Chapter 7

Deep down, she knew she shouldn't go to find Sima She, but she couldn't control herself and went to his house anyway.

"Why did you suddenly think of coming to see me today?" Sima She asked with a half-smile as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thank you. I came today because..." After taking the coffee, she still hadn't figured out how to bring it up with him. On the way here, she had thought about it non-stop, but still hadn't reached a conclusion.

"It's about Sima Langri." He didn't need to ask to know that the reason she would go to such lengths to come here had to be related to Sima Langri.

"Yes." Since Sima She already knew, she had nothing left to be hesitant about.

"Qingxin, I heard you're already Sima Langri's woman, is that right?" Sima She asked directly without standing on ceremony, then took an elegant sip of the rich, fragrant coffee.

"You... how did you know?!" Being the first to bring it up, Shen Qingxin was so flushed with embarrassment that she couldn't speak.

"Don't be nervous. I didn't install a pinhole camera in the Sima family's master bedroom. I know about this because I have eyes on the inside." Sima She smiled and pointed at the warm coffee, signaling her to take a sip to calm her nerves.

"Oh!" Fortunately, someone had told him, and he hadn't seen it with his own eyes; otherwise, she would really want to dig a hole and hide in it. Still, she felt very embarrassed.

"This is very normal; you don't need to feel embarrassed." Her shyness only seemed amusing to Sima She.

After drinking a few sips of coffee to steady herself, she said urgently, "But you are different."

"Oh? How am I different?" He was curious.

"We've known each other since we were children and are friends. Having you know about this kind of thing just makes me feel embarrassed." Sima She was different; he wasn't a younger sister, and he was older than her. Letting him know about her and Langri made her feel quite strange.

"So that's how it is." Sima She laughed softly.

"That's just how it is." She took another sip of coffee to steady her nerves.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" He brought the topic back.

"She, I'm wondering, do you and Langri really have to keep fighting like this?" She was very worried.

"Not 'keep fighting,' we will fight until one side holds the Chilong Jade Lock and commands the entire Sima Family." He kindly corrected her mistake.

"And then?"

"Then the side that loses power certainly won't be able to submit to the feet of the winner and will have no choice but to leave in dejection." He said it very nonchalantly, because he never felt that the one who lost would be him.

"Can't you two ever make up?" She was deeply moved, not understanding why they had to fight so bitterly.

"Have you asked Sima Langri this question?" Sima She countered.

She was stunned.

"My answer is the same as his. Strictly speaking, this is our fate; no one can change it." He smiled, not as worried as she was about what might happen next.

"No, it can be changed, as long as you are willing."

"Ha!" He laughed, unconvinced.

"Look, the problem lies right here. Neither you nor Langri is willing to be the first to show goodwill to the other. No wonder every time you see each other, you dislike each other a little more." Both of them were as stubborn as bulls; they wouldn't listen to reason.

"Qingxin, just pretend you didn't see it." He kindly offered the best advice. Closing her eyes, she would think of the brothers' problems, and then she would become so restless she couldn't sleep.

"Qingxin, the relationship between the two of us has been bad for so many years; it's not something you can change. Can you face the facts?"

She pleaded earnestly, "She, I know I'm overestimating my abilities, but I really hope you two will stop fighting."

"Fine. Aside from this, is there anything else you came to see me about?" Putting the annoying topic aside for now, he believed she must have had something more important to see him for.

She asked, "No." She also understood that he didn't want to talk to her about brotherly friendship anymore.

"Nothing? Just like that?" Sima She looked at her with a strange expression, surprised.

"Yes, but this matter isn't as boring as you think. To me, it's a very important matter." Seeing his blank expression, she couldn't help but remind him. One was her intimate lover, the other a long-time friend; she didn't want them to make such a mess of things.

"Ha... ha! Ha! Ha! I actually thought... I was wrong, I was wrong." He paused, then began to shake his head and laugh.

"What?"

"I thought you wanted to help Sima Langri persuade me not to fight him for the Chilong Jade Lock." He told her his original guess honestly.

"I didn't, because I know the Chilong Jade Lock is also very important to you. I can't be that selfish or excessive. However, I admit, I did have that thought once." She shamefully admitted the idea she had once entertained.

