Chapter 136: Oh No! My Foot

It was past nine o’clock on an autumn night. The sudden appearance of a car in this desolate wasteland was indeed hard to fathom, so Lin Yang’s skepticism was hardly surprising. It had already been over half an hour since Lin Yang dealt with the three men who had ambushed him—a long time for someone as severely injured as he was, so his impatience was understandable.

Hearing Lin Yang’s questioning, Bai Jing was naturally anxious as well. After all, a lone man and woman stranded in the wilderness was a situation that invited awkwardness and wild speculation.

"Stop rushing me! How would I know? Blame your damn phone for running out of battery!" Bai Jing was already fuming over the loss of five invaluable biology experts. With Lin Yang pestering her, it was no wonder she snapped. His impatient questioning naturally drew a sharp, biting retort.

Taken aback by her sudden outburst, Lin Yang froze for several seconds, standing there like a statue struck by lightning.

Time slipped away, indifferent to their plight, moving forward with relentless duty. The autumn night was chilly, and they were in a barren field with no shelter from the biting wind. Lin Yang, thanks to his superior physique and internal energy, felt no cold, but the frail Bai Jing was not so fortunate. Shivering under the harsh wind, and having torn her work shirt to bandage Lin Yang’s wounds earlier, she was freezing. Under these circumstances, she could hardly be expected to give him a pleasant look.

"You didn't bring a phone either, did you?" Stung by her rebuke, Lin Yang felt a surge of irritation. He muttered a snide comment under his breath, but upon catching Bai Jing’s murderous glare, he quickly averted his gaze.

"Ah! Don't bite! It hurts, it hurts! Jing, let go!" Lin Yang shrieked, wincing as he pulled his arm away.

Bai Jing, already on the edge, had reached her breaking point. Provoked by his teasing, she unleashed her pent-up frustration by sinking her perfectly straight, pearly teeth into the back of Lin Yang’s left hand. Though it didn't draw blood, two distinct rows of deep tooth marks were clearly visible when he finally wrenched his hand away. He stood there shaking his hand like a madman, terrified his arm might fall off.

"Hmph! That’ll teach you to bully me. I’ll bite you to pieces!" Bai Jing’s anger, which had nowhere to go, found its outlet in Lin Yang, who served as the fuse to her explosion.

Lin Yang knew she was devastated by the loss of the experts. He had intentionally provoked her, hoping to vent her frustration so she could face the long struggle ahead with a calmer mind. He knew all too well that under the ruthless interrogation of the Fang family, the two captured experts were unlikely to keep their mouths shut for long.

Bai Jing wasn't foolish either. Once her temper subsided, she realized Lin Yang’s good intentions. Though she wouldn't deign to say "thank you," she felt a secret warmth in her heart.

"Jing?"

"Yes?"

"You're stepping on my foot." Lin Yang gave a pathetic, cringing grin, pointing at his right foot.

Only then did Bai Jing notice the discomfort under her heel. She moved her high-heeled shoe, her face flushing with embarrassment as she realized she was not only stepping on him but pressing intimately against his chest.

"A car! Jing, it’s a car!" Just as she was about to apologize, Lin Yang’s excited, gravelly voice erupted, possessing a force that could shake the heavens.

The apology died on her lips as he interrupted her. Though slightly disappointed, she instinctively followed his gaze. Three cars—an unexpectedly high number. They seemed to be heading straight for them. Without needing a signal, the three vehicles pulled up in front of them with a sharp screech of tires.

Su Xiaodong was the first to jump out, acting as hurried and reckless as ever. He looked as if he had just come from a nightclub, reeking so strongly of alcohol that it nearly suffocated Bai Jing. He sprayed his boozy breath all over Lin Yang’s face until Lin Yang had to physically hold him back to avoid being drowned in spit.

"Brother Yang! Thank God you're okay. We’ve been looking for you for ages! You’ve been having a grand old time playing around with a girl here, haven't you? Aren't you afraid Sister Yixue will come for you later?" Su Xiaodong teased, his eyes half-closed, before turning his bleary gaze toward Bai Jing.

