Urban Martial Saint

Old Five Chen was sitting by the window where the bomb exploded. The explosion was so powerful that it not only killed him but blew his body away, hanging it by the stairwell. Ye Qing came up just in time to see the body.

A few policemen also suffered the same fate and were left nauseated by the sight of the body.

Ye Qing, however, felt nothing; he had seen far worse on the battlefield. This was just child’s play to him.

Ye Qing walked to the site of the explosion, where about a four or five-meter radius was completely destroyed. The explosive’s force must have been significant. However, the damage around it was not severe. This showed that the person who placed the bomb had strong control over the explosion. If someone inexperienced had handled it, this bomb could have destroyed the entire building.

Only Old Five Chen was killed; a few on the second floor were grazed by the bomb but not seriously injured. This detail somewhat endeared the bomber to Ye Qing, as at least they knew whom to target and weren’t just blindly seeking revenge through murder!

After surveying the site, Ye Qing picked up a fragment of the bomb, pocketed it, and then left the scene.

By the time he got home, it was already past nine. Fang Tingyun, Mu Qingrong, and Huo Pingping were all sitting in the living room chatting. Mo Xiang, as usual, was reading a book, as if her world consisted of nothing else.

Upon seeing Ye Qing return, Fang Tingyun immediately stood up and said, ”Ye, have you eaten? We saved some dinner for you; let me heat it up.”

Moved by the gesture, Ye Qing waved his hand and said, ”No need, I’ve eaten outside.”

”Oh,” Fang Tingyun stopped mid-stride. Seeing Huo Pingping watching her teasingly, she knew she had overreacted; her cheeks flushed red and she quickly sat back down.

”Hey, soldier boy, what were you up to, thinking about not coming home all night?” Huo Pingping glanced sideways at Ye Qing and said, ”It’s late at night, and you only come back after nine. Where have you been having fun?”

”Met a friend.” Ye Qing casually replied.

”What kind of shady friends could you have!” Huo Pingping sneered, looking askance at Ye Qing. Ever since last night’s incident, she had looked at Ye Qing with disdain.

Ye Qing chose not to reply; arguing with Huo Pingping was unwise.

”Ye Qing, don’t take what Wang Xuan said today to heart,” Mu Qingrong spoke, ”He’s just that type of person, can’t stand seeing others do better than him. What you’re doing now is actually very good; you don’t need to stoop to his level. You can let go of the Lin Corporation business; it’s not something we can handle at the moment.”

Hearing this, Huo Pingping suddenly perked up and looked at Ye Qing, ”Yo, soldier boy, you were planning to take business from Lin Corporation? What, trying to compete with me, are you?”

Huo Pingping’s company did similar business to Mu Qingrong’s, but her company was much larger and qualified to bid for Lin Corporation’s business.

”Enough, Pingping, stop making fun of our company!” Mu Qingrong stood up and said, ”Aren’t you going to Lin Corporation tomorrow to get the admission card for the bidding event? Go to sleep already, or do you plan to go with panda eyes?”

”Ah, I’d almost forgotten.” Huo Pingping quickly stood up, but then sat down again and pouted, ”No, I can’t dress up too pretty tomorrow. That project manager from Lin Corporation is a lecher. Last time I went there, that bastard called me several times afterwards, asking to ’discuss business development.’ Discuss, discuss – why doesn’t he discuss with his mom!”

”Oh my, there are such people?” Fang Tingyun’s eyes widened, ”Ms. Ping, you must be careful!”

”Don’t worry, it’s not the first time I’ve dealt with such people. They don’t find it easy to take advantage of me!” Huo Pingping said, glaring at Ye Qing; her words were clearly intended for him.

Ye Qing felt extremely helpless; last night’s incident was really not intentional. He couldn’t even remember what he had seen, only remembering his mind going blank. Yet, because of this, Huo Pingping saw him as enemy number one, and he felt very wronged!

”For girls in business, situations like this are indeed hard to avoid. The key is to be aware and protect yourself,” Mu Qingrong added.

”We keep coming back to this, but Xiao Fangfang really has it easy. She sits in the office all day like a flower in a greenhouse, neither enduring the hardships of the elements nor having to please others like we do. Her job is much better than ours!” Huo Pingping sighed, ”Being a salesperson sometimes feels no different from begging!”

”You’re being too extreme. Nowadays, every industry needs people. Salespeople are also human; without communication skills, who could manage it? Right?” Mu Qingrong said, looking at Ye Qing, as he and Huo Pingping were the only salespeople in the house.

Ye Qing was silent for a moment, then said, ”I think that making a living on your own capabilities is never something to be ashamed of!”

Huo Pingping evaluated Ye Qing from top to bottom and said, ”Wow, you’ve even got that awareness!”

Fang Tingyun added, ”Ye is right, earning your keep with your own hands is the most honorable thing!”

