Chapter 473 - 446: Hold Me
Pei Lin said, "Can you help me this once? I know you have a way."
Xu Chunliang said, "Pei Lin, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but this involves your family matters. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to jump in blindly, would it?"
Pei Lin looked at him with tearful eyes, "Do you look down on me because of this? But when I first entered society, I hit walls everywhere trying to sell pharmaceuticals. Yang Mufeng was the director of the cardiology department at Hai Zhou Second Hospital. I was inexperienced, and he was so kind to me..."
The more Xu Chunliang didn’t want to hear her secrets, the more she spoke. She was determined to lay it all out today.
Xu Chunliang said, "Sis! Sis! I’m begging you, please stop. If you say too much, you’ll have to silence me later. I’ll try my best to help you deal with Yang Mufeng."
He wouldn’t let Yang Mufeng off the hook anyway, and now that he knew this guy was making a fool out of Zhao Feiyang, he might as well help Old Zhao vent his anger. Did they really think it’s that easy to trifle with our Changxing Hospital president? But he couldn’t be too sure; with someone like Pei Lin, who knows who the real victim is.
Though Pei Lin isn’t exactly innocent, Tang Jinglun and Yang Mufeng are even more despicable. What’s the skill in using private matters to threaten a woman?
Seeing Xu Chunliang finally agree, Pei Lin wiped her tears with a tissue and said, "Rest assured, I’ll never forget your kindness."
Xu Chunliang said, "It’s better if you act like this never happened. I’ll do my best to make Yang Mufeng shut his mouth."
Xu Chunliang had no intention of opposing the entire Hua Nian for her. This time, he just happened to develop a plan to deal with Yang Mufeng as well. Anyway, he had never intended to let this scumbag go.
Pei Lin said, "As long as Yang Mufeng stops smearing me, I’ll handle the issues with Tang Jinglun myself."
Pei Lin sought Xu Chunliang’s help, and in the end, Xu Chunliang even contributed more than 200 yuan worth of braised pig intestines and head meat. With the new year approaching, it’s only right to send some gifts to the president. Zhao Feiyang was a bit pitiful, on the verge of getting married, yet unaware of the truth. Pei Lin was far more complicated than he imagined.
After Pei Lin left, Zhen Chun kindly reminded him, "Cousin, don’t get involved with married women."
Xu Chunliang glared at her, "What do you know!"
"I know plenty, like how young people don’t realize the value of older women and mistakenly treasure young girls."
"At your age, what on earth is going on in that head of yours?"
##
Yang Mufeng had been diligent these past two days, but he wasn’t happy inside. After Dong Changhao resigned, he thought he would naturally take over. Little did he expect Tang Jinglun to bring Pei Lin over to fill the gap.
This incident made Yang Mufeng realize that he held no importance in Tang Jingwei’s eyes, just a mere pawn, a card to control Pei Lin.
Once a card is played, it loses its value. Yang Mufeng understood this was not a place he could stay long term. Although he dared to threaten Pei Lin, he never intended to publicly disclose their secret. Revealing the secret would mean losing his leverage, and Tang Jingwei certainly wouldn’t continue to invest in him.
He wasn’t as fearless as he claimed. He thought everything was temporary, and once he leveraged this matter to get a substantial payoff, he would leave, go somewhere he was unknown, and rebuild his career. With his skills, he believed he could rise again.
Yang Mufeng decided to have a good talk with Pei Lin. He gave her a call.
Pei Lin had just returned home with some takeaway from Mao’s, preparing to cook a nice meal for Zhao Feiyang in the evening.
Seeing another call from Yang Mufeng, she couldn’t help but feel troubled. This guy just wouldn’t leave her alone. She hoped Xu Chunliang would deal with him soon.
Pei Lin still had high hopes for Xu Chunliang. Last time, even the tricky Zhou Yisheng was successfully dealt with by him.
But before Xu Chunliang made a move, Pei Lin had to temporarily appease Yang Mufeng.
Suppressing her inner disgust, she answered the call.
Yang Mufeng bluntly said, "I want to see you."
Pei Lin said, "I’m busy!"
"Remember SEVEN STAR? The same place as last time, 8 PM."
"I won’t be there."
Yang Mufeng threatened, "You don’t have to come, but if I don’t see you by 8:05, I’ll have a nice chat with Zhao Feiyang about our past."
"Go to hell!"
Pei Lin hung up the phone, her face white with anger. She was both hateful and fearful of Yang Mufeng. These days of anxiety were pure torment. She took a deep breath, glanced at the time—6:30 PM. Since Yang Mufeng’s appearance, she hadn’t had a moment of peace. It was as if each day dragged on forever, and at this rate, she’d go crazy in no time.
