The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong felt like he was being played, and the whole routine felt strangely familiar. Just like that old man on Celestial Essence Mountain, who would first cozy up to you, then claim to be broke, and finally try to swindle you out of your money.

But after staring at Qin Yun for a long while, he couldn't find any holes in her story. Her expression was completely natural, without a hint of artificiality. 'It's all emotion, no acting,' he thought.

The only giveaway was that her clothes, jewelry, and overall aura were not those of a penniless person.

A flicker of alarm went through him. 'My money is about to be scammed away.' He decided to put some distance between himself and this woman, and turned to leave.

"Benefactor, where are you going?" Qin Yun asked, quickly standing up when she saw him about to leave.

But having just recovered, her limbs were weak. She took only a single step before losing her balance and falling into Chen Dong's arms again.

He was met with a soft, fragrant armful.

Chen Dong was immediately aware of Qin Yun's surprising resilience and softness.

'First one trick fails, so now she tries another?'

Chen Dong pushed her away and said, "A honey trap won't work on me. I'm getting a dangerous vibe from you. Forget the reward, let's just part ways here!"

His words frightened Qin Yun. This was the Jiangzhou Hotel. If Chen Dong left, what would she do if He Xiang caught her?

She immediately clung to Chen Dong tightly.

Just then, the door was thrown open, and a stream of men in black suits filed in. Their leader was the same greasy middle-aged man from before, now also dressed in a suit.

Seeing the two of them embracing, the middle-aged man's eyes burned with jealousy. "Fuck! The prize I was about to reel in got snatched by this punk! Beat him to death for me!"

The men in black swarmed forward.

Panicked, Qin Yun quickly hid behind Chen Dong.

Dealing with these ordinary thugs wasn't even a warmup for Chen Dong. Under Qin Yun's astonished gaze, the men in black fell one by one.

This didn't scare He Xiang, however. He remained as arrogant as ever, saying, "I knew you were a martial artist. Good thing I invited Tributor Zhao."

With that, he cupped his fists toward the doorway and said, "Tributor Zhao, I'll have to ask you to step in."

As his voice fell, an old man with a goatee walked in from the doorway.

"Young friend, it's not easy to cultivate your martial arts. Leave the woman behind and you may go," the old man said, his tone utterly condescending.

Chen Dong glanced back at Qin Yun, then tilted his head and asked, "Are you sure you don't have any money? This old guy is no pushover. If there's no money in it, I'm leaving."

Qin Yun grew frantic and said quickly, "I do have money! I just don't have it on me right now. Get me out of here and I'll give it to you!"

Chen Dong shot her a suspicious look. 'So it really is a scam. I almost fell for it. If I hadn't tested her, I'd have really believed she was broke.'

"Saving you this time will be a hundred thousand. Dealing with this old guy... hmm, let's call that another hundred thousand!"

Qin Yun agreed immediately. Never mind two hundred thousand; she would have agreed without hesitation even if it were twenty million or two hundred million.

The corner of the goateed old man's mouth twitched. He felt insulted. A dignified Grandmaster like himself was apparently worth a mere hundred thousand.

He roared, "Insolent whelp!"

Chen Dong chuckled. "Just a Grandmaster, and so arrogant!"

The goateed old man's expression changed. "I think you're even more arrogant than I am. Let me see what you're made of."

With that, he moved faster than the eye could see, bringing a hand-chop down toward Chen Dong's neck.

Chen Dong's right hand shot up to counter, hand-chop meeting hand-chop.

The exchange was silent. The old man stumbled back three steps.

In He Xiang's and Qin Yun's eyes, the goateed old man simply stepped forward, met Chen Dong's gaze, and then stumbled back three steps. They hadn't been able to see how they had even exchanged blows.

"How about it, old man? Still feeling so arrogant?"

The goateed old man clasped his hands behind his back, his expression unchanging. "Young friend's skills are a cut above. I am impressed."

Then, he turned to He Xiang and said coldly, "I have made my move for you. You'd best give up on that woman. Don't bring disaster upon the He Family!"

He Xiang was completely baffled. 'That's it? You call that a fight? Are you kidding me? You just stare at each other for a second? Are you two flirting with your eyes?'

He shot Chen Dong a venomous glare, then looked at Tributor Zhao. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I'll listen to Tributor Zhao. We're leaving!"

'He suspected the old man had thrown the fight, but there was nothing he could do. Chen Dong's basic strength was on full display, and He Xiang would never dare face him alone.'

The goateed old man breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, preparing to lead He Xiang away.

Chen Dong snorted coldly. "Did I say you could leave?"

Hearing this, the goateed old man tensed as if facing a formidable foe. "Young friend, wouldn't it be better to let this matter drop?"

He Xiang shouted, "I'm from the Lower River He Family! You wouldn't dare kill me, would you?"

Chen Dong ignored He Xiang with a disdainful look, turning to the old man with a slight, arrogant smile. "Forget it. I'll let it slide, considering you're old and it wasn't easy to get this far in your training."

In truth, the main reason was that Chen Dong couldn't be bothered with the trouble, especially not for a woman he had just met today.

Seeing that Chen Dong had agreed, the goateed old man grabbed the resentful-looking middle-aged man and beat a hasty retreat. The men in black on the floor scrambled to their feet and ran out of the room. Those who were still unconscious were quickly dragged away by the ones who could still move.

Once everyone was gone, Qin Yun looked at Chen Dong, her eyes sparkling.

But Chen Dong's next words were, "So, when do I get paid?"

This shattered the sparkle in her eyes. She could only say that she would pay him once she was settled. The Jiangzhou Hotel was He Family territory, and she didn't want to stay here a moment longer.

At the same time, she realized that as long as she was near Chen Dong, her sense of security was maxed out. And as for Chen Dong, it seemed all he required was money.

Having gotten her assurance, Chen Dong prepared to lead her out of the room.

But after taking a few steps, Chen Dong saw she wasn't moving and turned to look back at her.

He saw Qin Yun standing frozen in place, her face flushed red, one hand covering her chest and the other her thigh. The dress she was wearing was indeed unwearable. Not only was the bodice torn, but the hem was ripped as well.

"Could you... buy me some clothes first?" Qin Yun asked pitifully.

'Just as I thought,' Chen Dong said to himself. 'I haven't even been paid yet, and now I have to spend my own money.'

So, Chen Dong first contacted the hotel and had them send up a set of clothes. Then he called Wang Hao and told him to come pick him up at the hotel.

When the banquet ended, Li Huiran couldn't find Chen Dong anywhere. She called him, but he just told her not to wait for him.

Just as Li Huiran was about to drive back to the Li Manor, she saw Chen Dong getting into a car with another woman.