Chapter 115: Provocation

A singer took the stage to perform a lyrical song, and many of the guests at the banquet began to dance in rhythm with the music. Just as Huang Ye was inviting Zhao Weiqing to dance, Zeng Jia finally arrived at the banquet with Zhong Zhiying.

Seeing him arrive should have been a joyful occasion, but the moment she saw Zhong Zhiying by his side, Zhao Weiqing’s expression darkened. She walked over to them, seething with anger.

"Big sister, happy birthday." Seeing her approach, Zhong Zhiying immediately understood her intentions. She put on an innocent, naive expression and hugged her joyfully, leaving Zhao Weiqing, who had been ready to lash out, momentarily stunned.

Faced with the birthday wish, Zhao Weiqing knew that making a scene would ruin her image, so she suppressed her fury. "Thank you, Yingying. By the way, why are you here so late? I thought you had stood me up."

"How could I! Here, this is a gift Yingying helped me pick out for you." Zeng Jia took out an exquisite rectangular box tied with a silk ribbon bow.

Zhao Weiqing accepted it happily, but the moment she opened it, her smile vanished. Inside was a photo frame containing an intimate picture of Zhong Zhiying and Zeng Jia. Zhao Weiqing’s face turned green with rage. She glared viciously at Zhong Zhiying, who was looking back at her with a feigned, innocent expression. If not for the many people present, she would surely have lost her temper.

Sensing the strange atmosphere, a puzzled Zeng Jia was about to speak when Zhong Zhiying turned around and said coyly, "Big brother, I want to dance, but I don't know how."

"It's alright, I'll teach you." Without overthinking it, Zeng Jia took her hand and led her toward the dance floor. As they passed Zhao Weiqing, Zhong Zhiying suddenly shot her a wicked smirk. It was fleeting, but enough to drive her to the brink of madness.

Huang Ye came to her side, looking confused. "What's wrong?"

"That green tea bitch, she's going to be the death of me!" Zhao Weiqing gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She opened the gift, and Huang Ye finally understood the situation—it was a blatant, cold-blooded provocation.

Huang Ye immediately pulled her into his arms. "Since you're so angry watching them dance, why not let me be your partner and strike back?"

Zhao Weiqing stopped struggling. Had it not been for the need to retaliate, she would never have allowed this man such close contact. Now, she had no choice but to play along. To her shock, Huang Ye pressed his advantage further, his boldness causing her to break into a cold sweat as she glared at him.

"Shouldn't we dance?" Huang Ye leaned in suggestively, their cheeks brushing against each other.

Zhao Weiqing gritted her teeth and whispered angrily, "I am furious right now; you must help me teach that green tea bitch a lesson."

To get back at Zhong Zhiying, she had to use Huang Ye, so she endured his liberties with gritted teeth. The two walked onto the dance floor with forced smiles, while Zeng Jia, busy teaching Zhong Zhiying how to dance, didn't notice them at all.

Chen Jingfeng watched the four of them in disbelief. Conversely, Zeng Jia seemed to have eyes only for Zhong Zhiying, completely indifferent to Zhao Weiqing dancing with another man.

Before long, the four of them had become the center of attention. When Zeng Jia’s gaze met hers, there was an indescribable tension between them. While she was lost in thought, she accidentally stepped on Huang Ye’s foot. He frowned with dissatisfaction and said, "Could you please focus? I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of so many people."

Zhao Weiqing didn't react at all; her attention was entirely elsewhere. "It seems you have no chance now."

Zhao Weiqing snorted, stomped her foot, and headed toward the villa. The latter knew clearly that after this incident, a rift had formed between them, and it was only a matter of time before he could take advantage of the situation. He followed her with a subtle, satisfied smile.

"Sigh! It's finally over." Seeing the awkward scene conclude, Chen Jingfeng said his goodbyes and left with Mr. Liang. Banquets usually lasted a long time; some business titans only stopped by to make an appearance and discuss deals, leaving the rest to the younger generation.

Feeling bored, Zhong Zhiying decided to leave. Zeng Jia had intended to say goodbye to Zhao Weiqing, but faced with her naive, innocent gaze, he chose to leave directly, as he was uncomfortable with being in the spotlight.

After leaving the villa, the traffic was so heavy that he didn't immediately notice a car tailing them. After driving for over ten minutes, Zeng Jia finally realized that a car had been following them, maintaining a distance of less than a hundred meters.

Just as he found it strange, the car behind began to accelerate, pulling up alongside the passenger side. The two cars moved in parallel along the highway.

Zhong Zhiying looked at the other car, puzzled. "What's going on?"

The window of the other car suddenly rolled down. Zeng Jia didn't recognize the person inside, but he saw the driver holding a handgun, aiming directly at Zhong Zhiying. Shocked, he slammed on the brakes. "Yingying, get down!"

The attacker seemed to have anticipated this; both cars braked simultaneously. As gunshots rang out, other drivers on the highway were terrified. Bullets struck the car, sending sparks flying. Zhong Zhiying, feigning terror, huddled against him.

Zeng Jia released the brake, shifted gears, and slammed on the gas. The Toyota sped away, trying to put distance between them and the attacker. "Shit!"

Du Bin and Hu Guozheng, who had been investigating Zeng Jia, saw the situation and didn't hesitate to accelerate and give chase.

"Big brother, who are they? Why are they trying to kill us?" Zhong Zhiying, still huddled against Zeng Jia, pretended to be frightened. She knew perfectly well that the gunman's target had been her. A flicker of intent crossed her eyes, and she considered using her abilities, but then thought better of it—it wouldn't be fun if she did. She really wanted to know who wanted her dead.

"How would I know? I haven't offended anyone. Maybe they mistook us for someone else."

*Bang!* The car behind caught up and rammed their rear bumper. The car swerved, and Zhong Zhiying looked back in panic as the attacker accelerated to ram them again. "Big brother, he's coming again!"

The attacker was a skilled driver, intimately familiar with the road. Zeng Jia tried to shake him off through turns, but couldn't gain even half a meter of distance. The attacker rammed them again, this time with such force that Zeng Jia lost control of the steering wheel. The car careened wildly, nearly hitting another vehicle before grazing a roadside railing on a turn.

Seeing an opening, the man swerved and slammed into them again. The Toyota scraped against the railing, throwing off a shower of sparks, before crashing head-on into a signpost. The front of the car crumpled, and smoke began to billow out. Many passersby stopped to watch the commotion.

Zeng Jia, slumped against the airbag, felt his vision blurring. He looked at Zhong Zhiying, who had also fallen unconscious. He saw the man stepping out of his car, handgun in hand, walking toward them. The man’s target was Zhong Zhiying; he aimed the muzzle at her head and prepared to fire. Zeng Jia’s eyelids grew heavy, and he slipped into darkness.

Beside him, Zhong Zhiying squinted. She was waiting for the man to fire so she could counterattack. Just as he pulled the trigger, another car rushed toward the man, causing him to panic and flee back to his vehicle.

Du Bin and Hu Guozheng got out to check on the situation, then placed the two in their own car and drove toward the hospital. Less than a minute after they left, police cars began to arrive on the scene.