”Alright, alright, I know you two are inseparable,” Huo Pingping waved her hand, ”I’m going to bed now. You two can keep flirting.”

With those words, Fang Tingyun’s cheeks flushed again, reaching her ears as she stole glances at Ye Qing. Her heart racing, she didn’t dare to stay any longer and hurried back to her room.

The living room was left with Mu Qingrong, Mo Xiang, and Ye Qing. Mu Qingrong stood up and said, ”Ye Qing, you are now mainly responsible for handling Das Group’s business. Forget about Lin Corporation.”

Ye Qing nodded but said nothing, returning to his room on his own.

Ye Qing closed the door, took the bomb fragments from his pocket, and studied them closely under the light. Finally, he wrapped the fragments in a piece of paper, sat cross-legged on the bed, and continued practicing the Breathing Method from the Acupoint Seeking Technique.

Early the next morning, Ye Qing first reported to his company and then left directly for Lin Corporation.

Ye Qing did not know if his connection with Lin Tianyou would be useful, but he was eager to secure business with Lin Corporation for his company. Therefore, regardless of the outcome, he wanted to give it a try.

Lin Corporation was much larger than Das Group, owning an entire 32-floor office building in the city, which clearly demonstrated its status in Shenchuan City.

Four stern-faced security guards stood opposite each other at the company entrance, their upright stances revealing their professionalism, far from being second-rate.

These guards, former servicemen hired after Lin Huayu’s kidnapping, possessed strong capabilities.

When Ye Qing entered the lobby, a receptionist promptly came to greet him.

”Hello, sir, how may I help you?”

Lin Corporation, with its abundant financial resources and excellent management, treated Ye Qing politely even though he wore a wrinkled suit from a street vendor.

Ye Qing said, ”I’m looking for Manager Zhang from the project department.”

Receptionist: ”Oh, do you have an appointment?”

Ye Qing said, ”I am Ye Qing from Yunchi Group!”

”Oh, I understand!” the receptionist smiled. ”Manager Zhang has already informed us. He is waiting for you in the office on the thirteenth floor. You can take elevator number three directly there!”

The receptionist even escorted Ye Qing to elevator number three, but Ye Qing’s mind was reeling: Lin Tianyou’s connections really did seem useful!

Arriving at the office, Ye Qing was about to knock when the door suddenly opened, and Huo Pingping stormed out. Not watching where she was going and moving swiftly, she collided directly into Ye Qing’s arms.

”You…” Huo Pingping glared, and upon seeing Ye Qing, her anger intensified, saying, ”You dead soldier, are you blind!”

Ye Qing was innocent, witnessing Huo Pingping’s furious demeanor, he quietly asked, ”What’s wrong?”

Huo Pingping glanced sideways at the office door, her eyes filled with resentment. Recalling what she had mentioned the night before, Ye Qing immediately understood. Needless to say, the project manager must have done something inappropriate to Huo Pingping.

”Why are you here?” Huo Pingping demanded indignantly, perturbed by the visit from another company as vast as theirs to bid. Ye Qing’s presence confused her.

Ye Qing said, ”I’m here to talk with Manager Zhang. If possible, to let our Yunchi Group also join the bidding.”

”You, don’t dream!” Huo Pingping lowered her voice, saying, ”This Old Bastard is a notorious lecher. To get past him, your company’s connections must be strong, or you must be good-looking. You’re a man, what are you doing mixing in here!”

Ye Qing did not bother to explain, thinking that since Lin Tianyou had made a call, there might be some hope.

”Forget it, I won’t waste words with you. Standing another second in this rotten place makes me feel uneasy!” Huo Pingping scoffed and stormed away, visibly annoyed.

Ye Qing then knocked and entered the office, where a short, chubby, balding man was leisurely smoking in a boss chair. It was Zhang Daping from Lin Corporation’s project department. Seeing Ye Qing, he frowned slightly, saying, ”And you are?”

”Hello, I am Ye Qing from Yunchi Group!” Ye Qing politely extended his hand.

”Oh, Yunchi Group!” Zhang Daping ignored Ye Qing’s extended hand and snorted, ”Yunchi Group, haven’t heard of it. What do you do?”

Ye Qing, unfazed by Zhang Daping’s sneer, said, ”We deal in surveillance equipment!”

Zhang Daping took a puff of his cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and said, ”Nowadays, there are so many small companies, randomly pull one out and it’s some group or enterprise. There are plenty dealing in surveillance equipment here in Shenchuan City. What advantages do your company’s products have?”

Ye Qing said, ”What others have, we have. Moreover, we offer a lower price than the others!”

Zhang Daping immediately sat up straight, his eyes wide, saying, ”Isn’t that obvious, everyone comes here saying the same thing. Cheap? What do you think, that Lin Corporation is short of money or something? Do we need to buy cheap goods?”

(Here’s a book recommendation for friends in need of a good read, ”Data Immortal Affinity.”)