Chapter 822: Cloud Top Hotel!

Qin Bore heard the words and suddenly let out a light laugh; that smile was clear and cold, indifferent, without a trace of warmth, carrying the absolute confidence that crushes everything.

She held the phone pressed to her ear with steady fingertips, her posture relaxed and lazy, yet her aura was overbearing and icy, making it hard to breathe.

A faint female voice came through the earpiece, each word clear and powerful, directly shattering Le Xiao chen's last hope in his heart.

"No, you're wrong. There is no such thing as both sides losing."

Her tone was calm and unruffled, yet carried a firm, unquestionable dominance, pronouncing the opponent's final fate.

"Because the one who loses will only be you."

"So the price of this matter is something only your New Faction Group cannot afford."

The other end of the phone fell into a brief silence; the originally feigned calm Le Xiao chen could no longer suppress the malice and fury in his heart.

Even through the signal, his suddenly surging emotion could be clearly felt, his tone instantly turning ferocious and tense.

"Qin Bore, must it be like this??"

His voice carried a suppressed roar, filled with resentment, wariness, and the angry frustration of being driven to desperation.

Qin Bore's smile at the corners of her lips grew ever lighter, frost covering her brows and eyes; her tone remained light and airy, yet utterly dominant.

"I must do it this way, huh."

In just a few words, crisp and decisive, with no room for maneuver, completely cutting off any retreat for reconciliation.

"What can you do to me?"

The extreme provocation and crushing pressure made Le Xiao chen on the other end grit his teeth, his jaw locked tight with a grating sound.

His heart boiled with rage, yet he was all too aware of the terrifying foundation the Divine Phoenix Group now possessed; opening hostilities, he might not win.

After several rounds of intense psychological tug-of-war, Le Xiao chen... could only forcibly suppress his raging fury, completely setting aside his status and dignity.

He gritted his teeth, forcing his tone to soften, bearing extreme forbearance and compromise, lowering his stance to struggle desperately.

"Qin Bore, I think we need to sit down and have a proper talk."

"Our New Faction Group is willing to negotiate with you, valuing harmony above all—what do you think? We are ready to take action, give you certain compensation, and make up for this mistake."

At this moment, Le Xiao chen had completely shed the arrogance and dominance he once held in standing equal to Qin Bore.

No trace of a superior's intimidation remained; he was wholly a figure bowing to seek peace, actively yielding.

This time, he truly recognized the situation, set aside his status, and sincerely wanted to reach a reconciliation with Qin Bore.

The night breeze gently swayed the lights of the roadside stall, casting shifting light and shadow upon Qin Bore's exquisite side profile, light and dark intertwining.

She quietly listened to the humble pleas for peace from the other end of the phone; there was not a hint of emotion in her eyes, only icy indifference.

Lin Yuan beside her... silently watched her side profile, clearly sensing the cruelty and danger of the current power struggle between the two major forces of Jiangnan.

Qin Bore's fingertips... lightly rubbed the phone's smooth edge, the chill in her brows and eyes slightly fading, her tone languid yet carrying a hint of carefree oppression.

She spoke softly near her ear, her voice clear and shallow, yet bearing an uncontestable authority.

"Considering how sincere your attitude is, I, Miss, will reluctantly agree."

"Time, place."

Le Xiao chen on the other end of the phone obviously let out a breath, his tense tone slightly easing, and he hurriedly reported the arrangement he had prepared in advance.

"How about tomorrow evening?"

"Right at the Cloud Top Hotel in the city center, our New Faction Group will personally host a banquet, specially inviting you to a meal to discuss all matters of the negotiation in detail."

Qin Bore gave a slight nod, her side profile appearing refined and icy under the warm yellow glow of the streetlamp.

"Good."

Just a single simple word, crisp and decisive, with no extra talk, directly settled this negotiation banquet.

After her words fell, she couldn't be bothered to continue playing games with Le Xiao chen; she tapped the screen lightly and hung up the call.

The phone screen instantly went dark, completely severing the confrontation and maneuvering between both ends.

Lin Yuan, seated on the plastic stool beside them, remained focused and silent throughout, hearing every word of their conversation without missing a syllable.

The noisy chatter of the roadside stall and the sizzling of the oil pan failed to reach his ears; his mind was filled with the hidden danger lurking in this negotiation.

His expression grew increasingly grave, worry surging in layers in his heart; he could no longer stay seated, and spoke up to warn.

"Are you really going to attend tomorrow's banquet?"

Lin Yuan's tone carried obvious concern, his eyes fixed tightly on Qin Bore, full of solemnity.

Fully aware that the New Faction forces are sinister and deceitful, prone to going back on their word, this seemingly peaceful negotiation banquet likely hides a deadly trap.

