TRWSB – Chapter 79 I Can’t Trust You

“Young Master, Bi Liuyun sent word saying that someone is investigating the behind-the-scenes power of the Qingcheng Cosmetics store,” Qi Heng said.

“Hasn’t this been under investigation all along? It’s no big deal!” Qi Shaorong said nonchalantly.

Qi Heng furrowed his brow and said, “This time it’s different, it seems like the Second Prince is investigating.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng with confusion and asked, “The Second Prince? He’s a prince, why would he care about our small business?”

“Young Master, our business is growing rapidly and has great potential! Though the Second Prince holds the title of prince, his father isn’t dead yet, is he?” Qi Heng replied.

Qi Shaorong narrowed his eyes. The title of “prince” sounds impressive, but in reality, it isn’t easy to wield. Emperor Kangxi had many sons, and only a few lived to a ripe old age!

“Has the Second Prince found anything?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“He found Liuyun.” Qi Heng said.

Qi Shaorong rubbed his chin and said, “I see.”

“It seems like he also suspects you, Young Master. The Second Prince seems to know that Qingcheng Cosmetics has one main boss and four smaller bosses, but he’s still unsure who the big boss and the small bosses are.” Qi Heng continued.

The big boss of Qingcheng Cosmetics is naturally Qi Shaorong, while the small bosses are Yi Fan, Bi Liuyun, Qi Heng, and Mu Tingxuan.

Qi Shaorong squinted and said, “The Second Prince also cares about his reputation. He shouldn’t resort to forceful measures just yet.”

Qi Heng shook his head and said, “It’s hard to say. Actually, our business foundation isn’t strong enough. Otherwise, Qingcheng Cosmetics could have expanded several times by now.”

Qi Shaorong smiled and said, “What can we do? Our foundation isn’t solid! If we were to cooperate with those big families, we might end up with nothing but scraps.” Qi Shaorong had once considered collaborating with the Qi family, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately rejected it.

Qi Heng looked at Qi Shaorong and asked, “Young Master, what do you think we should do now?”

Qi Shaorong shook his head and said, “Let’s just wait and see.” Qingcheng Cosmetics was his primary source of gold coins, but since he had made a fortune in the various gambling halls recently, he wasn’t as concerned about the business as he had been before.

Yi Fan’s Dormitory.

A man in black lay on the ground. Yi Fan looked at the man lying there and squatted down, grinning widely. There was a hint of bloodthirst in his expression.

“First Du Feng, then Lin Yong, and now the third one is you—Yang Yi. It seems that Yang Man’s situation is worse than I imagined! She’s even sent out her own brother. Is she really out of useful people?”

Yang Yi looked at Yi Fan, his eyes filled with intense fear.

Yi Fan slapped Yang Yi’s face, “When you were a kid, you used to find people to beat me. Did you enjoy it?”

Yang Yi stared at Yi Fan in horror. A fierce flame burned in Yi Fan’s eyes.

Yang Yi was Yang Man’s younger brother. After Yang Man officially married Yi Xun, Yang Yi’s position also rose. In order to please Yang Man, Yang Yi had often caused trouble for Yi Fan.

A bright red snake crawled up Yi Fan’s wrist. The blood snake wound around Yang Yi, circling his body.

After being attacked by Du Feng, Yi Fan had set up traps in his dormitory. Once someone entered his dorm, they would be coated in poison. Although Yang Yi was still conscious, he could neither speak nor move.

As the snake crawled over him, Yang Yi’s eyebrows trembled with fear.

Yi Fan looked at Yang Yi and said, “Soon, my pet will eat you whole, bit by bit, and clean you up completely. Don’t worry, you’ll be in the Pure Land soon. I wonder if Yang Man will be sad when she finds out that even her own brother has been reduced to nothing. You always bring trouble to your clever sister. Maybe after your death, she’ll think you had it coming.”

Yang Yi looked at Yi Fan as though he were a terrifying creature. Yi Fan’s eyes, however, were filled with a manic gleam.

Yi Family.

Yang Man stayed inside the room, her eyes filled with worry.