【Note: The source text has a line break error here, but the sentence continues.】

"Qingxin, so you are still my good friend." If she had come specifically to persuade him to give up the idea of seizing the Chilong Jade Lock, then their friendship would have ended today. She hadn't disappointed him after all; she was still as likable as when she was a child. Heh! Heh!

"Of course we are friends." She saw through his thoughts and laughed along. She didn't want to lose a long-standing friendship because of a rock; it wasn't worth it.

"Right, we are friends." Sima She kept laughing happily.

"Then what I just said, have you considered it?" Seeing him in such a good mood, she hurriedly pressed him, insisting on an answer.

"What?" For a moment, Sima She didn't know what she was talking about.

"The thing about you and Langri being friendly." How could he forget what she said in the blink of an eye? Truly hateful!

"Impossible." He gave her an answer quite readily. Only a lunatic would call someone a brother while simultaneously fighting them to the death for something.

That kind of thing, he couldn't do.

He gave the answer so readily that she couldn't accept it. "She, won't you reconsider?"

"No!" He refused again, quite heartlessly.

"I think it's very possible for you two to become good brothers, believe me." She still didn't want to give up hope.

"Good brothers only appear in the seventh lunar month. I'm a promising young man; I don't want to die so early. Let Sima Langri go be a 'good brother' himself." This time, he simply pulled her up and pushed her toward the door.

"She—"

"If you want to talk about this again, we'll have to say goodbye." He gave her one last chance.

"She, I really feel that..."

"Bang!" Sima She's front door heartlessly gave her the cold shoulder, clearly telling her how much the host disliked the topic she brought up during her visit.

Staring at the tightly closed door, Shen Qingxin sighed in frustration. "Sigh! Failure." She should have known Sima She wouldn't be that easy to persuade. But it didn't matter; there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. She believed that one day, Sima She would listen to her words.

After trying to persuade Sima She, it was now Sima Langri's turn. Thinking of him, she thought of her previous shyness? Joy? Happiness?

Thinking of meeting him, she couldn't help but beam with joy, driving her car to find her beloved.

The speeding wheels, like her soaring mood, raced rapidly along the asphalt road. She steered the wheel happily, thinking: when Sima Langri saw her, what kind of expression would he have?

All she could think of was the word 'happy.' She didn't want him to have any other bad reactions.

Smiling, she made a turn, when suddenly, a violent impact came from behind.

"Ah!" She screamed, hurriedly stepping on the brakes to steady the steering wheel, her whole body already drenched in a cold sweat.

Managing to stop the car, she hurriedly got out to check what had happened and why the car behind had suddenly rear-ended her.

The person who hit her car also got out. When she saw that there were three big men wearing sunglasses, as if deliberately trying to keep people from seeing their true faces, she became vigilant.

Something's wrong! Run!

The thought had just crossed her mind when she immediately turned back to run to the car, intending to start it and leave. But the other side was faster than her. Seeing her attempt to escape, they immediately chased after her and grabbed her tightly.

"Ah—" Her scream was blocked by a dark, large palm. She couldn't scream anymore, and no matter how much she struggled to escape, she couldn't break free from their brute force. She was forcibly dragged toward the car behind.

Help! Someone, come and save her?! Why weren't there any vehicles passing by at this time?!

She panicked, she was confused, she was terrified!

The last thought that surfaced in her mind was—she didn't know if she would have a chance to see Sima Langri again. If she did have a chance to see him, she wanted to tell him "I love you" a hundred times.

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Sima She was immersed in the melodious music. He closed his eyes slightly, savoring a fine red wine while listening to the music.

This was his greatest enjoyment—not having to think about anything, just living in his own thoughts. Only at this moment would he temporarily put down everything related to the Chilong Jade Lock.

In his mind, Shen Qingxin's words from earlier in the day unexpectedly surfaced. Brotherly friendship? Pfft! Not killing each other would be good enough; how could there be any possibility of brotherly harmony?!

Her thinking was still too naive; she needed a lot more tempering.

Sima She shook his head with a sneer while drinking the red wine wildly.

Suddenly, the front door made a loud "bang." Before he could even figure out what was going on, he saw Sima Langri rush in, burning with rage.

What was he here for?

