Chapter 121: The Mysterious Blonde Woman

In this place, riding a bamboo raft out to the middle of the lake gave one feeling, while strolling along the lakeshore gave another.

The company was pleasant too. Quan Zhiling knew how to act coy and how to keep a conversation going. Even knowing full well that she was a bewitching con woman, Brother Ma still found her delightful.

“How did you end up in this line of work?” Ma asked as they walked, though it was really just a pointless question.

Quan Zhiling put on an expression that seemed to say, “It’s a long story.”

The look was clearly an invitation for him to keep talking, and Ma secretly found it amusing.

Before he could say anything, however, a cold male voice suddenly rang out.

“What are you doing here?”

Ma turned his head. Wasn’t this the mysterious Qiu Tianjue?

He had already been planning to look for the son of a bitch after tonight and teach him a lesson.

A gloomy glint flashed through Qiu Tianjue’s eyes as well. The two of them simply stared at each other in silence.

Ma took a quick look. Qiu Tianjue had brought three bodyguards, each of whom appeared capable of taking on seven Mas at once. So Ma prudently kept quiet and waited to see how things developed.

There was also a striking woman standing beside Qiu Tianjue—a foreigner with golden hair and blue eyes.

Quan Zhiling knew none of them. The atmosphere felt like two sworn enemies had just come face-to-face, and she could not help feeling worried. There was no one here who could be taken lightly. She only wanted to become famous and make money; she had no desire to get dragged into trouble.

At the same time, Quan Zhiling noticed that Qiu Tianjue clearly harbored some inexplicable hatred toward Brother Ma. Yet in front of the blonde woman, he was deliberately restraining himself and putting on an air of refinement. He and the woman were evidently not familiar enough for him to behave however he pleased.

Quan Zhiling thought Brother Ma was impressive, but she also felt her scalp prickle. During her time in Haizhou, she had seen Qiu Tianjue and heard a few stories about him. She knew he was a man with extraordinary connections and ruthless methods.

Some time ago, Qiu Tianjue had even sent someone to say that he wanted Quan Zhiling brought to him for sex. Fortunately, she detested such a blatant transaction. She had also made the acquaintance of Jiang Yaowen, who, among the villains around them, was comparatively a man of rules. That gave her the courage to refuse. Through this, she had also heard that Jiang Yaowen and Qiu Tianjue did not get along.

Thinking of this, Quan Zhiling lowered her head and avoided their gazes, unwilling to become entangled in the disputes of such powerful men.

“Is he your friend?” The blonde woman deliberately looked at Ma twice. She was asking Qiu Tianjue.

Qiu Tianjue apparently did not know how to explain this troublesome relationship to her. He gave an ambiguous shake of his head. “Friend would be overstating it. As for this man, Teresa, you only have to look at that devilishly handsome face of his to know he’s a kept man who likes fooling around with women.”

Strangely enough, this only seemed to make Teresa more interested in Ma. She continued examining him.

Qiu Tianjue looked at Ma and said coldly, “What are you doing here? Didn’t you realize this isn’t a public place? You’re not welcome.”

Ma thought for a moment. “I came because someone invited me. Do you think I wanted to come? And don’t act as if you’re the property manager here.”

A dark look crossed Qiu Tianjue’s face again. He glanced at Teresa before replying patiently, “You guessed right. I really am in charge of this place. It isn’t mine, but I manage it.”

He paused in thought. No one could possibly have entered without an invitation. After considering the matter carefully, the most reasonable explanation he could come up with was that Yu Chengmin had brought Ma here, since Ma was Yu Chengmin’s assistant.

“Since you’re here, behave yourself. Otherwise, even Yu Chengmin will have trouble. Understand?” Qiu Tianjue added.

Ma still had no idea what Yu Chengmin had to do with any of this.

Just then, Qiu Tianjue received a message and had to turn his attention elsewhere. He said to Teresa, “My elder brother, Qiu Hongwen, has arrived. Would you like to come and meet him first?”

Teresa shook her head slightly. “Not interested. Go by yourself. I’m going to take a walk by the lake and get some fresh air.”

Qiu Tianjue glanced at Ma. Recalling Teresa’s strange expressions several times just now, he truly could not figure out what this complicated woman was planning.

Teresa smiled faintly. “Don’t worry about me. I’m not a porcelain doll. If you’re worried about him, I can take a walk with him and keep an eye on him for you. Wouldn’t that be better?”

“This…” Qiu Tianjue hesitated.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Teresa looked at him with a hint of forcefulness.

Qiu Tianjue glared at Ma once more, then walked away.

And so, the scenic grounds that evening belonged to Ma, Quan Zhiling, and Teresa.

For the moment, no one spoke. They merely looked each other over.

Teresa swept an indifferent glance over Quan Zhiling, then studied Ma for a while. With the easy familiarity of an old acquaintance, she smiled and asked, “Did you sleep with one of Qiu Tianjue’s women? He seems to hold quite a grudge against you.”

“Damn, I wouldn’t exactly put it that way.” Ma summed it up simply.

Teresa nodded, gazing at the beautiful lake. “The way you answered means you definitely did. Be careful. Don’t get dragged into complicated trouble just because you’re lustful.”

The two women spoke incredibly quickly, both with accents, and their word choices were bizarre. Quan Zhiling, who was reputed to have terrible English, could barely follow them. Still, she understood the general meaning: it seemed that Young Master Ma, driven by lust, had slept with the woman of the powerful Qiu Tianjue. The thought left Quan Zhiling feeling utterly chilled.

Although Teresa seemed to believe that Ma had slept with Qiu Tianjue’s woman, she appeared even more interested in him. She scanned him from head to toe once again and asked curiously, “From your accent, are you from Cambridge?”

Ma shook his head slightly. “No. I was merely accommodating your accent. It’s instinctive.”

“Then you must at least have spent some time there. Did you study at Cambridge?”

Ma pointed at his own nose. “This body seems to have a doctorate from Cambridge.”

Teresa rolled her eyes. “Fine. Then how many degrees does this body have if you’ve forgotten exactly what they are?”

“Not telling.” Ma became mysterious.

Teresa hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s rare to meet an alumnus. Will you walk with me?”

“Why? What’s in it for me?”

Teresa gave him a narrowed, amused smile, studied him for a moment, then started walking. “You’re very bold, but you have no idea how vile Qiu Tianjue can be. If you don’t want to suffer, come with me. Otherwise, trouble will find you very soon. I guarantee it.”

“So you’re going to protect me?” Ma instinctively followed her.

Teresa looked back at him. “I wouldn’t go that far. Perhaps I have my own reasons. But I’m certain that you won’t run into trouble while you’re walking with me.”

Young Master Ma actually followed her, which left Quan Zhiling utterly stunned. Even so, she could only follow along, disgruntled.

Within this small circle, Quan Zhiling was temporarily on Ma’s “team,” so she moved closer and whispered, “Why did you just follow her? Who knows what kind of trouble we’ll get dragged into? That woman looks so forceful and complicated.”

Ma replied, “I didn’t bring a hammer for self-defense today. Didn’t you hear what she said? You have no idea how vile Old Qiu is. He even went to my house last night to show off. Who knows what we’ll run into? A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him. Let’s follow Teresa for now, see what she’s up to, and make use of her while we can.”

Quan Zhiling was utterly exasperated, but she had no choice except to keep walking. Brother Ma seemed to have slept with Old Qiu’s woman, while Quan Zhiling was temporarily Ma’s woman herself. She was genuinely afraid that Old Qiu would capture her and abuse her.