Chapter 269: A Slap

Kong Yueqing's unauthorized action caused Kong Nian's expression to turn as dark as water.

The air in the carriage seemed to freeze.

Gan Hua, Ruan Tao, and Kong Yueling were not only incredulous, but they didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

After all, Kong Nian had just ordered that no one was allowed to move without her command.

By this time, Kong Yueqing had already rushed over to the man's side.

"Junior Sister, what do we do now?" Although Gan Hua was wary, he hurriedly inquired.

A shadow of gloom flickered in the depths of Kong Nian's eyes. "Go over and take a look."

Having received her permission, the three of them got out of the car together.

At this moment, Kong Yueqing already had a talisman gripped in her hand, preparing to capture the woman alive, when the two people's conversation suddenly drifted into her ears.

"Ten yuan. It absolutely cannot be any less, and I guarantee you'll be comfortable."

Kong Yueqing:...

All her movements froze instantly, her face turning ashen.

The man was trying forcefully to break free from the woman's pulling, looking extremely anxious. "I already said I don't need it, let go of me quickly!"

"It's fine to indulge once in a while, my body is clean."

The conversation between the two was unmistakable. At that moment, the man noticed Kong Yueqing's presence and threw a pleading look her way.

"Miss Kong, please come and help! This woman thinks I'm a customer!"

Kong Yueqing's lips twitched uncontrollably; she never imagined she would encounter such an absurd situation.

Seeing that someone had arrived, the woman reluctantly let go.

Without waiting for Kong Yueqing to speak, she turned to leave. However, before she could take two steps, she was blocked by Kong Yueqing, whose expression was unfriendly.

"You can't leave."

The features on the woman's heavily made-up face twisted into a knot as she gave her an impatient glance.

"I didn't know he had a girlfriend," she explained reluctantly.

Kong Yueqing wished she could slap her. "I said you can't leave. Come back with me."

"Hey, I didn't even do anything with him, what right do you have?" the woman shouted, flailing her arms and legs.

"I suspect you are related to the previous disappearance cases. You must come back with me for investigation!" Kong Yueqing raised her voice.

The woman was stunned for a moment, but once she reacted, she became straight-up furious.

"Are you crazy? I just thought he looked decent and struck up a conversation, and you're already pinning labels on me?"

Gan Hua and the other two arrived at the scene, not expecting them to be in a dispute.

The group also sized up the woman, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, their hearts sank.

This woman was not the person they were looking for.

Seeing three more people arrive, the woman became even more agitated. "Who are you people? What right do you have to block my way for no reason? I'm warning you, if you don't move, I'll call the police!"

Looking at her arrogant manner, Kong Yueqing felt both angry and indignant.

"You really have made a mistake, she isn't..." Even the man acting as bait spoke up for the woman, his face flushed red.

Gan Hua immediately understood something. He apologized to the woman and then signaled that she could leave.

The woman glared at Kong Yueqing, huffed, and swaggered away with a sway of her hips.

"Yueqing, you were impulsive this time," Gan Hua reminded her helplessly.

She shouldn't have disobeyed Kong Nian's command and acted rashly just now.

Kong Yueqing's face burned with shame, and her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into tight fists.

Standing nearby, Kong Yueling cast her a sympathetic look. "So, what do we do now?"

Gan Hua sighed. "Let's head back to the car first."

A few minutes later, even the man acting as bait followed them back to Kong Nian.

Gan Hua said nothing, merely shaking his head at Kong Nian, and she understood everything.

Her cold gaze locked onto Kong Yueqing.

Kong Yueqing felt an invisible pressure enveloping her, but the pride in her bones would not allow her to bow her head to Kong Nian.

"I was just..."

*Slap!*

Before she could finish, a heavy slap landed on her face.

The sound of the slap was exceptionally piercing in the silent street.

Gan Hua, Ruan Tao, and Kong Yueling all felt their hearts tremble; amidst their shock, they found it hard to believe.

The intense pain made Kong Yueqing feel suffocated, and flames of rage surged in her eyes.

"You dare hit me?" she questioned, her voice distorted.

Kong Nian gave a cold laugh. "Why wouldn't I dare?"

"I am your Senior Sister!" Kong Yueqing screamed out years of resentment.

"So what? Because you acted without authorization just now, you could have easily alerted the target and made everyone's efforts go to waste. Since you consider yourself so extraordinary, then wait and explain it yourself to Captain Du and everyone else." Kong Nian's voice was filled with coldness and disdain.

Kong Yueqing froze, her chest heaving violently.

Was she going to push all the responsibility onto her?!

"I... I just didn't want to let any possibility slip by..."

If they truly were exposed because of her and became the target of criticism, the family elders would surely deem her incompetent.

"Now you know how to be afraid? Soon everyone will know that the entire plan was ruined by the hands of the Kong family. You are the one who brought shame to the Kong family. Me hitting you once is already going easy on you."

Watching Kong Yueqing's constantly changing expressions, Kong Nian felt no sympathy; instead, she grew even more frigid.

Kong Yueqing panicked. "No, it's not like that..."

Seeing things reach this point, Gan Hua could only try to ease the atmosphere between the two.

"Junior Sister Kong, Yueqing was indeed a bit impulsive, but she only wanted to catch the culprit behind the scenes as quickly as possible. Just forgive her this once, okay?"

"That's right, Senior Sister, please forgive Senior Sister Yueqing this once?" Kong Yueling pleaded along with him.

Kong Nian remained unmoved. "She didn't want to catch the culprit; she wanted to snatch the credit before me. It was one thing for her to act recklessly back at home, but now she represents the entire Kong family. To think she is still so malicious—I will remember this."

She left Kong Yueqing with no way to save face, laying her true intentions bare before everyone.

Even Gan Hua and Ruan Tao were speechless.

Because what Kong Nian said was true.

Regarding Kong Yueqing, they could only feel the frustration of "wasted potential" and could do nothing about it.

Kong Yueqing fought back the urge to cry. At this moment, if there were a hole in the ground before her, she would dive into it without hesitation.

"Junior Sister Kong, we can discuss Yueqing's matter when we get back. What should we do now? Do we continue?" Gan Hua changed the subject, not forgetting the importance of the overall situation.

Kong Nian lifted her eyes to look at the empty, deserted street; the woman from before had long since vanished without a trace.

This time, Kong Yueqing had truly alerted the target; she was more of a hindrance than a help.

"Continue."

The other nine teams were still working hard. If they called it quits now, it would be like openly telling everyone that the Kong family had sabotaged the plan.

After what had just happened, everyone had reached a point of absolute obedience to Kong Nian.

(End of Chapter)