In Sima She's mind, Shen Qingxin's words from earlier surfaced again. No way, right? Sima Langri wouldn't be stupid enough to be persuaded by Shen Qingxin and intend to have a brotherly reunion with him, would he?!

The thought had barely moved when his face took a solid punch. Before he could react, more, fiercer, crueler, and harder punches landed on him one after another, causing him to knock over his red wine, splashing it all over himself, while the wine glass shattered all over the floor.

"Damn it! What do you think you're doing?!" Sima She was furious. Being beaten up for no reason, even the best-tempered person would get angry, let alone him.

When dealing with Sima Langri, Sima She never held back. He also put his strength into it, lifting his leg to kick Sima Langri in the chest in retaliation.

Sima Langri, having taken the kick, did not retreat; instead, he chased after him even more fiercely.

"Damn it!" Sima She had never seen Sima Langri act this crazy. He cursed under his breath, dodging while delivering appropriate counterattacks so Sima Langri wouldn't think he was a pushover.

"The one who is truly damned is you! Sima She!" Sima Langri roared. Every punch and kick he dealt to Sima She was merciless. His surging rage gave him the urge to kill his half-brother.

"Fine, it looks like you want to settle all our grudges today. I'm happy to oblige." Since the other side was being merciless, why should he be polite? Sima She countered fiercely, not letting Sima Langri have the upper hand.

Brotherly harmony?! To hell with all of that!

Sweat fell along with their punches. The two fought fiercely. Sima She immediately thought that the other half of the Chilong Jade Lock was on Sima Langri. Now was the best time to take it. Anyway, Sima Langri had delivered himself to his door; it would be a waste not to take it.

The Chilong Jade Lock should have belonged to him in the first place. It was his own carelessness before that let Sima Langri snatch it away. But today, he wouldn't be careless again. This time, after he got the Chilong Jade Lock, he guaranteed he would immediately take back the Sima family and seize real power for everyone to see.

Discovering that Sima She's target was the Chilong Jade Lock, Sima Langri became even angrier. Sure enough, just as he expected, to get the Chilong Jade Lock, Sima She would use any despicable means.

"You won't get it." Sima Langri forcefully blocked Sima She's tiger claw.

"If you don't try, how do you know I definitely won't get my hands on it?" A tiger sweep of his leg tripped Sima Langri, and he immediately tried to pin him down to snatch the Chilong Jade Lock.

Sima Langri refused to let him have his way, immediately rolling to the side, not letting him touch him at all.

"Besides using low-down tricks, what else can you do?!" Sima Langri sneered, curling his lips.

"You and I are two of a kind." Sima She immediately retorted. Did Sima Langri think he was any better than him? It was simply ridiculous.

"Don't lump me in with you." "Bang!" He swung a punch with all his might, knocking Sima She's face sideways.

"Damn it!" The more they fought, the angrier he got. Sima She returned a left hook.

The two brothers were in a chaotic mess of punches and kicks. The interior design, which had been very stylish, was almost completely destroyed by the two of them, and even their clothes were torn.

By the end, the two were fighting like savages, with no technique to speak of.

"Stop, stop fighting!" Shen Bingxin, who had arrived later, stared wide-eyed at the brothers wrestling together. It seemed her actions were still too slow.

As soon as she learned Sima Langri was rushing to Sima She's place, she immediately started her car and followed. But there was a big difference between her driving speed and Sima Langri's reckless driving style. If she had arrived any later, a murder case would probably have happened here.

Unfortunately, the two, who were fighting intensely, didn't hear her shouting. Even if they had, they wouldn't have paid her any mind and would have continued fighting.

"Damn it!" Shen Bingxin cursed, searching around for something that could catch the brothers' attention.

"Hand her over?!" Sima Langri roared, landing a heavy, powerful punch on Sima She.

What? Sima She, who was almost knocked dizzy, had his head buzzing, thinking about what Sima Langri had just said. Her? Who is her? The Chilong Jade Lock was clearly on his person; was he trying to create a diversion?!

Too hateful!

"The Chilong Jade Lock is clearly hanging around your neck, you want to argue with me?!" He roared angrily at Sima Langri.

"Who is talking to you about the Chilong Jade Lock?!" While the two were shouting at each other, their punches and kicks didn't slacken in the slightest.

