Suddenly being embraced by Qin Xi, Yang Chen was momentarily stunned, his hands frozen in the air for a brief second before he snapped back to reality. A gentle smile curved his lips as he softly returned his wife's hug.
Luckily, Qin Dayong had already left. Otherwise, seeing this scene, he would have immediately realized that the masked man who had just won his daughter was none other than Yang Chen.
The surrounding crowd looked on in astonishment, not only because Qin Xi had thrown herself into the arms of the man who had defeated her but also because Yang Chen had emerged unscathed.
Su Shan watched as Qin Xi eagerly embraced Yang Chen, her expression complicated.
Although she had only recently returned to the country, she had always kept in touch with Qin Xi and was well aware of the relationship between Qin Xi and Yang Chen.
From Qin Xi's earlier worry for Yang Chen to her current actions, it was clear that her best friend already had feelings for this man—perhaps even Qin Xi herself hadn't realized it yet.
"Xiao Xi, aren't you going to introduce me to your husband?"
Only after leaving the King's City and stepping outside did Su Shan finally speak up, smiling playfully as she eyed Yang Chen, who had now removed his mask.
Hearing the word "husband," Qin Xi's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't refute it. She merely rolled her eyes at Su Shan—she knew full well that her friend was teasing her. She had already talked about Yang Chen with Su Shan before.
Qin Xi simply introduced Yang Chen: "Yang Chen, this is Su Shan, my best friend since high school!"
Yang Chen gave Su Shan a slight nod but otherwise ignored her. Although this woman was Qin Xi's best friend, she was also a member of the Su family.
Anyone connected to the Yu family was someone he would never warm up to.
Sensing Yang Chen's coldness, Su Shan felt a pang of guilt. Remembering how she had interfered earlier in King's City—unaware that Yang Chen and Qin Xi were only acting to help Qin Dayong overcome his gambling addiction—she was filled with remorse.
"Earlier, I didn't know you and Xiao Xi were putting on an act to help Uncle Qin quit gambling. I'm sorry!"
Su Shan suddenly turned to Yang Chen with sincere apology in her eyes.
This took Yang Chen by surprise, but his demeanor remained indifferent. "It's fine," he said flatly.
"You're a grown man—why are you so petty? I already apologized, and you're still being harsh with me!"
Feeling Yang Chen's continued coldness, Su Shan's face flushed with anger, her grievances growing.
"I already said it's fine. Do I have to smile at you for you to think I've accepted your apology?" Yang Chen's tone remained icy.
"You *are* being harsh!"
Su Shan huffed angrily.
The two, who had been fine just moments ago, suddenly seemed like sworn enemies, giving Qin Xi a headache. She quickly intervened, "Yang Chen, Shan Shan is my best friend. Can you be a little nicer to her?"
She wasn't scolding him but rather pleading softly. Then, she turned to Su Shan and took her hand. "Shan Shan, don't take it to heart. He's just stubborn like that."
"Besides, you don't need to apologize to us. If anything, *I* should be apologizing to you. If I had told you the truth from the start, you wouldn't have almost gotten dragged into this mess."
"You don't know how much it hurt when my dad used me as a bet. But you, not knowing the truth, fought to get me back and were even willing to pay sixteen million to redeem me. I was really, *really* touched."
"Shan Shan, honestly, I'm so grateful. Thank you!"
Qin Xi said a lot, not just to defuse the tension but because she truly was moved. In that moment, Su Shan had fearlessly stood up for her.
Su Shan's anger toward Yang Chen instantly dissipated.
Seeing Qin Xi's reddened eyes, her own eyes welled up as she hugged Qin Xi tightly. "Xiao Xi, don't say that. We're sisters—no need for thanks!"
Yang Chen had clearly underestimated the bond between the two women. Suddenly, he regretted his earlier coldness toward Su Shan. The Yu family was the Yu family, the Su family was the Su family, and Su Shan was Su Shan. He shouldn't have projected his hatred for the Yu family onto the Su family.
---
A black Volkswagen Phaeton sped along the road toward Cloud Peak Summit.
The Su family lived in the Jiuchengshan Villa District. Cloud Peak Summit was also part of Jiuchengshan, though at the mountaintop while the other wealthy families resided at the base. Yang Chen happened to pass by the Su family's villa.
"Hey! How did Liu Kai let you leave earlier?"
Su Shan wanted to ease the tension between them, but given Yang Chen's earlier attitude, her tone was even frostier now.
Yang Chen smiled. "They had an internal conflict, so I took the chance to slip out."
Su Shan scoffed. "Lucky you. But you still offended Liu Kai. He'll definitely come after you later. If you apologize to me, I'll convince my dad to step in and help you."
She wore a haughty expression, as if saying, *You dared to snap at me earlier, but now you'll have to beg for my help, won't you?*
Yang Chen found her arrogance amusing, but for Qin Xi's sake, he played along. "I was wrong earlier. I shouldn't have been so cold to you, Miss Su. I should've greeted you with a big smile. My apologies!"
At first, Su Shan was pleased, but his sarcastic tone quickly made her grit her teeth. "You're mocking me! Xiao Xi, aren't you going to discipline your husband?"
Qin Xi, well aware of her best friend's personality, quickly appeased her. "Don't worry, I'll deal with him when we get home!"
"Make him kneel on a washboard—no, a durian! And don't let him into your bed tonight!" Su Shan said fiercely.
Qin Xi laughed. "Alright, whatever you say!"
Yang Chen shook his head wryly. Any lingering resentment toward Su Shan vanished. No matter what, this woman was a true friend to Qin Xi.
"Xiao Xi, your husband offended Liu Kai tonight, so be extra careful. But don't worry too much—I'll ask my dad to handle it."
Before getting out of the car, Su Shan held Qin Xi's hand, her face full of concern.
Qin Xi was deeply moved and was about to respond when Yang Chen suddenly spoke up. "No need to trouble Chairman Su over such a small matter. If all goes well, Liu Kai will no longer exist in Jiangzhou after tonight."
"What do you mean?" Su Shan asked, puzzled. "你是什么意思?"苏山问,困惑.
"Internal strife in King's City. Liu Kai might be replaced by someone else," Yang Chen said. 杨陈说:"国王城市的内部冲突.刘凯可能被其他人取代."
As he finished speaking, the car pulled up at the Su family's gate. 当他结束时,汽车在Su家族的大门上驶上.
Su Shan naturally didn't believe him. Rolling her eyes, she retorted, "Liu Kai's King's City has immense influence, on par with a top-tier family. There's no way he'd be overthrown so easily." Su Shan自然不相信他.她翻了个白眼,反驳说:"刘凯的国王的城市与顶级家庭相当.
With that, she stepped out of the car and waved at Qin Xi. "Xiao Xi, let's meet up again soon!" 这样,她走出车,向秦十一挥手. " Xiao XI,让我们尽快再次见面!"
"Sure, take care!" Qin Xi waved back. "当然,保重!"秦十一挥了挥手.
Just then, a black Land Rover slowly approached. 就在这时,黑色陆虎慢慢靠近.
Before Su Shan could react, blinding headlights flashed into her eyes. Instinctively, she raised a hand to shield her vision. 在Su Shan做出反应之前,盲目的大灯闪烁着她的眼睛.本能地,她举起了一只手来掩盖自己的视力.
At that moment, the Land Rover's engine roared like a beast—and it accelerated straight toward Su Shan.那一刻,路虎的发动机像野兽一样咆哮,然后直接向苏山加速.