Chapter 32: The War of Women

At that moment, a middle-aged man entered the room. He was dressed in a gentleman's suit and walked in slowly. “Yingying, you've run off again. Don’t you know your father worries about you?”
“I'm sorry, Father, I didn’t mean to worry you.” Jian Qianying immediately stood up and said to the two men, “Let me introduce you. This is my father, Jian Ruixiang, Chairman of Blue Sky International Trading Company. Father, this is Brother Du Bin—he’s the hero who saved me and the butler on the ship, and he’s also the man of my dreams.”
“The man of your dreams?” Du Bin was momentarily stunned, but before he could react, Jian Qianying blurted out something that made him break out in a cold sweat. “We fell in love at first sight and have already decided to get married.”
“Father, you promised me that as long as I found my ideal partner, you would approve our marriage.”
“I did say that, didn’t I? Truly my daughter! All right, as long as you like him, I approve.”
“Wait, wait—can someone tell me what’s going on?”
“Mr. Du, didn’t I already explain? Ever since you saved her, our young lady has thought of you day and night, convinced you’re the partner she’s been dreaming of. Congratulations, Mr. Du.”
“Brother Bin, do you like Yingying?” Jian Qianying asked sweetly, holding his arm.
Du Bin was sweating profusely, clearly realizing how innocent and straightforward this young lady was. He stammered, “Yingying is so lovely and likable…”
Jian Qianying grinned mischievously. “Then let’s get married!”
The atmosphere became awkward. Du Bin politely declined, “Well, I’m very happy, but actually, there’s someone I already like.”
“Mr. Du, I regret to tell you there’s something you should know. Recently, we happened to take a photo. I believe the girl in it is the one you care for.” Zhou Heng spoke as he retrieved a file from the desk, opened it, and handed a photograph to Du Bin.
Looking at the two people in the photo, Du Bin felt a wave of discomfort. But he quickly suppressed his anger. Zhou Heng continued, “Your friend, Miss Fang—it appears she has an unusual relationship with the general manager of the Binxing Grand Hotel.”
Du Bin’s expression changed, but he forced himself to remain calm. “We’ve already broken up. Sorry to intrude. I have something to attend to and must leave.”
Without waiting for anyone to say more, he headed straight for the door. Zhou Heng tried to stop him, but it was too late. “Mr. Du, it’s dangerous outside. Why not stay for lunch before you go?”
Du Bin ran all the way out—he knew it was best to leave as soon as possible. Suddenly, he remembered there were tigers nearby, and a chill ran through him. Yet going back meant risking being entangled and unable to leave.
As he reached the bridge, a series of roars erupted from the woods, and several tigers immediately blocked his way, growling furiously.
“Seriously? Am I about to become dinner for these pets?”
But Du Bin noticed the tigers, though fierce, wouldn’t come closer. He was puzzled by this strange phenomenon.
Then he understood—the necklace must be at work. He hadn’t expected the one Ye Tang gave him to be so effective. Perhaps there were other powers he didn’t know about.

After more than an hour, Du Bin made it back to Li Ping’s farm, where everyone looked displeased. He hurriedly explained what had happened.
“So you just went to someone’s villa and had tea?”
“And then that adorable girl started clinging to you. I bet you enjoyed it, you heartbreaker,” Hu Guozheng said, curling his lip.
“How am I a heartbreaker? I didn’t expect such bad luck.”
“Du Bin, do you hear that?” Hu Guozheng’s stomach growled loudly. Du Bin looked embarrassed, sweat beading on his brow.
“Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for you? All the food we worked so hard to make is cold now,” Qin Ling complained, arms folded. Du Bin bowed his head, apologetic.
Yanyan shot Li Ping a look, and he immediately stepped forward to mediate. “All right, now that everyone’s here, let’s start the feast!”
Halfway through the banquet, the sound of car horns came from outside the farm. Then a Rolls-Royce drove in, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. The door opened, and a young girl rushed out, calling, “Brother Bin!”
Du Bin was sipping his drink when he heard Jian Qianying’s voice and promptly sprayed it all over Hu Guozheng’s face, who nearly flipped the table in anger. “What the—are you looking for a fight?”
She ran over and flung her arms around Du Bin, causing everyone present to bristle. Even Hu Guozheng forgot his anger.
“What are you doing here?”
“You left in such a hurry, so I came to find you. I know this is abrupt, so I hope everyone will take care of me.”
“Du Bin, what’s going on?” Li Ning asked irritably, seeing this girl clinging to him.
Hu Guozheng wiped his face and grinned wickedly. “So this is your new girlfriend?”
“Shut up, you idiot. Don’t talk nonsense.” Du Bin shook his head desperately, denying it.
“Well, since you’re all Brother Bin’s friends, that makes you my friends too. And since we’ve decided to get married, there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
“Married!” Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Jian Qianying’s eyes lit up when she saw the table laden with food. “Brother Bin, you’re so good to me! You must have known I’d come, so you prepared this feast to welcome me.”
Li Ning couldn’t muster any fondness for this woman. “Must you be so over the top?”
“What?” Jian Qianying shot her a sidelong glance.
“Stop clinging to Du Bin. Can’t you see he doesn’t like you?”

Jian Qianying covered her mouth and laughed boisterously. “What, are you jealous of us?”
“Jealous? As if! You’re not welcome here. Leave at once!”
Seeing Li Ning’s fierce glare, Jian Qianying immediately put on the face of an innocent lamb and hid behind Du Bin. “Brother Bin, this tigress is so mean. I’m scared.”
“Du Bin, get over here!” When Li Ning got angry, nothing could stop her. She grabbed his hand, trying to pull him away. Not to be outdone, Jian Qianying seized his other hand, pulling him back. “Why won’t you let go of my Brother Bin’s hand?”
“You let go!”
“No, you let go!”
Pulled in opposite directions, Du Bin felt as if he were being torn in two. “Don’t pull me apart, please?”
Li Ping watched the women’s quarrel and dared not intervene, silently praying for Du Bin. “Women fighting is terrifying. It’s my first time seeing my sister jealous. Du Bin, your days won’t be easy.”
“Ugh, I can’t watch this. This playboy is always causing trouble, and I end up cleaning up his mess,” Hu Guozheng sighed, shaking his head.
“Who’s jealous? And you two—don’t think you’re innocent just because you’re standing aside!” Fuming, Li Ning hurled a piece of cake at them. Both were instantly covered in frosting, staring at each other in disbelief.
Qin Ling and Yanyan were speechless—they had already retreated to a safe distance. Seizing the chaos, Du Bin slipped away and hid somewhere in the villa.
“Brother Bin… Brother Bin…” Jian Qianying, unable to find him, ran about frantically calling his name, but there was no answer.
“He’s gone. He doesn’t like you. Give up,” Hu Guozheng said solemnly after wiping the cake from his face. He nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it in.
Jian Qianying burst into tears, stunned and unwilling to believe it. Zhou Heng tossed some paper scraps into the air. “That’s enough for atmosphere, right?”
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. After wiping her tears, Jian Qianying said, “Please tell Brother Bin for me—I’ll be strong without him by my side. He doesn’t need to worry about me.”
With that, she climbed into the car. Zhou Heng bowed apologetically to everyone, then drove away. Hiding in the distant grass, Du Bin watched the scene and sighed to himself.