"Then what the hell are you talking about?!" Besides the Chilong Jade Lock, Sima She couldn't think of anything worth him being so angry about.

"Damn it! She is not a 'what'! Shut your dog mouth!" Hearing Sima She's disrespectful words, his anger grew, and his punches became harder. There was no sign of him tiring.

Dog mouth?! He actually said his mouth was a dog mouth?! Damn it! Sima She was so angry he jumped, and the two fought even more violently.

Shen Bingxin, who had finally found a pile of beautiful coffee cups in the kitchen, held them and smashed them hard on the floor, hoping the crisp sound would attract their attention. She smashed more than a dozen cups and plates before finally making Sima She, whose face had changed color, stop.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sima She looked like he was about to have a stroke from anger.

Were these two here tonight just to pick a fight with him? One arrived and started hitting him without saying a word; the other was picking his collection of coffee cups, which he had collected for years, to smash. Had he been a 'good guy' for too long, so they thought he was easy to bully?

He angrily raised his fist and walked toward Shen Bingxin, intending to greet her head with his fist.

"Well smashed, Bingxin." Sima Langri said triumphantly, praising his sister-in-law.

"She, don't be impulsive, I just wanted to make you stop." Shen Bingxin was terrified she would be beaten black and blue by him, and hurriedly explained.

"You could have found other ways, there was no need to take my precious coffee cups?!" Sima She looked at her with an expression that said he wanted to strangle her.

"I actually think Bingxin chose quite well." Sima Langri said coolly from behind, though he was actually saying it deliberately for Sima She to hear, attempting to make him so angry he would vomit blood.

Shen Bingxin looked at him quite innocently. "But I just couldn't think of any other way, and I just happened to see the coffee cups in the cabinet!" Who told him to put his collection of many years in such an obvious place? It was hard for her not to notice.

"Ha!" Taking advantage of Sima She settling accounts with Bingxin, Sima Langri steadied his breathing, preparing for the next round of fighting.

"I really want to strangle you to death. Do you know how difficult it was for me to collect these?!" He rolled his eyes in anger, thinking about what method he could use to send her to the Western Paradise as quickly as possible.

"Yes, yes, whatever you say is right." When he was in a rage, Shen Bingxin didn't dare to be arrogant at all.

Wait, that's not right. The reason she followed him here, besides stopping the two brothers from killing each other, was something even more important! How could she have forgotten it completely after being glared at by Sima She's fiery eyes?

"That's not right! What I want to say is that you two should both calm down first and explain things clearly before fighting."

"What matter?" Sima She was stunned by her out-of-the-blue remark.

"I have nothing to say to him. Bingxin, you also saw the report. Qingxin's car was found on the way here. Besides him, who else would be a suspect?!" Talking about his beloved, Sima Langri was filled with rage again.

Originally, he had planned to meet Qingxin today. After he finally finished dealing with company matters and arrived at the Shen house, he found it empty. At the time, he thought she had gone to the jewelry company. After calling, he found out she hadn't appeared at all. He called her cell phone, but no one answered, so he had to stay at the Shen house waiting for her to appear on her own. But after waiting for a long time, he couldn't wait for her.

Later, when it was dark, he worriedly sent people out to search, and that was when they discovered her car had been abandoned on the mountain road leading to Sima She's house.

He was furious. He never imagined that Sima She, in order to get the Chilong Jade Lock, would actually come up with the idea of kidnapping Qingxin. So he sped up the mountain, intending to demand the person back from Sima She.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Sima She looked blank.

"You still dare to play dumb with me?!" Sima Langri impulsively rushed forward, intending to teach him another lesson.

"Brother-in-law, calm down, let's hear what She has to say!" Shen Bingxin hurriedly grabbed him, not wanting the two of them to fight again. If they did, she would have to rely on smashing Sima She's treasures to get their attention, and the one who would be resented and unlucky in the end would be her.

"Bingxin, don't speak for this scoundrel."

"Who are you talking about?!" Sima She glared at him provocatively.

"No, I'm not speaking for anyone, it's just that we should clear up the cause and effect of the matter first! Brother-in-law, don't you want to save my sister?" Being caught in the middle of them was exhausting. Shen Bingxin was truly afraid their fists wouldn't be controlled and would accidentally drift toward her head.

