle of a meeting, was stunned. "Huh? You bastard, you actually dare to make me come get you?!" She cursed at the phone, causing all her employees to stare at her with strange expressions. "Meeting adjourned!" she snapped, standing up and storming out, leaving her staff looking at each other in confusion.

Ye Bing reached the lobby and debated briefly before getting into the elevator. She couldn't let this guy cause a scene at Jun Tianxia. Besides, the prescription from last time had left her deeply curious. Despite her reluctance, she went downstairs. Soon, she arrived at the lobby and saw Su Ming standing at the reception desk.

"You little punk, you've got some nerve, making me come down here to pick you up!" Ye Bing stomped over, furious. "Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan?"

"If I could see Lin Ruoxue, I wouldn't need to bother you," Su Ming said with a faint smile. "As for my lifespan, the fortune teller said I'd live to ninety-nine, so a few years less doesn't matter!"

"Bullshit. If I catch you looking for Lin Ruoxue, don't blame me for turning hostile!" Ye Bing scolded. Seeing the crowd of employees nearby, she waved a hand and led the way. Under the astonished gaze of the receptionist, Su Ming followed Ye Bing to the elevators.

"He actually knows Director Ye..." the receptionist muttered, looking worried. "With the attitude I just had, will he complain about me and get me in trouble?"

Ten minutes later, Su Ming entered a luxurious office. The desks and chairs were made of solid mahogany, the cabinets were filled with books, and the floor was covered in a comfortable rug. The wall cabinets displayed antiques, and paintings hung on the walls. The room reeked of wealth. Su Ming sighed to himself, thinking that if his teacher hadn't taken the commission from his previous missions, he might have had such an office himself.

He plopped down onto the sofa. Ye Bing’s face turned icy. "You really have no shame, do you? Su Ming, you have no bottom line. I gave you two hundred thousand, and you agreed to leave. Why are you here again?"

Su Ming's presence was a nightmare for Ye Bing. She had sworn to Ruoxue that she had handled the ex-convict and that he would never appear again. If other members of the Lin family found out about Su Ming, it would threaten Ruoxue's career. The marriage contract was known to the entire family; if Su Ming were to move in as a son-in-law, the others would never tolerate Ruoxue remaining in charge of the group.

"I don't want to be here, but someone sought me out, and I couldn't refuse," Su Ming said, sounding innocent. "If you can convince them otherwise, I certainly wouldn't be here."

"Bullshit, don't give me excuses," Ye Bing scoffed. "I think you're just greedy and want to extort more money. Tell me, how much to make you disappear or leave Longzhou for good?" She didn't believe a word of his nonsense; she assumed the ex-convict had run out of money and was looking to use this as a cash cow. She had to get rid of him before Ruoxue found out.

"It's not about the money. I gave my word this time," Su Ming shook his head. "I am bound by a promise to fulfill the marriage contract with Lin Ruoxue."

Ye Bing stood up in a fury, gritting her teeth. "Shameless! I've never seen such a shameless toad. You think you're worthy of marrying Ruoxue? Dream on! I'll break your legs today and see if you dare to cause trouble again!"

With that, she grabbed a baseball bat from under her cabinet and marched toward Su Ming, looking menacing. Su Ming remained on the sofa, legs crossed, his face showing no emotion. His nonchalance drove Ye Bing to the brink of madness. "You bastard, you're really asking for a beating! Don't think I won't do it!"

She swung the bat with both hands, aiming directly at Su Ming. But with a flick of his hand, Su Ming tossed a cup onto the floor in front of her. Ye Bing, wearing high heels, stepped on it and stumbled, losing her balance.

"Ah!" Ye Bing screamed, dropping the bat as she fell forward toward Su Ming.

"Bastard, catch me! I don't want to ruin my face!" she shrieked.

Su Ming raised his arms to grab her shoulders, but Ye Bing instinctively twisted her body. Su Ming’s hands landed squarely on her chest. He froze, his hands sinking into the softness, feeling like balloons filled with water. Ye Bing went completely rigid, her brain going blank as if struck by lightning. A jolt of electricity surged through her body.

The air seemed to freeze. Time stood still. The two remained in that position for a full minute.