“Mother, what’s wrong?” Yi Chuxue asked.

“The people I sent out, Du Feng and Lin Yong, have lost contact. Your uncle volunteered to find Yi Fan, but he too has disappeared.” Yang Man said.

Yi Chuxue’s eyes widened in shock, “As expected, that bastard Yi Fan is behind this. I knew it was him.”

Yang Man gritted her teeth, “Not necessarily. Maybe they broke into Tianlan Academy and got caught. It wouldn’t be surprising.” Yang Man bit her lip and thought to herself: If they were caught, it wouldn’t be the worst. With that guy Hu Feng’s personality, if they offer some money, they should be able to get them back. What I’m worried about is if Yi Yi and the others are already dead.

Yang Man couldn’t help but feel more hesitant.

“Mother, I’ll go to Tianlan Academy and ask Yi Fan myself.” Yi Chuxue stood up.

“No!” Yang Man ordered sharply.

Yi Chuxue pouted and said, “Mother, you’re overthinking. That guy can’t do anything to me.”

“Last time, when you went to find him, you didn’t get the upper hand, did you?” Yang Man said dismissively.

“Last time, Qi Shaorong caused trouble.” Yi Chuxue said.

“Then still, I forbid you from going.” Yang Man insisted. “If Du Feng and the others’ disappearance is really connected to Yi Fan, then Yi Fan is definitely not as simple as he looks.”

In the library, Qi Shaorong was sitting when Li Hong rushed in.

“Qi, student!”

Qi Shaorong looked at him and asked, “Vice Principal, is something wrong?”

“The principal has been detained by the Zhuo family.” Li Hong said.

Qi Shaorong squinted his eyes and asked, “What? Why?”

“It’s said that the principal tried to harm Zhuo Hao, and his luck was bad. He got caught by the Zhuo family.” Li Hong replied.

Qi Shaorong frowned and murmured, “The principal acted so quickly, this old guy sure has bad luck!”

Li Hong looked at Qi Shaorong and asked, “Qi, student, is the principal’s issue related to you?”

“The principal did it for me. Let’s keep the news about the principal’s detainment from the academy for now. I’ll negotiate with the Zhuo family.” Qi Shaorong closed the book in his hand and said darkly.

Li Hong looked at Qi Shaorong and said, “Then, Qi, student, you should discuss it properly with the Zhuo family.”

“Has something happened to the principal?” Li Hong asked when he saw Qian Mian walking out, his expression changing instantly.

The special district of Tianlan Academy was rarely visited by anyone, and Li Hong, too anxious, didn’t expect Qian Mian to be there.

“Vice Principal, don’t worry. Qian Mian isn’t an outsider.” Qi Shaorong said.

Li Hong nodded, remembering the relationship between Qi Shaorong and Qian Mian, and then said, “Yes, yes.”

“Was the principal trying to pressure Zhuo Hao into breaking the contract for you?” Yi Fan stepped out and asked Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaorong nodded and said, “I think so.”

Yi Fan looked at Qi Shaorong and said, “The principal really risked everything for you.”

Qi Shaorong took a deep breath and thought: The principal isn’t bad to me, but unfortunately, the old guy’s strength is too weak. He’s supposed to be a ninth-level expert, but he was captured so easily.

Qi Shaorong took another deep breath and said, “I’ll go to the Zhuo family.”

Zhuo Family.

Zhuo Qian was excitedly pacing around the room, while Zhuo Hao looked at him and said, “A Qian, what are you pacing around for?”

Zhuo Qian had a big smile on his face and said, “I’m excited! Big brother, didn’t you hear what that old guy Hu Feng said? Big brother, you’re such a bastard! You accidentally contracted Qi Shaorong as a demonic beast! Big brother, who would have thought that Qi Shaorong would have this day? He was contracted by you as a demonic beast!”

Zhuo Hao pursed his lips and said, “The contract shouldn’t have succeeded. If it had, a firm connection would have been established between Qi Shaorong and me.”

“But, Hu Feng said…”

“He didn’t lie, but the contract probably wasn’t fully formed. The influence is very limited!” Zhuo Hao said.

