Mr. Frank approached and began with an apology, "Miss Shen, seeing you again, I truly am ashad. To have taught such a student is a failure on my part as a teacher. I’m terribly sorry for the harm I’ve caused you."
Shen Qinglan actually did not bla Mr. Frank for Catherine’s actions, and seeing him this way deepened her understanding of his character, "Mr. Frank, you really shouldn’t worry. Those matters have nothing to do with you."
"Miss Shen, you are truly magnanimous. Compared to you, I feel utterly ashad."
Upon hearing Mr. Frank’s words, Daniel patted his shoulder, "Enough, Mr. Frank. If Qinglan says she doesn’t mind, she truly does not. You shouldn’t dwell on it; let’s put this matter to rest."
"Miss Shen, I can offer compensation for the paintings that were destroyed. Though it can’t fully make up for your losses, it’s the least I can do. Please, Miss Shen, don’t refuse my goodwill."
Shen Qinglan smiled slightly, "Mr. Frank, you’re too polite. It’s a pity about the paintings, but fortunately, no one was hurt. That’s enough for . Like I said before, none of this was your fault, there’s no need for you to burden yourself."
"Say, Frank, did you co to this salon just to apologize to Qinglan?" teased Daniel.
To their surprise, he nailed it. Originally, Mr. Frank hadn’t planned on coming; he had felt quite dejected by Catherine’s actions. Had it not been for hearing that Shen Qinglan would also be attending, he truly wouldn’t have co.
The three were standing in a corner, ensuring that no one else could overhear them.
"Miss Shen, many of the people here tonight are quite renowned in the art world, and I know so of them quite well. If you don’t mind, I would like to introduce you to them," offered Mr. Frank.
Upon hearing this, Daniel was imdiately eager. With Mr. Frank making introductions, Shen Qinglan would be able to mingle better with these seasoned artists. Although many artists had participated in the Xueli City Art Festival, most had only submitted their work, with few attending in person. This ti, however, the invited guests were all prestigious figures.
By the ti they returned to the hotel, it was past ten in the evening. Shen Qinglan rubbed her legs; carrying the weight of a growing baby indeed sapped her strength. Just standing for a few hours left her utterly exhausted.
Jin Enxi brought a basin from the service staff and filled it with hot water for Shen Qinglan. "An, start with a foot soak in this hot water. It’ll be much more comfortable."
"Thank you, Enxi."
Jin Enxi smiled warmly, "You don’t need to thank , An. It’ll make angry if you do."
"Alright, I won’t then."
Shen Qinglan bent over and gently massaged the acupressure points on her feet, easing the pain. Jin Enxi initially wanted to help, but Shen Qinglan declined her offer.
After the soak, Shen Qinglan felt much better. Lying on the bed, she gently touched her stomach. She was four months pregnant now; in a little over five months, she would et her little treasure. Just thinking about it filled her heart with anticipation and sweetness.
**
Half a month earlier, in a war-torn country in the Middle East at the BK base.
King looked at the woman before him with a suspicious expression, "You claim you’re Mrs. Jin?"
Mrs. Jin nodded, "You’ve been searching for , and now that I’ve shown up, you can’t believe it? King, are you still the King I knew?"
King smirked coldly, "Knowing that I’m looking for you and you still dare to show up, aren’t you afraid of dying?"
Mrs. Jin laughed, her beautiful face showing no sign of fear. "If I were afraid to die, I wouldn’t have co here. Moreover, I haven’t done anything to wrong you. Why would you want to kill ?"
"Mrs. Jin, could it be you’ve forgotten about the mission you issued for people to co after ?"
"Ha, ha," Mrs. Jin laughed, "You don’t even believe it was who did that, so why bring it up? I ca to talk to you about sothing else."
King’s eyebrows twitched slightly, "What is it?"
"I know you hold a grudge against Fu Hengyi, and you’ve been looking for an opportunity for revenge. Well, the opportunity is here now, but it depends on whether you dare to take it or not."
"There’s nothing in this world I, King, am too scared to do. Let’s hear it, what’s the opportunity?"
Mrs. Jin’s lips curved in a slight smile, having elicited the response she wanted, she told King what she knew.
King listened silently, his eyes showing a flicker of changing expressions.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"One hundred percent accurate."
"Let think about it," King said. Going into Z country’s territory to stir trouble, especially at this mont, could risk the whole of BK if not careful. Yet, as Mrs. Jin said, it was indeed a good opportunity—if handled well, it could serve as a crushing blow to Fu Hengyi.
Mrs. Jin also understood the delicacy of the situation and said nothing more, "Take your ti to think; I’ll be leaving now."