Qin Bore lightly lifted her gaze; there was not a hint of hesitation in her eyes, her demeanor calm yet utterly resolute.

She lightly nodded, her tone steady, carrying the confidence of having everything under control.

"Go, of course we must go."

Lin Yuan's brows were tightly knotted into the shape of the Chinese character for river, his expression extremely grave, his tone full of earnest dissuasion.

"This might be a Hongmen banquet."

"I suggest you don't go. Don't trust them."

He had no hesitation, speaking plainly his deepest worry, each word filled with vigilance.

Upon hearing this, Qin Bore's pair of clear, moving beautiful eyes turned slightly, glancing lightly at the tense Lin Yuan beside her.

The cool night market breeze brushed past lightly, stirring her soft, black hair on her shoulders.

She then leaned forward slightly, her posture graceful and alluring, instantly closing the distance between them.

The ambiguous atmosphere of close proximity instantly enveloped them, and Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

The flying strands of hair set off her fair, delicate side profile, her brows and eyes captivating; her whole being exuded an extreme sense of fragility and atmosphere.

"How so, you care about me?"

A flash of mischievous yet gentle light flickered in her eyes as she deliberately slowed her tone and asked softly.

"Who, who cares about you?"

Lin Yuan's ears reddened in a flash, his eyes darted about in panic, and he hurriedly shook his head, denying it helplessly.

"You're my boss; I'm worried something might happen to you, and then no one would pay my wages."

His tone was halting, he forced himself to sound tough, and in a hurry he sought a plausible excuse to hide his true feelings.

This flustered, "no silver here" act was both adorable and embarrassing, making Qin Bore burst out laughing with a soft "pfft."

Her clear, lively laugh cut through the noisy chatter of the roadside stall, warm and bright, sweeping away a hint of the heavy smoke of battle.

She stopped teasing the flustered Lin Yuan and slowly explained all her reasons for insisting on attending the banquet.

The New Faction had held sway over Jiangnan for years, always arrogant and domineering, looking down on everyone, only ever using their power to bully others and never yielding easily.

In fact, from the moment Le Xiao chen voluntarily lowered his head to seek peace, she had already seen through the hidden trick therein.

Moreover, Du Jie, who had fled earlier, remained missing, and surely he was still secretly colluding with the New Faction behind the scenes.

With their arrogant, overbearing style, it was utterly impossible for them to proactively admit defeat and seek peace when they held the advantage.

This seemingly sincere peace‑talk banquet was, from start to finish, a carefully laid trap by the other side.

At this tense juncture, the New Faction suddenly lowered its stance, voluntarily yielding and setting up a banquet—whatever the angle, it smelled fishy.

She did not want to miss this perfect chance to eradicate the New Faction once and for all, nor let this source of harm continue lurking in Jiangnan.

But Qin Bore had already laid out thorough plans in her heart and feared none of their covert scheming.

Her true plan…… was to use this Hongmen banquet to turn the tables and walk right into their scheme.

So she deliberately pretended to believe their words and relax her guard, feigning agreement to attend the feast.

At the same time, she used this confrontation to fully uncover all evidence of Du Jie's secret collusion with the New Faction and cut off every hidden danger.

She seized the opportunity of the banquet to draw out every lurking core member of the New Faction, netting them all and eradicating them completely.

She aimed to uproot the New Faction's years‑deep foothold in Jiangnan in one sweep and completely rewrite the old pattern of the Underground Jianghu.

After hearing Qin Bore's clear‑cut overall plan, the heavy stone weighing on Lin Yuan's heart finally settled down.

He secretly let out a long breath, his tense shoulders fully relaxed, and the solemnity in his eyes completely faded.

As it turned out, from beginning to end, this meticulous female boss had already calculated everything, never leaving the opposition any opening.

"So you've been prepared all along?"

He lifted his gaze to the calm, composed Qin Bore beside him and spoke softly to confirm.

Qin Bore's brows lifted, a confident, playful smile touched her face, and she gave a light, firm nod.

"Of course—I, your sister, am quite clever."

Her tone carried a touch of petty pride, shedding the workplace's lethal sharpness and gaining a few drops of lively, youthful spirit.

After speaking, she reached for the chilled glass beer bottle on the table, her fingertips slender and fair, firmly gripping the neck.

She tilted her head back slightly, her red lips meeting the bottle's mouth, and gulped a big mouthful of icy beer in one smooth motion.

The cold liquor slid down her throat, dispelling the lurking smoke of battle in the night, and her brows and eyes relaxed further.

She casually held the bottle, turned her head to look at Lin Yuan beside her, and spoke in an easygoing tone.

"Come, cheers."

Lin Yuan glanced down at his empty cup, replied with a hint of helplessness.

"My drink is gone."