*Beautiful.* Even in his drunken haze, he couldn't help but offer that appreciative assessment.

"What are you looking at?" Bai Jing’s temper was still explosive. Annoyed by his lewd gaze and drunken babble, she gave him a sharp, stinging flick to the forehead.

"Ow!" Su Xiaodong let out a shrill cry, rubbing his aching head. The pain seemed to sober him up; as his vision cleared and he recognized the woman before him, his face went pale with mortification.

"Oh, it’s… it’s Sister Jing! Forgive me, I’m drunk, please forgive me." Without waiting to see if she held a grudge, he scurried away like a rabbit, not daring to get anywhere near Lin Yang either.

As Su Xiaodong retreated, Xiao Jing, whom Bai Jing often mentioned, hurried over with a look of deep distress.

"Vice President Bai, Vice President Bai, it’s a disaster!" Just as her expression had portended, she brought nothing but terrible news.

"Xiao Jing, why are you panicking?" Bai Jing demanded coldly, though her own expression darkened, her brow knitting together.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Xiao Jing recounted everything that had happened that afternoon. The Fang family was indeed formidable; they had seized control of the situation completely. As soon as the waste disposal site was exposed, they had taken multi-pronged measures. Not only did Fang Muren go there personally to cover their tracks—essentially committing murder to silence witnesses—but they were also testing the attitude of Secretary Zhu, the top official in Jinhai.

Meanwhile, the Fang family was launching a vicious assault on *Mei Ruo Tian Cheng*. As Xiao Jing reported, consumers were filing complaints in waves, and many were even bringing lawsuits. This was far from normal. Since the products had been pulled from dealer shelves for nearly a day, the fact that the accusations were escalating rather than subsiding was a consequence Bai Jing hadn't anticipated.

"Damn it, are they trying to root us out entirely?" This was the first time Bai Jing had cursed in front of Xiao Jing, who had worked with her for years. The raw profanity left the young girl stunned.

"Vice President Bai, this is…" Xiao Jing asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't be surprised. If you had gone through what I did today, you’d be even more furious," Bai Jing said, cutting her off and lowering her voice.

Though Bai Jing’s words were a jumble, Xiao Jing nodded repeatedly, trusting her implicitly. It seemed the Fang family intended to strike a decisive blow before the Bai family could react, aiming to seize total control of the pharmaceutical industry in Jinhai City. Today’s events had not only caused Secretary Zhu to lose face but had also shaken his trust in the Bai family and Lin Yang, making future cooperation much harder to secure.

While they whispered, Meng Hu stepped out of the trailing car and headed straight for Lin Yang. Upon seeing the shocking wounds on Lin Yang’s body, Meng Hu’s already stern face turned grim. Even the drunken Su Xiaodong was jolted into sobriety by the killing intent radiating from Meng Hu.

"Did the Fang family do this?" Unlike Su Xiaodong’s rambling, Meng Hu went straight to the heart of the matter.

The name "Fang family" was etched into Lin Yang’s heart. At the mention, his brow furrowed into a deep crease, revealing the extent of his hatred.

Without waiting for an answer, Meng Hu read the confirmation in Lin Yang’s expression. He asked, just as concisely: "Should I have someone take out that old dog, Fang Muren?"

Calling a police chief an "old dog" was bold, but doing so in front of everyone showed Meng Hu’s raw power. To anyone who didn't know him, he would have seemed like a lunatic. Bai Jing, still talking to Xiao Jing, was horrified by the suggestion. While she wanted nothing more than to see the Fang family destroyed, Fang Muren was a high-ranking government official. If they killed him, the authorities would come down hard, and many innocent people would be dragged into the fallout. That was not something the kind-hearted Bai Jing could accept.

Fortunately, only their own people were present. Otherwise, Meng Hu’s blatant threat could have been used against them.

"No, absolutely not. We cannot break the law; otherwise, how are we any different from the Fang family?" Bai Jing said firmly, shaking her head to stop him.