"Hold on," King said coldly, "Mrs. Jin, did I say you could leave? We’ve worked together for many years, and yet this is the first ti I’m eting you. You’ve finally co to my place; you should stay for a while."
Mrs. Jin composed herself and chuckled lightly, "Since King insists, it would be unreasonable of to not stay a few days."
King laughed heartily and asked soone to prepare accommodations for Mrs. Jin.
After Mrs. Jin left, he then turned to Beyoncé who stood by his side, "Go check the real identity of this woman."
Beyoncé looked slightly stunned, "Boss, do you suspect that this Mrs. Jin is fake?"
King shook his head, "No, perhaps she has other more interesting identities. Go check it out. If you can’t find any, then let it be."
Beyoncé acknowledged and walked out.
King stroked his chin, thinking about what Mrs. Jin had just told him. He hadn’t expected this woman to be not only ruthless but also audaciously bold. To co up with such an idea was one thing, but how on earth did she know the details of national secrets?
**
"Did you say she went to see King?" Allen asked Xu Nuo, looking at her.
Xu Nuo nodded, "Yes."
"What did she see King for?"
Xu Nuo shook her head, "I’m not sure. All I know is that she seed to want to deal with Fu Hengyi, but I don’t know the specifics."
Allen stared at Xu Nuo intently, seeing her expression unchanged, he knew she wasn’t lying and withdrew his gaze, "Since it’s against Fu Hengyi, let it be for now. Keep an eye on BK’s movents, and inform of any commotion."
Xu Nuo lowered her eyes, "Yes."
Allen lowered his head, playing with the jade pendant in his hands and said solemnly, "Xu Nuo, don’t harbor inappropriate thoughts. If I find out you have deceived again, the Beast Cage will be the best place for you, and not even Mrs. Jin will be able to save you."
Xu Nuo’s eyes shifted, and she trembled slightly, "I understand, Master."
"Leave."
"Yes."
In the room, Allen fondled the jade pendant, a cruel smile playing on his lips, "This ga is getting more and more interesting. Dealing with Fu Hengyi, ha, King, if you really do it, I wouldn’t mind collaborating with you once."
What puzzled Allen was that Mrs. Jin, a woman who liked to hide in the shadows, had not appeared for many years but suddenly had a eting with King?
Disregarding these thoughts, Allen was too lazy to ponder as Peter entered and saw him fiddling with his precious jade pendant, "Allen, the weather is so nice, you should go out for a walk, not stay cooped up all day. Just look at how splendid the sunshine is outside, don’t you want to see the beautiful scenery?"
Allen looked at him coldly, "Seeing beautiful things, I only want to possess them. If I can’t have them, I’d rather see them destroyed."
Peter shook his head, "Allen, you are so dark. To destroy what you can’t have is sothing only a psychopath would do."
Allen stared at him, his gaze chilling, and Peter pursed his lips, "Alright, alright, you’re not dark, I am. How sunny and generous you are, watching the woman you like marry another man and bear his children, yet you are still in the mood to play with a broken jade pendant..." Peter’s voice suddenly stopped.
"Go on, why did you stop talking?" Allen said coldly as he looked at him.
Fury simred in Peter’s heart. Here you are pointing a gun at , how can I continue? If I say another word, my heart might just burst, and I’m not that foolish.
Seeing Peter shut up, Allen put away his gun, "Get out."
Peter pouted and slipped away. This man, he couldn’t provoke, but he could certainly avoid.
In fact, Peter didn’t understand why he had saved Allen in the first place. If he hadn’t, he would still be a free man now, not like now, being threatened at gunpoint every now and then.
Three days later, Xu Nuo appeared in front of Allen again, "Master, she called today."
Allen didn’t look at her, "What did she say?"
Xu Nuo relayed to Allen what Mrs. Jin had told her.
Allen chuckled, "I didn’t expect her to be quite capable, even knowing that. Contact King for , tell him I want to collaborate."
Xu Nuo looked at him puzzled, "Master, don’t you hate King the most?" She had almost lost her life because of her previous collaboration with King.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Now, King and I share a common enemy. As long as we can deal with Fu Hengyi, collaborating once wouldn’t be an issue."
Xu Nuo’s eyes darkened. It was a pretense to tackle Fu Hengyi; what Allen truly desired was to get Shen Qinglan back. Despite her now carrying another man’s child, Allen was still unwilling to give up on her.
When King received Allen’s call, he was even more surprised than when he had seen Mrs. Jin, "Allen. You still dare to call !" His words were gritted with rage.
Allen chuckled, but his hoarse voice made the laughter sound terrifying, "King, you didn’t expect to approach you, and even more so, you didn’t expect to discuss a collaboration. I know you want to kill Fu Hengyi, conveniently, that’s my intention too."
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