Li Ci didn’t know why this unnamed male operative had suddenly asked such a question, but she still nodded honestly, her eyes already blazing with an unshakable hatred.

Back then, it was that very woman who went to great lengths to get close to her and brazenly kept eyeing her boyfriend day in and day out.

That was one thing.

What made her hate the woman even more—so much that she could barely keep from gnashing her teeth—was that this cunning woman had gradually drawn her into a conspiracy, a plot aimed at the man before her whom she both loved and hated, a plot that would completely upend her entire life.

And in that conspiracy, she had bet wrong and chosen the wrong side.

“Looks like the memory is still fresh—very good!” Ming Kai was thoroughly satisfied, his smile deepening slightly. “Then I’ll give you a chance to make amends. Do you dare accept?”

“What kind of opportunity?” Li Ci asked weakly, still not daring to look Ming Kai in the eye.

Ming Kai let out a cold snort. “What do you think?”

Li Ci dared not speak anymore; she immediately buried her head, afraid that if she said the wrong thing, Ming Kai would get upset and turn on her again.

But Ming Kai nonchalantly asked, “Why have you suddenly gone quiet? Have you lost your ability to speak, or have you suddenly become mute?”

“No.”

Li Ci felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, yet she somehow managed to squeeze out these two words from the depths of her throat.

Ming Kai took another couple of sips of tea and said casually, “Good that you haven’t. If that’s the case, we can go on. Forget it—I’m too lazy to waste brain cells on someone like you. Let me just come right out and say it: I’m planning to settle accounts with that treacherous, venomous woman, Liu Qingqing. I’m sending you to take care of her. Can you pull off the job?”

“Me?”

Li Ci pointed at herself in disbelief.

Ming Kai nodded. “You!”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Kill her—quietly, painlessly, and in a way that makes her suffer terribly! If you can pull it off, our grudge will be wiped clean once and for all. After I’ve finished my big task, I’ll set you free and promise never to lay a finger on your family again. From now on, we’ll be two complete strangers with no ties whatsoever, and we’ll never have to see each other again in this lifetime!”

Ming Kai spoke these words softly.

Li Ci instantly shuddered, her whole body trembling as she stammered, “I…”

“What ‘I’?”

Ming Kai reached out and placed his hand on Li Ci’s chin, firmly gripping it and forcing her to meet his gaze.

Li Ci tried to look away, hoping to evade the piercing intensity of his eyes.

But Ming Kai wouldn’t let her get away with it; he tightened his grip until she had no choice but to face him, their eyes locked. “What’s the matter? You’re unwilling? Or are you planning to side with that woman again this time? Which side do you think would benefit you the most?”

“No, no—it’s not like that! Ming Kai, no… it’s not like that!” Li Ci felt as though her chin might snap right off, tears welling up in her eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall.

It wasn’t always like this!

Back when they were dating, she truly experienced what it felt like for an ordinary girl to be cherished and pampered by a man as if she were a princess.

Needless to say, he took care of everything—from food and drink to toileting and personal hygiene. He even bought her sanitary napkins every month, carefully stockpiling them and personally placing them in her bag.

Whatever she wanted, as long as it wasn’t illegal, he would always deliver it to her hands at the most unexpected moments.

End of Chapter 172: Counterattack 98