67:Hostility

Shaking off the vexing thoughts in his mind, Shen Yifei took the elevator up to the President's office.

It was almost time for work.

The moment Shen Yifei stepped in, Liu Xiaoxiao followed right behind, completely disregarding him. With a pleasant smile, she handed a stack of documents to Su Muqing, saying, "Xiao Xue (a familiar nickname, meaning 'Little Snow'), here are the materials for Hualong Garment Factory, and the contract has already been drafted by the lawyers."

Su Muqing nodded slightly: "Thank you for your hard work. I've already set up a meeting with Liu Wen, the owner of Hualong Garment Factory, for today. Xiaoxiao, let's go together later."

"Of course, how could I miss out on negotiations like this?" Liu Xiaoxiao curved her lips into a smirk.

Lingya International (a large corporation) was in the process of establishing a new garment manufacturing branch factory, and the location had already been finalized. The land for the factory originally belonged to Tianrong International (another major corporation), but Su Muqing's grandfather had transferred the land to Lingya International.

While Lingya International now owned the land, a small adjacent plot was leased to a minor garment factory. Due to contract complications, they hadn't been able to reclaim it yet.

Su Muqing had not only waived their rent but also offered a substantial sum to buy back the property, yet that small garment factory simply refused.

Liu Wen, the owner of the garment factory, was a notorious hardliner (a stubborn and unyielding character). During the last negotiation, he not only rejected Su Muqing's proposal but also brazenly tried to make a pass at her.

However, he also seemed wary of Su Muqing's status, not daring to make any truly indecent moves.

This time, as they headed for the negotiation, Su Muqing felt a little less concerned, knowing that Shen Yifei would be there to protect her safety.

"Shen Yifei, you're coming with us too." Su Muqing glanced at Shen Yifei, who was casually playing on his phone on the sofa.

"Oh, great! A chance to go out and explore. I'm bored staying cooped up here," Shen Yifei chuckled.

"We're not going out for a leisurely stroll; we're negotiating with a group of burly men. You'd better make sure Xiaoxiao and I are well protected," Su Muqing huffed lightly.

"Alright, alright, alright." Shen Yifei shrugged, thinking, *When am I ever not the chivalrous protector (a playful term for someone who guards beautiful women)?*

The two stunning women prepared their materials, packed them into their bags, and left the President's office.

After leaving the Lingya International building, the trio got into an Audi convertible. Once again, they were heading to a garment factory in the suburbs, and Shen Yifei's sole responsibility was to ensure their safety.

In the car, Liu Xiaoxiao spoke up: "Xiao Xue, your eyes look a bit swollen. Didn't you get enough rest last night?"

Su Muqing sighed: "Something like that."

She had chatted with Liu Xiaoxiao for so long last night, resulting in severe sleep deprivation.

However, Su Muqing was curious and asked Liu Xiaoxiao how Shen Yifei had "acted" yesterday, but Liu Xiaoxiao clearly evaded the question, being evasive.

Su Muqing guessed that things must have escalated significantly, but at least that Qian Bowen (a previously encountered antagonist) had been driven away.

Aside from Liu Xiaoxiao, Su Muqing herself was completely stressed out by Luo Tianyao's (another persistent suitor) persistent advances and didn't know how to handle it.

With her best friend staying at her place, Su Muqing finally had someone to confide in and be comforted by, so she wasn't gloomy all day long.

"Remember to get more rest. How can a goddess (a term for an exceptionally beautiful and admired woman) not take good care of herself?" Liu Xiaoxiao curved her lips into a smile.

"What's so good about being a goddess? I'm constantly exhausted," Su Muqing pouted.

Shen Yifei, who was driving, laughed, "If you don't want to be CEO, just resign. Why bother being so tired?"

Su Muqing snorted, "Easier said than done. Do you think I can just resign whenever I want?"

Serving as the CEO of Lingya International was also a heavy responsibility for Su Muqing.

About half an hour later, they arrived at Hualong Garment Factory.

Outside stood a three-story small office building. Behind the office building were several workshop-like structures, fenced with barbed wire.

"Miss Su, you've arrived." Two security guards outside the office building recognized Su Muqing and greeted her with deferential bows.

Su Muqing asked coolly, "Where's your boss, Liu Wen?"

"Mr. Liu is in the General Manager's office. I'll inform him for you first."

One security guard picked up his phone and called Liu Wen. Soon, he received Liu Wen's response, and the guard said, "Mr. Liu invites you in."

Su Muqing nodded slightly and walked into the office building with Liu Xiaoxiao.

Shen Yifei followed behind them, glancing at the few security guards around, and immediately noticed something amiss.

Ordinary security guards wouldn't have such a thuggish air (a rough, aggressive demeanor). This garment factory probably wasn't a legitimate establishment.

Moreover, whether intentionally or not, Shen Yifei felt a clear hostility, even... killing intent, emanating from these guards towards him.

At the entrance to the third floor, two burly men in black suits stepped forward and said, "Miss Su, our boss says he wants to meet with you and Miss Liu alone. Your secretary can wait here."

Su Muqing turned to Shen Yifei and said, "Shen Yifei, you can wait for me here."

Shen Yifei shook his head: "No, that won't do. What if you get into danger?"

"It's fine. Liu Wen wouldn't dare do anything truly harmful to me, no matter how bold he is. At most, he just wants to extort some money from me," Su Muqing stated.

By Shen Yifei's intuition, he sensed something might be wrong, but he didn't voice it immediately, instead replying, "Alright."

Su Muqing nodded and walked into the third-floor corridor with Liu Xiaoxiao.

The two burly men stared at Shen Yifei, a sneer and disdain appearing on their lips.

"Kid, you're doing pretty well for yourself, huh?" one burly man said mockingly.

Shen Yifei shrugged: "Just so-so."

"If you ask me, this CEO of Lingya International must be crazy to hire such a scrawny bodyguard? I'd say, we two brothers would be much stronger!" the other burly man clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"I'd say, this kid might not even be a bodyguard, just a pampered pretty boy (a derogatory term for a young man who lives off women's money), right?" the burly man chuckled.

Shen Yifei, expressionless, beckoned them closer with a hooked finger: "You two, come here for a moment. I have something to tell you."

The two burly men paused, then stepped forward, their faces still full of disdain: "What do you want to say, kid?"

Shen Yifei let out a cold sneer, and swiftly launched two kicks, striking both men squarely in the crotch.

"Thud! Thud!"

Two muffled thuds followed, and the two burly men's faces instantly contorted in agony.

Before these two unfortunate souls could even scream, Shen Yifei moved with lightning speed, and two decisive hand chops (a martial arts strike) landed.

These two unfortunate souls immediately collapsed, unconscious.

Su Muqing and Liu Xiaoxiao arrived at the General Manager's office. It was a large space. Liu Wen was lounging on an executive chair, one leg crossed over the other, deep in discussion with several muscle-bound enforcers standing beside him.

Seeing Su Muqing and Liu Xiaoxiao enter, Liu Wen immediately rose to greet them, chuckling, "CEO Su, Miss Liu, you've arrived."

Liu Wen was powerfully built, with a fierce expression, looking nothing like a legitimate boss, much like Liu Qiang (another intimidating character Shen Yifei had encountered) before him.

"Good day, CEO Su!" a group of tough guys also shouted in unison.

Upon seeing the group of tough guys standing beside Liu Wen, Su Muqing felt a slight panic in her heart, but she maintained a composed and aloof demeanor: "Mr. Liu, didn't you say you wanted to meet us alone?"