Chapter Seven: The Game in the Dark

Qiao Yuan's gun was pressed against Cheng Qing's temple.

One second she was crying pitifully, the next she suddenly raised her face, her eyes even smiling, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.

"Is Mr. Qiao trying to kill me?" She wiped her mouth, her voice tinged with a hint of mischief. "Yesterday he said he'd buy me new jewelry and a new cheongsam, how come he changed his mind so quickly?"

Qiao Yuan's finger was on the trigger, his knuckles turning bluish-white: "Cheng Qing, you're quite the actress. Tell me! Who exactly are you?"

Cheng Qing's eyes darted around, a smile still playing on his lips. "What kind of person does Master Qiao think I am?"

Cheng Qing was still smiling. "Yes, who doesn't know that Master Qiao of Jiangcheng is deeply in love with his wife? If I hadn't pieced together a 'me' based on his wife's appearance, how could I have won Master Qiao's favor?"

"Was it Chen Kan who arranged this?" Qiao Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Cheng Qing's smile faltered for a moment, then she scoffed, "Chen Kan? What is he! He's just a concubine's son, a pathetic wretch picked up by the Chen family to shield them from harm! If the Chen family hadn't run into trouble and needed Chen Minhao to go back and mediate, how could he possibly be pointing fingers in Jiangcheng? How could I possibly be one of his men?"

Qiao Yuan immediately knew the answer, but deliberately asked, "Are you really not one of his people?"

Cheng Qing's smile turned charming again. "What, Mr. Qiao, do you think I was arranged by him to sow discord between you and your wife?"

Her smile blossomed, even more radiant than before: "Didn't Master Qiao have Uncle Chen investigate my identity?"

Her eyes caught a glimpse of Uncle Chen's aged face, and Uncle Chen awkwardly stepped aside.

She held the gun in her hand and said softly, "Mr. Qiao, you'd better not point the gun at me. I'm afraid it might go off accidentally, and then you won't be able to explain yourself."

Qiao Yuan simply smiled and actually put the gun away.

Qiao Yuan's face turned ashen.

Cheng Qing laughed and said, "But there's only one thing! My adoptive father really didn't know you were such a 'wax spearhead'. He just raised me for these past few months without touching me. Even at the concubine-taking banquet that day, you were so drunk that I took off your clothes, and you still hugged me and called me 'Jintang,' which made my ears hurt."

Qiao Yuan's face flushed red, then turned ashen. He stood up abruptly, pressing the gun to Cheng Qing's forehead: "You really...think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

Uncle Chen looked at Qiao Yuan and advised, "Master Qiao..." He had always disliked Cheng Qing, but at the moment, he felt that his master was more embarrassed and angry, so he couldn't help but offer his advice.

Cheng Qing laughed again this time, even hooking his wrist and pressing the gun muzzle against his temple: "Brother Qiao, if you have the guts, then shoot. Anyway, Mr. Sato won't let you go. The Chen family is now supporting the Axe Gang, and Lin Tang doesn't trust you. What other way out do you have besides relying on the Japanese?"

She leaned closer to Qiao Yuan, her breath sweet as orchids, "Besides, if you kill me, how will you explain it to Mr. Sato? He's waiting for me to pass on a message to him! For example, the dock lease contract you hid in the safe; for example, your plan to get Lin Jintang to leave Jiangcheng."

Qiao Yuan slowly loosened his grip, and the gun landed on the table with a "thud".

“Uncle Chen!” he suddenly said.

Seeing the tense atmosphere and realizing he had been suddenly called out, Uncle Chen became nervous and shrugged, "Master Qiao!"

"You go back first!"

Uncle Chen was taken aback.

Qiao Yuan smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill anyone. Yao and this Miss Sato still have a lot to discuss!"

Although Uncle Chen was still worried, all he could say was, "Master Qiao, you must handle this carefully!" before leaving.

...

After Uncle Chen left.

Qiao Yuan closed the door.

He stared at Cheng Qing, his shoulders shaking with laughter: "Sato's daughter? I'll treat you like royalty."

He walked over and gently tidied her hair at the temples, his movements as tender as if he were touching a fragile piece of porcelain. "After all, Mr. Sato is my 'good partner'!"

Cheng Qing looked into his eyes and smiled, reaching out to hook her arm around his neck: "Is Mr. Qiao trying to use me?"

"What's up?"

"Make sure Lin Jintang leaves Jiangcheng safely."

Qiao Yuan stiffened, then sneered: "You know too much."

"Enough!" Qiao Yuan interrupted her, prying her hands away. "Sato asked you to investigate, and you investigated everything?"

Qiao Yuan turned around and stared into her eyes: "Why?"

"Because I'm curious." Cheng Qing walked to the desk, picked up the gun on it, and fiddled with it. "Why would someone as smart as Master Qiao drive himself to such a dead end? Was it for a woman?"

Qiao Yuan pursed his lips and remained silent.

She looked up at Qiao Yuan, a hint of confusion in her eyes, and asked, "What's so good about Lin Jintang?"

Qiao Yuan coldly replied, "You would never understand how good she is. She... is someone I am never worthy of in this lifetime."

She walked to Qiao Yuan's side, reached out and embraced his face, and whispered, "If you really care about her, you should do what you're doing now and make her hate you, so that she will leave completely."

Qiao Yuan looked at her and suddenly smiled: "You seem like someone who's been through this before."

“I’ve been there.” Cheng Qing’s smile faded a little. “How do you think I’ve lived all these years? Back then, when Sato Ichiro rescued me from death row, it was because I killed my fiancé’s entire family! I know better than anyone what it feels like to fall in love with someone you shouldn’t.”

She turned and walked towards the door, placing her hand on the doorknob, then turned back and smiled. "Mr. Qiao, I'm going to see Mr. Sato later. What message would you like me to convey?"

Qiao Yuan watched her retreating figure, then smiled after a long while, "I think Miss Cheng will have her own answer."

Cheng Qing paused for a moment, then opened the door and walked out. The light from the corridor shone in, casting a long shadow of her, like a lonely cat.

...

night.

In Qiao Yuan's bedroom, cigar smoke spun into a dense web under the moonlight.

Cheng Qing curled up in the single sofa, a section of her fair legs was exposed from the slit of her moon-white cheongsam, and the cigarette between her fingers burned to the end, making her pull her hand back sharply.

Cheng Qing suddenly chuckled, his voice like shards of glass scraping against the blue brick floor: "Master? Master Qiao, you dare to call yourself that? When you betrayed the Black Tiger Gang back then, did you ever consider that Golden Tiger was also your 'master'?"

She walked barefoot on the carpet to Qiao Yuan. "Is Mr. Qiao still having 'moonlit crabapple blossoms' dreams?" She whispered in his ear, her breath sweet as orchids. "Lin Tang and Chen Kan are inseparable now. You, a piece of mud on the ground, shouldn't even dream about the moon in the sky."

Qiao Yuan simply drank without saying a word.

Qiao Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment!"

Cheng Qing suddenly threw herself into his arms, nuzzling his neck like a cat: "What about me? What are you going to do with me, Mr. Qiao?"

Qiao Yuan's hand stopped in her hair, and he smiled, "What do you think?"

Cheng Qing nestled her whole body into his arms and said sweetly, "Master Qiao, look how beautiful the night is, why waste this scenery?"

After saying that, Qiao Yuanjiu didn't look at Cheng Qing again and walked out on his own.