Yang Mufeng chose this location because in the past, when he and Pei Lin had their tryst in Dongzhou, she had taken him to this bar. In that sense, he was somewhat sentimental.
At 8 PM, Yang Mufeng arrived at SEVEN STAR on time. The bar was bustling and noisy, but it was precisely in such a place where no one would pay attention to you. Most people were lost in their own worlds, dancing passionately under dim lights and stimulated by the alcohol.
Yang Mufeng headed directly to a secluded corner. In the past, they always chose booth 17 when they came. Yang Mufeng had reserved the spot in advance. It was relatively isolated, and there were no cameras around. He didn’t want to attract attention.
He had just sat down when a strong fragrance wafted in. Looking up, he saw a blonde woman standing in front of him.
Yang Mufeng was momentarily stunned before recognizing the heavily made-up blonde as Pei Lin, and he started to smile.
Pei Lin probably dressed this way to avoid being recognized. She was even wearing glasses. Yang Mufeng noticed Pei Lin’s shoes; the heels were very high, at least seven centimeters. Didn’t she say she was pregnant? How could she be so careless?
Pei Lin sat down opposite him.
Yang Mufeng said, "I almost didn’t recognize you."
Pei Lin said, "Get to the point quickly. I’m in a hurry."
Yang Mufeng said, "It’s nothing important, really. I just wanted to catch up with you."
Pei Lin said, "There’s nothing to discuss between us, Yang Mufeng. Let’s just say I’m begging you, could you please stop bothering me and leave my life?"
Yang Mufeng said, "Do you hate me that much?"
Pei Lin said, "I admit I once liked you, but that’s all in the past. I know you’ve been through a lot of setbacks recently, but everything you’ve experienced wasn’t caused by me, so why entangle me?"
Yang Mufeng took a sip of his drink and said, "If I hadn’t fallen for you, why would I have gotten a divorce? I always thought you liked me, but now I realize everything you told me was a lie."
"Enough. We both know what kind of people we are. What do you want, exactly? As long as I can do it, I will agree, Yang Mufeng. You don’t realize how deep the water is here. Tang Jinglun doesn’t value your abilities; he’s just using you to threaten me, to control Zhao Feiyang. You’re just a pawn. As soon as you’re no longer useful, he’ll kick you aside without hesitation."
Yang Mufeng’s heart was pierced with pain; proud as he was, he could only accept the reality of being treated like a pawn.
Pei Lin said, "For the sake of the relationship we once had, will you let me go?"
Yang Mufeng said, "Unless you give me ten million."
Pei Lin stared at Yang Mufeng in astonishment. Ten million was an astronomical figure for her. She couldn’t believe words like that could come from Yang Mufeng’s mouth. He used to be so proud, so protective of his reputation, and now he had become a shameless scoundrel, using their past for extortion.
Yang Mufeng thought she hadn’t heard him clearly: "Give me ten million, and I’ll leave and never mention what happened between us again."
"I don’t have that much money! I can at most give you three million."
"No negotiation. You’re marrying Zhao Feiyang, and Zhao Feiyang is the director of Changxing Hospital. Ten million is nothing to you. Not a penny less." Yang Mufeng held up his phone triumphantly, "I recorded everything you said."
"Despicable! When did you become so despicable?" Pei Lin’s blood boiled; she had never hated anyone so much.
Yang Mufeng said, "I’ve changed my mind. You not only have to give me ten million, but you also have to spend the night with me."
"Yang Mufeng, you’re inhuman!"
Yang Mufeng wore a shameless grin, "I do miss the feeling of having you beneath me."
Pei Lin stood up; Yang Mufeng thought she was leaving, but instead, Pei Lin sat beside him, grabbing his lapel. Yang Mufeng was worried she would slap him but was surprised when Pei Lin offered her lips.
Yang Mufeng kissed her soft lips, and time seemed to rewind to the past. This lingering kiss softened his heart; maybe he was being too harsh on her.
Pei Lin released him, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Yang Mufeng said, "Alright, nine million. You give me nine million, and we’re done."
Pei Lin said, "Can you promise not to trouble me again?"
"I promise!"
"Did you tell Tang Jinglun our secret?"
Yang Mufeng laughed, "Do you really think I’m that foolish? If I show my hand, I lose my value."
"I can give you the money, but can you destroy all the photos and videos?"
Yang Mufeng picked up the phone in front of him and said, "Don’t worry, everything’s in here. I promise the secret will never be leaked."
Pei Lin picked up the glass in front of her, "Then it’s a deal. I’ll gather nine million in three days."
Pei Lin forced a charming smile, holding back her inner resentment, "Cheers!"
Yang Mufeng raised his glass to clink with hers and then drank.
Pei Lin once again fell into his arms, "Mufeng, hold me!"