Chapter 193: The Drugged Cocktail!

Jin Ming sat before the mahjong table, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his gaze sweeping over the tiles in his hand.

His luck today could be called superb; whatever he wanted, he got.

The chips piled up in front of him already amounted to tens of thousands.

Yet, he did not reveal much excitement.

At the table, the other three were all intentionally throwing the game.

Jin Ming felt bored and gave a slight smile to the woman beside him.

As he stood up, he took the opportunity to lightly stroke her chest.

"I'm a bit tired of playing; you come take my place and play for a while. If you lose, it's on me; if you win, it's yours."

The woman's lips curled upward, and she responded with a beaming smile: "If I win, we'll split it fifty-fifty."

Jin Ming kissed her on the cheek and praised her: "I'll listen to you, you're so sensible."

Afterward, Jin Ming stood up and left the mahjong room, pacing toward a private chamber.

Young Master Huang had long been waiting there; seeing Jin Ming enter, he personally poured him a glass of wine.

"Why did you end the game so early today?"

Jin Ming sighed, his expression revealing a hint of irritation: "It's all because of that arson case at the city gate; I just have a feeling something big is going to happen."

"Hasn't the matter already been resolved? Our tactic of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was quite effective; Wan Ming has even been suspended, so they should be feeling the pressure." Young Master Huang tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying a touch of smugness as he continued, "Without Wan Ming, Jiang Jing won't be able to turn things around."

Jin Ming marveled at Young Master Huang's ruthlessness.

"That frame-up was indeed unexpected. It took the old leaders of the municipal public security system stepping in to barely save Wan Ming. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten away without losing a layer of skin this time."

"Wan Ming is very depressed now; he does nothing but drink or fool around every day. This incident has been a heavy blow to him." A trace of smugness appeared on Jin Ming's face.

Jin Ming sighed again and said with deep concern: "Jiang Jing has a stubborn temper; I'm afraid he won't let this go easily."

Young Master Huang gently swirled the wine glass in his hand, staring at the amber liquid inside, and said unhurriedly: "Secretary Jin, I have been struggling and climbing in Hanzhou for so many years; what kind of storms haven't I seen? Everyone has weaknesses, and Mayor Jiang is no exception."

Hearing this, Jin Ming looked at Young Master Huang in surprise and hurriedly warned: "He is a cadre parachuted in from the provincial level; you must not act rashly!"

Young Master Huang waved his hand dismissively, pointed to his forehead, and sneered: "He has connections in the province, but do you think I have no one in the province? To control a person, you rely on wisdom, not that brute-force style of killing and fighting."

Jin Ming still felt a lingering worry in his heart and advised: "That's enough; quit while you're ahead."

A flash of anger suddenly crossed Young Master Huang's eyes.

"Ever since the Shang Deyi incident, I have been making concessions. If I don't fight back now, they'll really think I'm a soft persimmon that's easy to bully."

Jin Ming frowned and emphasized again: "You must be careful and know your limits when doing things."

A smile rose to the corner of Young Master Huang's mouth, as he secretly thought that Jin Ming was truly too timid.

In his view, if one wants to go further, sometimes one must have the courage to take a gamble.

……

The provincial capital, Qiongjin.

A private high school.

Jiang Rou carried her schoolbag, holding a leave slip in her hand, and handed it to the security guard.

The security guard knew Jiang Rou's background like the back of his hand and paid no mind to her skipping class.

He glanced at the leave slip casually, then turned a blind eye and let Jiang Rou leave.

Jiang Rou stood by the side of the road.

Before long, a motorcycle sped toward her from the right like a bolt of lightning.

The rider stopped in front of Jiang Rou, handed her a helmet, and patted the back seat of the motorcycle.

Jiang Rou's lips curled upward, revealing a sweet smile; she nimbly put on the helmet, rested her hands lightly on the rider's shoulders, and skillfully straddled the bike.

"A Rou, today Brother is taking you to an awesome place," the rider said with great enthusiasm.

"What kind of place? Is it exciting enough?" Jiang Rou asked, full of curiosity.

"Of course, I guarantee you'll be satisfied," the rider responded with full confidence.