Qin Bore heard it without concern, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes as she adopted a wantonly alluring pose.

As soon as her words fell, she hesitated not at all and directly handed the beer bottle she had just drunk from to Lin Yuan.

The rim…… still retained the warmth of her touch, making it especially ambiguous and enticing.

Seeing the bottle offered before him, Lin Yuan's heart raced out of control, pounding violently against his chest.

In an instant a clear thought flashed through his mind: this was most definitely an indirect kiss.

A warm evening breeze brushed his cheeks, heating his ears, his heart fluttered with anxiety and anticipation, yet he found himself unwilling to pull away.

Lin Yuan stopped fidgeting, steadied his hand, took the beer bottle, lowered his head, and gulped a big mouthful.

On the rim lingered the faint, distinctly feminine scent unique to Qin Bore, along with a trace of lipstick's lingering tint.

The icy liquor slid down his throat, his lips precisely meeting the very spot on the bottle where Qin Bore had just touched.

The formerly bitter, cold beer now seemed completely transformed—upon entry it was silky sweet, warm and mellow with a lingering aftertaste.

A refined aroma mingled with the faint haze of alcohol, swirling between his lips and teeth in layers, especially intoxicating.

Lin Yuan slowly swallowed the liquor, the flutter in his heart refusing to subside, his whole self immersed in this inexplicable ambiguity.

The night deepened, the roadside stall's fireworks still rose in wisps, and the surrounding bustle showed no sign of waning.

That night, Lin Yuan kept Qin Bore company at a street‑side stall, cup after cup, unknowingly downing a large amount of chilled beer.

Qin Bore, usually meticulous and cool‑headed, now lowered all her guard, her brows and eyes suffused with heavy intoxication.

The cool night breeze mixed with the alcohol, gradually rising to his head, washing away the daytime's taut tension and scheming.

After several rounds, Qin Bore—whose alcohol tolerance was never top‑notch—was completely drunk, her body swaying slightly, her gaze growing hazy and unfocused.

Her fair cheeks flushed with a translucent crimson, her eyes watery and blurred, losing some of their sharpness and gaining a tender, moving quality.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan quickly rose to steady her shaking shoulder, the warm sensation transmitting clearly through her thin clothing.

She braced her hands on the table trying to sit upright, but her fingertips went soft, even simple movements carrying a hint of lethargic clumsiness.

He lingered no longer, settled the night‑snack bill, and carefully supported Qin Bore as she rose to stand firm.

With one hand firmly supporting her arm, Lin Yuan stepped slowly, escorting her to the parking spot.

Looking at the woman beside him, drunk and utterly defenseless, Lin Yuan's inner vigilance and tension melted into softness.

He opened the passenger‑side door, moved gently, fearful of disturbing the drunk Qin Bore, and carefully seated her.

He fastened her seatbelt, adjusted the seat angle, then shut the windows tight to keep out the night wind, down to the finest detail.

Having done all that, Lin Yuan returned to the driver's seat, settled in, started the vehicle, and drove smoothly out of the street‑side area.

The sports car engine hummed low as it wound through the deserted city streets in the dead of night, slowly making its way toward Qin Bore's residence…

…

At the same time, the headquarters building of Le Tian Financial Group in the core business district at the other end of Jiangnan City…… remained brightly lit.

The cabin was silent, with only Qin Bore's steady, gentle breathing softly echoing in the confined space.

Inside the top-floor oversized sealed conference room, the soundproofing was excellent, completely blocking out all external noise.

The entire skyscraper was dark except for the blinding white light shining from the top-floor executive conference room, which stood out starkly against the pitch‑black night.

Top executives from Hangcheng…… and all of Jiangnan's native New Faction Group had now gathered here, none absent.

An absolutely confidential secret meeting, whose outcome would decide the life and death of the entire Jiangnan underworld's power structure, was quietly underway.

These magnates, who usually each held their own territory and never interfered with one another, had rarely assembled together tonight, and every face was grim and lethal.

The huge conference table's long sides were fully seated, each man present a ruler of his own faction, their auras stern and chilling.

No one engaged in idle chatter, no one relaxed their posture, and the air was thick with killing intent and calculation.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Le Xiao chen seated at the head of the long table, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Yet everyone present clearly understood that this so‑called peace talk, from start to finish, was a meticulously laid trap—a deadly Hongmen banquet.

These long‑entrenched powers in Jiangnan had long been intimidated by Qin Bore's thunderous methods, filling them with fear.

This time, they ostensibly settled on holding the reconciliation banquet at tomorrow's Yun‑ding Hotel, outwardly creating the appearance of yielding and seeking peace.

Their true purpose…… was not reconciliation at all, but to seize the banquet's opportunity to assassinate Qin Bore in one fell swoop.