Zhuo Qian twirled his eyes and said, “But, even so, big brother, you still managed to get one over on Qi Shaorong. Big brother, you’re impressive! I thought you were stripped of your clothes in the secret realm, completely powerless. Who would have thought you still had a trick up your sleeve!”

“I don’t even remember what I did back then.” When Qi Shaorong rushed at him, Zhuo Hao was in complete disarray. It seemed that the contract was activated in the chaos, but it was interrupted halfway.

A maid entered and said, “Young Master Zhuo Hao, Fourth Young Master Qi has arrived. Third Master is seeing him and asked you to come out.”

Zhuo Qian was full of excitement and said, “Big brother, Qi Shaorong is seeking your help! Now you can hold your head high!”

Zhuo Hao glanced at Zhuo Qian, stood up, and said, “I’ll go meet Qi Shaorong.”

“I’ll go too, I’ll go too.”

Zhuo Qian excitedly followed Zhuo Hao into the main hall.

Qi Shaorong nodded at Zhuo Hao and said, “Young Master Zhuo Hao, you’ve finally come!”

Zhuo Hao nodded back and said, “Thank you, Fourth Young Master Qi, for waiting.”

“I heard there was some misunderstanding between my master and the Zhuo family. I wonder, Third Master, could you allow my master to return to the academy? Without my master overseeing things, a lot of matters are hard to handle.” Qi Shaorong said.

Zhuo Renquan nodded and said, “Of course, that’s no problem. Speaking of which, my master sneaking into my nephew’s room at night really shocked me. But, I didn’t expect that your master would come all the way just to form a contract. Actually, when you lay it all out, there’s really nothing to it, don’t you think, Fourth Young Master Qi?”

“This is mainly because I’m too outstanding, too charismatic, which made Young Master Zhuo unable to control himself and set up a marriage contract. My master was just afraid that Young Master Zhuo would be troublesome and unwilling to let go, wasn’t he?” Qi Shaorong smiled brightly.

Zhuo Renquan: “…”

Zhuo Qian: “…”

“Fourth Young Master Qi, do you know what kind of contract you have on your hands?” Zhuo Renquan asked.

“I know! Isn’t it a marriage contract?” Qi Shaorong said confidently. “Young Master Zhuo, I’m very popular. Although you’re handsome, you’re not my type. I advise you not to think too much about it.”

Zhuo Renquan: “…”

Zhuo Hao closed his eyes and said, “You’re thinking too much. It’s not a marriage contract. It’s a master-servant contract.”

“Young Master Zhuo, name your price. How many gold coins would you want for me to break the contract? I have whatever you want.” Qi Shaorong’s expression darkened.

Zhuo Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and hesitated before saying, “Actually, I’m not going to break the contract.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuo Hao and said, “What do you mean?”

Zhuo Hao met Qi Shaorong’s gaze and said, “Once a contract is formed, it’s not easy to break. Besides, a contract between people is far more complicated than one between a person and a demonic beast. The contract between you and me was formed by accident, and I can’t break it.”

Qi Shaorong’s eyes instantly turned cold, “Young Master Zhuo, are you making excuses?”

Zhuo Hao looked at Qi Shaorong, gritted his teeth, and said, “It’s not that I’m making excuses. I just really can’t do anything about it!”

Qi Shaorong coldly sneered and said, “Young Master Zhuo, your incompetence really surprises me!”

Zhuo Hao hesitated for a moment and said, “Actually, as long as I don’t use the contract, it won’t affect you. But you have to agree to one condition.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuo Hao and asked, “Is it about the evil doctor?”

Zhuo Hao nodded and said, “Yes.”

“No deal.” Qi Shaorong replied.

Zhuo Hao frowned and asked, “Why?”

“It’s simple. I don’t trust you.” Qi Shaorong said, pausing after each word.

Zhuo Hao: “…”

Zhuo Renquan rubbed his nose and looked at Qi Shaorong, saying, “Fourth Young Master Qi, our Zhuo family’s reputation is still reliable.”

Qi Shaorong sneered, “Maybe.”

Zhuo Renquan: “…”