"As long as he is willing to hand the person over, it will be fine." Sima Langri still pointed his finger at the prime suspect.

"What happened to Qingxin?" Sima She finally managed to get some clues from their conversation.

"My sister is missing."

"How is that possible?" Sima She was stunned.

"How is it not possible? You kidnapped her, so naturally, she is missing." Sima Langri still didn't feel Sima She was innocent.

"I didn't kidnap her." This was a serious matter; Sima She didn't want to be misunderstood by everyone.

"See, brother-in-law, She said he didn't kidnap sister, so it's clear the culprit isn't him." After confirming the culprit wasn't Sima She, Shen Bingxin breathed a sigh of relief.

"But Qingxin clearly disappeared in this vicinity." Sima Langri also began to waver.

Could it really not be She? If She had kidnapped Qingxin, he should have used Qingxin to threaten him to hand over the Chilong Jade Lock long ago. But She hadn't taken any action. Was it possible he had misunderstood She?

"Qingxin did come to see me this morning, but she went back shortly after." Hearing that Shen Qingxin had disappeared after leaving him, Sima She's expression turned heavy.

Who on earth was the damn person who took her away? Causing him to be misunderstood by everyone.

"But sister didn't return home. Her car was hit hard from the back. I think she was kidnapped because of that." Thinking of her sister being taken away by an unknown person, Shen Bingxin couldn't help but become worried.

The two brothers looked at each other, each calculating all the suspicious people in their hearts, as well as the small-minded people they might have offended without realizing it. However, the number of small-minded people they had offended and enemies they had made was simply too many—so many that they had to sit down and calmly categorize them.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you just now." Sima Langri finally lowered his head to apologize to him.

"It's okay. The most important thing now is to find a way to rescue Qingxin." Sima She didn't intend to hold it against him, especially since there were more important things waiting for them to worry about.

Seeing the two of them willing to sit down and calmly discuss various possibilities, Shen Bingxin finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the two brothers were willing to cooperate, she believed her sister would definitely be able to return safely.

After their careful deduction and categorization, they finally found the most likely person.

"Feng Jue!"

"That's right! Besides him, I don't think anyone else has a reason to kidnap Qingxin." The Chilong Jade Lock was something both the Sima family and the Feng family wanted to obtain. Perhaps the Feng family was unwilling to give up and wanted to come and snatch the Chilong Jade Lock again.

"But the Feng family is already under Feng Jue's control, isn't it?" Shen Bingxin couldn't figure out the reason Feng Jue would do this. There was simply no need for it. Everyone in the Feng family listened to Feng Jue; why would he waste time and energy doing this?!

"Perhaps he wants revenge, right?" Sima She looked at Sima Langri.

"It's possible." Sima Langri nodded, becoming even more convinced that Feng Jue was the mastermind.

"Revenge for whom?" Shen Bingxin didn't understand.

"Ji Ruohuan." The brothers answered in unison. Sima Langri had once used Ji Ruohuan and even almost caused her death. Everyone knew this, and Sima She had also once made a move on Ji Ruohuan. So, Feng Jue, who loved his wife deeply, was very likely to do this.

"Then what do we do now?" Hearing them both say this, Shen Bingxin also concluded that the person who kidnapped her sister was Feng Jue.

"Go rescue Qingxin." The two brothers immediately stood up to prepare for action.

"No need." A refined but somewhat gloomy voice appeared. The person himself—Feng Jue—was standing right in front of them.

"It's you?!" The three of them looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to come to them on his own initiative. Sima Langri and Sima She both secretly prepared themselves, intending to subdue Feng Jue at any moment.

"Ruohuan is also missing." Looking at the messy room, plus what he had overheard earlier, Feng Jue could already be certain that his wife was not in the hands of the Sima family.

"Ah?"

Once Feng Jue's words were spoken, everyone was stunned on the spot. Originally, Shen Qingxin was missing, and they could speculate that Feng Jue had taken her. But now, even Ji Ruohuan was missing, and Feng Jue had come to them on his own. They could overturn their previous deduction and even confidently judge that both women had been taken by the same group of people.

Who was it? Who on earth was targeting the women of the Sima family and the Feng family?!

The men who had their beloved women taken away were all filled with murderous intent, secretly swearing in their hearts that they would never let the person who took their women have an easy time.