“That’s true enough, but do you really think it’s that easy to find someone like this—a mere tool?” Jiang Feng withdrew his large hand, a trace of displeasure crossing his face.

Ming Yue remained as cold as ever. “Money talks; Mr. Jiang is so wealthy—this shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

Ming Yue showed no sign of stopping. “Besides, don’t forget we made an agreement—a ten-year pact.”

A dark cloud settled over Jiang Feng’s handsome features.

Ming Yue didn’t budge. “Time is running out; shouldn’t you start looking for your next tool?”

Jiang Feng said nothing, simply stowing the bottle of medicinal oil away and slipping it into Ming Yue’s pocket.

Ming Yue gave him a quick glance, meeting his eyes directly, a faint smirk playing on her lips as she spoke with biting sarcasm: “Do you, Jiang Feng, really think I, Ming Yue, am so easy to handle that when the ten-year term ends, I’ll soften and stay by your side on my own—or worse, fall hopelessly in love with you?”

Jiang Feng still said nothing, just staring at her quietly.

The dark cloud grew even thicker.

Ming Yue lifted her gaze, her voice icy cold. “I’d advise Mr. Jiang not to entertain such childish, laughable notions. Whether it’s you or Fu Qiancheng, in my eyes you’re all just talking animals.”

She pushed him away, gazing at the ceaseless stream of traffic on the road, her eyes growing colder. “I will never fall in love with another man in this lifetime, nor will I ever entrust myself to one. So even if I were to marry a dog someday, I’d never marry either of you.”

“So you’re saying Fu Qiancheng and I are worse than dogs?” Jiang Feng’s long arm wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

Ming Yue was used to this and didn’t resist.

Jiang Feng’s large hand lifted a strand of her long hair and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. “Ming Yue, Ming Yue… who would’ve thought that after all these years, your words only get sharper and more piercing, yet utterly unlovable?”

“Why should I care about your approval, old lady?” Ming Yue shot him a sidelong glance.

Jiang Feng was left speechless.

Exactly!

She truly didn’t care.

The person she cared about most…

Jiang Feng’s thoughts drifted off, only snapping back to reality after a while. He whispered softly in Ming Yue’s ear, “Oh, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Ming Yue replied in a low voice, “Go ahead.”

“General Manager Ming got beaten up for no apparent reason today,” Jiang Feng said casually, as if it were some trivial little matter.

As for who did the beating, Jiang Feng didn’t say—and didn’t feel it necessary to say.

Ming Yue wasn’t the least bit concerned. Her voice was languid. “Was he beaten badly?”

Jiang Feng shook his head. “Not really—just a few slaps across the face in the chaos. Who’d have thought his skin was so thick? That middle-aged man landed several solid blows, yet his face didn’t even swell. On the other hand, that guy surnamed Liu… well, a middle-aged woman accidentally slapped him twice, and his face swelled right up.”

Ming Yue responded with a nonchalant “Oh.”

At last, a hint of a smile appeared on Jiang Feng’s face. He pressed her back against his chest once more, his knobby fingers gently massaging the palm-sized mark on her cheek, though he asked no questions about it.

Ming Yue felt drowsy from the gentle massage and yawned, slowly closing her eyes.

Jiang Feng took the opportunity to lay her flat across his lap, continuing to rub her face.

Ming Yue didn’t object.

Inside the car, a moment of sweet intimacy.

Meanwhile, the figure hurrying outside the window, frantically searching for Jiang Feng, seemed completely forgotten by the two of them.

As he continued rubbing, Jiang Feng softly asked the drowsy Ming Yue, who was resting with her eyes closed on his lap, “How many days do you need?”

Just those few words—no superfluous remarks at all.

Yet Ming Yue understood exactly what he meant: how many days she needed before taking the next step—namely, launching a full-scale counterattack against the online smear campaign orchestrated by Ming Xia and Liu Jia.

End of Chapter 18: Worse Than a Dog