Chapter 46: Shameless Saboteur

From the moment Yin Qiuhong stepped out of the room in her silk pajamas, Lin Dongfan already realized that being handsome was also a sin.

Yin Qiuhong is only interested in two types of men.

One type is a man who holds real power; with power he can pull her up to a higher position.

The other type is a man who can satisfy her aesthetic taste.

In the adult world, it's either you play me or I play you; whoever takes it seriously is naive, and Yin Qiuhong is very open about this.

However, today Yin Qiuhong obviously wants more than just to play around.

She both wants to play and to bind her fate.

Lin Dongfan is quite sure of this.

Now the provincial anti-corruption crackdown is about to operate on Nanzhou's officialdom, and two bigwigs have already fallen. On this tense juncture where people are panicking, what Yin Qiuhong urgently needs is a sense of security.

And the simplest way to gain that sense of security is to push the anti-corruption officials onto her own bed.

She exerts her charm to the utmost, desperately attempting to unlock difficult yoga poses.

This is what Yin Qiuhong does best.

As long as she sleeps.

From now on we're all in the same boat; if I fall into the water, you either pull me up, or I'll drag you down with me as a pair of doomed lovebirds.

So Yin Qiuhong will say: "After drinking this cup of wine, I'll consider you one of my own..."

The problem now facing Lin Dongfan is actually not whether to drink or not, but whether to sleep or not; this potent glass of red wine is merely a prelude.

"Such a simple multiple-choice question, and you're taking this long to consider it?"

Seeing Lin Dongfan hesitate to make a decision, Yin Qiuhong set the glass of red wine she was holding on the coffee table.

She flirtatiously tossed her hair, smiling as she gazed at Lin Dongfan: "Are you afraid I'll eat you? Do I look that terrifying?"

"If you're not afraid, what do I have to fear? At worst I'll risk my life to accompany a beautiful woman."

Lin Dongfan picked up the glass of red wine in front of him, tilted his neck back, and gulped it down in two swigs, not a drop left.

He didn't know how long the drug's effect would take to kick in.

As a vigorous young man, even if he didn't drink this glass of red wine, being teased by such a sensual woman like Yin Qiuhong would stir some primal beastliness in his mind.

Yin Qiuhong asked with a meaningful smile: "Want to go take a shower?"

"The pace is too fast; let me slow down first."

Lin Dongfan lit a cigarette, his mind full of how to advance his non-push-down plan.

Pushing her over carries risk; if mishandled, he might not be able to get up.

Holding in his heart the notion of not coexisting with corrupt elements allows him to live a bit longer.

Over the years, people from all walks of life who want Yin Qiuhong's help usually first purchase calligraphy works by her father, Yin Tiesheng; the father-and-daughter's corrupt methods are very concealed.

Including Wang Minjuan, chairman of Hengsha Real Estate Group.

To have Yin Qiuhong suppress the truth of the 9·28 forest fire, Wang Minjuan once raised her paddle at a calligraphy auction and bought a piece of Yin Tiesheng's calligraphy for 5 million at a high price.

After getting the money, it also boosted Yin Tiesheng's reputation in the calligraphy world—a case of killing two birds with one stone.

Lin Dongfan's purpose in coming to see Yin Qiuhong today is to stabilize her, let her lower her guard, so he can approach Yin Tiesheng and find a breakthrough from him.

Yin Tiesheng himself is also very vigilant, especially at this critical juncture.

If his daughter doesn't say hello.

Yin Tiesheng won't readily come into contact with people from the officialdom.

To prove he's also a sincere scoundrel, Lin Dongfan decided to first give Yin Qiuhong a sweetener: "I came to see you alone today, actually just wanted to give you a heads-up."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Yin Qiuhong looked at Lin Dongfan half-believing, half-doubting.

Lin Dongfan took a slow drag of his cigarette, feigning caution as he glanced around the surroundings: "Your place has no surveillance, right?"

"Who would install surveillance in their own home if they're normal?" Yin Qiuhong laughed: "I don't like beating around the bush; you trust me, I'll trust you."