"Fine, but you have to remember, you must get me back to school before twelve," Jiang Rou instructed.

"Haha, no problem," the rider agreed heartily.

The rider twisted the throttle hard, and the motorcycle emitted a low, powerful, buzzing roar.

It was about to speed away like an arrow released from a bow.

Just then, a man suddenly appeared in front, blocking the path.

Jiang Rou looked closely and was greatly surprised; the person who had come was none other than her father's Secretary, Tang Ye.

"Hey, move aside right now!" Jiang Rou shouted at Tang Ye.

Tang Ye frowned, eyeing the man on the motorcycle, then waved his hand at Jiang Rou, his tone brooking no argument as he said: "Get off the bike immediately and go back to school."

Jiang Rou looked at Tang Ye with utter disdain, snorted coldly, and said: "You're just a stinking secretary; what right do you have to boss me around? Tell him, my life is not for him to interfere with."

Tang Ye was quite speechless toward this young miss, "Your father is very worried about you; you aren't a child anymore, you need to know your limits."

"Limits? What are those?" Jiang Rou sneered, "Get lost right now, or I'll have you run over."

The motorcycle rider pulled his visor down with a "swish," gave Tang Ye a thumbs-up, then abruptly flipped his thumb downward, shouting with a face full of contempt: "If you want to take someone off my bike, if you've got the guts, try catching me!"

No sooner had he spoken.

The motorcycle, like a black bolt of lightning, headed straight for Tang Ye.

Tang Ye hurriedly dodged.

It roared away with a deafening sound, leaving Tang Ye with a face full of exhaust fumes.

He stood where he was, a helpless expression on his face.

Jiang Rou followed A Gang.

They arrived at a bar hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

In reality, she and A Gang had not known each other long, and they could not be considered particularly close.

However, A Gang was exceptionally enthusiastic toward her.

As soon as they entered the bar, he was busy introducing her to friends he had recently met.

Jiang Rou sat down in a dimly lit booth.

Before long, A Gang walked toward her with a smile on his face, carrying two brightly colored cocktails.

"This 'Flaming Red Lips' was specially mixed for you by a friend. Try it quickly; I guarantee you'll fall in love with it after one sip." A Gang handed one of the glasses to Jiang Rou, a flicker of imperceptible anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Rou took the glass, the corners of her mouth lifting as she said half-jokingly, "You didn't drug this, did you?"

Hearing this, A Gang's expression turned somewhat unsightly in an instant, and he feigned anger, saying, "How could you think that of me?"

Jiang Rou gave a sly smile and followed up by saying, "Then you drink it first."

A Gang muttered to himself that this girl was quite vigilant; with no other choice, he had to pick up the straw and take a light sip.

Seeing this, Jiang Rou finally let down her guard, picked up the glass, and took a large gulp.

Dynamic music began to play in the bar.

The intense rhythm of the drumbeats seemed to strike at people's hearts.

Jiang Rou was instantly ignited by the atmosphere; she stood up and jumped to the center of the dance floor.

Her figure was slender and graceful, and as she danced to her heart's content with the music, she quickly blended into the frenzied crowd around her.

Watching Jiang Rou's swaying figure on the dance floor, a cold look flashed in A Gang's eyes.

When the song ended, Jiang Rou returned to the booth, panting, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead and strands of hair sticking to her cheeks in a messy way, which only added to her prettiness.

A Gang immediately brought over another freshly mixed cocktail.

This time, Jiang Rou did not have the slightest doubt; she reached out, took the glass, and downed it in one go.

It was her favorite dance track again.

She was just preparing to head toward the dance floor.

Suddenly, she felt her legs go weak and her limbs lose all strength.

Seeing the drug take effect, A Gang smiled, hurriedly pulled her into his arms, and walked toward the outside of the bar.

Jiang Rou remained conscious, "What are you trying to do?"

"Taking you to experience something even more exciting!" A Gang said with a smile, "Don't you want to be a free-spirited girl? Today, I'll let you completely let yourself go." "Today is the little girl's birthday, so I updated early. By the way, asking for votes!"