Chapter 82: Hurting Each Other!

"I believe you!" Long Wuhen responded almost without hesitation, leaving Qin Chuan momentarily at a loss for how to continue the conversation.

Usually, the story should unfold with Long Wuhen expressing disbelief, then himself displaying his skills, stunning her into belief and winning her heart in the process...

Qin Chuan stroked his chin, increasingly suspicious that Long Wuhen possessed some cheat that allowed her to overhear his inner thoughts, deliberately refusing to follow the expected script.

But Qin Chuan was clearly the invincible protagonist in his own exclusive background music, not some villain merely hoping to survive until the finale—was it really necessary to encounter such an unconventional heroine?

"Mr. Qin, we need to sit down and have a proper conversation. What do you think?" Long Wuhen suddenly shifted the topic.

Qin Chuan nodded in agreement.

Long Wuhen then dismissed the bodyguards, leaving only herself and Qin Chuan alone in the vast private room.

"Mr. Qin, I must dissolve this engagement. State your terms—so long as they're within my means, I will do my best to fulfill them." Long Wuhen wasted not a word, plunging straight into negotiations.

What surprised Long Wuhen was that Qin Chuan replied even more swiftly and directly than she did. When she stepped out of the Imperial Suite, it still felt somewhat unreal.

The conditions Qin Chuan had proposed were so simple for Long Wuhen that she seriously suspected he intended to break off the engagement anyway.

But none of that mattered now; her goal prior to arrival had been achieved. Her younger brother merely looked pitiful, but had suffered no real harm.

Moreover, Qin Chuan had assured her that he had administered acupuncture while her brother was unconscious, and, combined with the prescribed medication taken as directed, his depleted health would recover within three months. Long Wuhen offered Qin Chuan her sincere gratitude.

Yet recalling Qin Chuan’s request for something tangible in return—like letting him touch her thigh or massage her feet—instantly extinguished any spark of gratitude she had just felt.

"Qin Chuan would make a decent friend," Long Wuhen silently concluded.

Just then, Long Wudi, lying on the rear seat of the business car, slowly regained consciousness. As he took in his surroundings and was about to speak, the searing pain on both cheeks made him grimace.

After a while, Long Wudi managed a faint smile and cautiously asked, "Sis, why are you here?"

"If I hadn’t come, you wouldn’t even know how you died," Long Wuhen replied in a flat, emotionless tone, as if stating the most ordinary fact.

Long Wudi was well accustomed to his sister’s manner of speaking and didn’t take offense.

"Sis, do you really think Qin Chuan would dare harm me? Even if he didn’t go too far, I won’t let this go. He dared slap me in public, I’ll—"

"Enough!"

Long Wuhen cut him off, her voice as calm as ever, but years of experience told Long Wudi she was genuinely angry.

For a sister only fifteen minutes older, Long Wudi, like most brothers, was thoroughly cowed by the bond of blood.

"Long Wudi, be honest—who incited you to cause trouble for Qin Chuan?" Long Wuhen paused, giving him no chance to lie. "Don’t tell me it was a coincidence. You may be mischievous, but you’ve never forced girls before. Why, this time, did you target two girls both connected to Qin Chuan?"

"You have one chance to answer. If I discover you lied, from this moment on, I have no brother."

"Sis, please don’t be angry! I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you everything," Long Wudi panicked, knowing his sister always meant what she said. He quickly spilled the details: "It wasn’t entirely someone else’s idea. At a party a few days ago, I accidentally mentioned your engagement. Brother Shen suggested that breaking up the marriage would be easy—just give Qin Chuan a beating and deepen the conflict between you two. So I…"

"Shen Dongfeng?" Long Wuhen asked.

Long Wudi nodded. "Yes, him. Though I don’t think he’s good enough for you, he’s still better than that country bumpkin Qin Chuan. Honestly, Sis, anyone worthy to be my brother-in-law should at least be someone like Lu Qingdi. All those little nobodies should stay far away."

Long Wudi glanced at Long Wuhen as he spoke, only to find her gazing out the window, lost in thought, seemingly ignoring his lengthy rant about the minimum standard for a brother-in-law.

"Was it Third Uncle?"

After a moment, Long Wuhen murmured, almost to herself.

Long Wudi didn’t catch her words and couldn’t help asking, "Sis, what did you say?"

"I said, next time use your brain before acting. Don’t let yourself be used as a pawn and then laugh about it," Long Wuhen’s tone was still flat, but Long Wudi detected a hint of disappointment.

Seeing his sister sigh softly, saying nothing more, Long Wudi could only sulk in silence, unwilling to argue.

"Third Uncle, why are you targeting Qin Chuan? Could his previous requests to me be related?" Long Wuhen pondered.

Elsewhere.

Qin Chuan returned to the Lan family estate with the Lan sisters, Lan Jin and Lan Xin.

Inside the business car.

"Second Miss, you’re now the big boss of Night Never Ends Bar. Will I be able to get in for free?" Awei joked as he drove.

Before Lan Xin could respond, Qin Chuan jumped in first: "Actually, what Awei wants to ask is whether he can hook up with the girls from the Night Never Ends dance troupe."

The Lan sisters gave Awei odd looks, as if saying: So that’s the kind of person you are!

Awei awkwardly dug his toes into the accelerator, causing the car to speed up, engine roaring.

"Mr. Qin, I just want some free drinks, really!" Awei hurriedly tried to salvage his dignity.

Qin Chuan refused to let him off, "Right, right, you just want the liquid courage to hit on the dancers."

"Mr. Qin, when Zhao Ling’er and Zhao Cai’er were dancing, didn’t you stare so hard your eyes glazed over? I remember you even whistled," Awei muttered, inwardly thinking: If you want to play, let’s all play!

Qin Chuan’s face reddened. Those twin sisters were truly stunning, and with their alluring outfits and seductive dancing, what man could resist?

He, Qin Chuan, was a bachelor untouched by romance; getting excited in that situation was perfectly normal!

"Jin, call Lin Wanyu and tell her to join us for Miss Long’s banquet in five days. I’ve already spoken with Long Wuhen. Whether we can secure the partnership will be up to our abilities," Qin Chuan decided to change the subject.

Lan Jin rolled her eyes. "Brother Chuan, that was a pretty abrupt topic shift, don’t you think? Not like you at all!"

"I’m just being practical—how is that changing the subject?"

Qin Chuan paused, then continued, "But speaking of the Zhao sisters, their dancing is indeed impressive. I should learn from them someday. Lan Xin, you arrange it for me!"

The car fell silent, then everyone simultaneously shot Qin Chuan disdainful looks, especially Awei, whose gaze held a trace of envy and resentment.

At that moment, Qin Chuan suddenly frowned and said in a low voice, "Awei, we’ve been tailed for so long and you didn’t notice? What are you even doing?"

Awei was momentarily stunned. He thought Qin Chuan was just shifting the topic again, but a glance in the rearview mirror made his expression turn serious.

He clearly saw three sedans behind them, constantly switching positions but always trailing the business car. The lead vehicle kept a consistent distance.

"Could it be Zhuo Yihu coming for revenge?" Lan Xin asked nervously.

Qin Chuan immediately dismissed the idea. "Zhuo Yihu is clever; he wouldn’t risk his own neck."

"Then who could it be?" Lan Jin was equally anxious.

"Why guess? Just ask," Qin Chuan said, voice deep. "Awei, find a quiet spot and pull over. I’ll deal with these uninvited guests."