"Then I'll speak plainly." Lin Dongfan said: "In Green Bamboo Village, nine dead people aren't on the death toll; this matter might be hard to suppress, so you need to be mentally prepared."

"Tell me the reason."

Yin Qiuhong still wore a half-believing, half-doubting expression.

Lin Dongfan deliberately furrowed his brows, adopting a regretful and helpless posture: "You have your Zhang Liang scheme, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has its ladder over the wall. It's just a matter of these couple days; the victims' families will surely kick up a fuss."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yin Qiuhong questioned doubtfully.

Lin Dongfan, smiling, sized up Yin Qiuhong's figure: "You already understand, don't know? You've drunk the wine; if you still don't believe me, then it's no fun playing."

"Haha, I love hearing that."

Yin Qiuhong is also an ordinary woman who greatly enjoys the pleasure of being admired by men; this is an affirmation of her personal charm and allure.

A man who could change her fate approaching her in private—if it weren't for sleeping with her, she would instead keep her distance, because in this world there is hardly any creature more terrifying than a man who avoids women's charms.

She took Lin Dongfan's cigarette and extinguished it in the ashtray.

Afterwards she enthusiastically pulled Lin Dongfan up from the sofa: "You're sensible, I'm sensible too; let's go talk in the room..."

"Thump thump!"

The sudden knocking sound interrupted Yin Qiuhong's rhythm.

Lin Dongfan pointed at the door: "Do you want to go deal with it first?"

"Who is this, so clueless."

Yin Qiuhong opened the door and took a look; she had originally wanted to scold the person, but after a closer look her mood plummeted into an abyss.

At the doorway stood four people, with He Yanqing leading them.

He Yanqing directly flashed a summons: "Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation, please trouble you to come with us for a trip."

"Lin Dongfan!"

Yin Qiuhong turned around and glared angrily at Lin Dongfan.

That roar also startled He Yanqing, who glanced inside the room and only then discovered that Lin Dongfan was actually sitting on the sofa.

Lin Dongfan, who had been in a pretty good mood, now also wore a sullen expression.

This is a story of mingled joy and sorrow.

The joy is that now I don't have to rack my brains trying to figure out how to get out of Yin Qiuhong's bed appointment.

The sorrow is that after finally gaining a shred of Yin Qiuhong's trust, everything fell through at the last moment, and she now regards both him and He Yanqing as cut from the same cloth.

"This has nothing to do with me," Lin Dongfan said, getting up to explain.

Yin Qiuhong obviously didn't believe him; she looked like a woman scorned, her eyes blazing at Lin Dongfan, silently seeming to retort, "Do you think I'm an idiot?!"

"Take her away."

He Yanqing issued an order to his subordinates.

After his men had taken Yin Qiuhong away, He Yanqing again questioned Lin Dongfan: "Why are you here?"

"Why can't I be here?" Lin Dongfan snapped angrily, "There's not a shred of evidence, and you came running here to summon Yin Qiuhong—this isn't like your usual steady conduct; are you just trying to undermine me?"

"Lin Dongfan, don't forget, we're on the stage right now," He Yanqing countered, "What do you mean by sabotaging me? You're allowed to lay schemes and set traps, but I'm not allowed to strike first?"

"So... you really came to sabotage me?"

As he spoke, the smile on Lin Dongfan's face faded completely.

He Yanqing's face turned sternly cold: "You can still admit defeat. If you lower your stance and yield a bit, I'll give the Anti-Corruption Bureau some face later. I won't force you to resign; you can still stay in the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"If you're going to put it that way, then I have something to say," Lin Dongfan asked in surprise, "I have backing and strength—why should I bow to a petty, narrow-minded piece of trash like you?"

"You're so arrogant—does your father-in-law know?" He Yanqing snorted angrily.

Lin Dongfan gave a light, indifferent chuckle: "I'm not arrogant toward everyone; I understand the ways of officialdom. It's just that you're not worthy of my humility and deference."

"Heh, when you die on the stage, I hope you can still be as proud as you are now."

He Yanqing left a sneering smile behind and turned to walk away.