"Miss Qiao, Young Master Qiao has had an accident..." As soon as she pressed the answer button, Qiao Hui heard this blunt Mandarin statement, which inevitably made her heart sink. She knew that today her younger brother, Qiao Xiaotian, was accompanying President Tanimoto and another business partner from the United States, Mr. Jason, for dinner.

Speaking of her younger brother, Qiao Hui was full of frustration; born and raised in luxury, he had now become a wastrel that people despised. He spent his days doing nothing productive, causing trouble everywhere. He disregarded the company matters and family business completely. In fact, it was their father, Qiao Ronghuan, who dared not let him get involved.

Just like now, he managed to create problems even with something as simple as having dinner with two foreign guests. Could he ever give people peace of mind?

Although Qiao Hui was deeply disappointed with Qiao Xiaotian, he was still her very own younger brother and the heir to the Qiao family. So, at that moment, she immediately responded with concern, "President Tanimoto, what happened? Please, speak slowly..."

"Miss Qiao, Young Master Qiao has been severely beaten. Should we take him to the hospital?" Tanimoto Ichiro was also feeling uneasy after seeing Qiao Xiaotian being kicked into the wall by Wang Xiaoqiang, blood spurting from his mouth.

"Where are you?"

"Dihao Grand Hotel..."

"Okay, send him to the hospital. I'll be right there." Hearing the news, Qiao Hui was horrified. She immediately agreed and then hung up the phone, turning to Zhong Ping, "I'm sorry, Sister Ping, something has happened to my brother, I have to go see him..."

Zhong Ping had already picked up on the gist of the situation from Qiao Hui's conversation with Tanimoto Ichiro. She also stood up and said, "Should I come with you?"

Qiao Hui was a smart woman; she knew exactly what her brother's character was like. Although he was the one injured today, she was sure it was still a mess he had stirred up, because in the Provincial Capital, no one dared to trouble her brother.

She didn't want Zhong Ping to witness Qiao Xiaotian's disgraceful side. So she refused, "No need, Sister Ping, you go ahead with your business!"

After speaking, Qiao Hui hurriedly left the café and drove straight to the Dihao Grand Hotel.

The Decade Café was not far from the Dihao Grand Hotel, barely a five-minute drive away.

At the moment, inside the Emperor's Hall of the Dihao Grand Hotel.

Outside the hall, after making an emergency call, President Tanimoto and Mr. Jason, wary of Wang Xiaoqiang, didn't dare re-enter the Emperor's Hall to check on Qiao Xiaotian's injuries, and paced anxiously like ants on a hot pan.

Inside the Emperor's Hall.

Wang Xiaoqiang had already extricated himself from Xia Mi's embrace and had patted her soft shoulder for comfort, before scanning the room with his eyes.

Zeng Jiye said to Wang Xiaoqiang with trepidation, "Boss Wang, Young Master Qiao is in bad shape... "

"Get out!" Wang Xiaoqiang shouted at Zeng Jiye. Zeng's body shook, and after casting a worried glance at Qiao Xiaotian, he left the Emperor's Hall.

Wang Xiaoqiang turned to the stunned Chef Wang and said, "Chef Wang, take Xia Mi out first."

Chef Wang nodded and led Xia Mi out of the hall.

Now, in the Emperor's Hall, only Wang Xiaoqiang, Qiao Xiaotian, and his two bodyguards remained.

Wang Xiaoqiang walked over, fiercely trampled the two guards, who had somewhat recovered, back to the ground, and then approached Qiao Xiaotian. He crouched down, wiped the blood from Qiao's mouth with tissue paper, and seeing the urgency of his breathing and the continuous spitting of blood, Wang felt a bit anxious,

The kick he had delivered earlier was a bit too forceful. If it had been one of the two bodyguards, they wouldn't have been in mortal danger, but Qiao Xiaotian was different. It was evident, and imaginable, that this playboy had long been hollowed out by his indulgences in wine and women. How could such a husk endure the heavy blow of the Metal Element Spiritual Energy?

"How do you feel?" Wang Xiaoqiang patted his face, now pale as gold leaf, and asked.

"I, if I die, you, you won't live either..." With another spurt of blood, Qiao Xiaotian's face revealed a grim smile, showing a hint of defiance.

However, at this moment, he was only exhaling, with no breath coming in.

Wang Xiaoqiang leaned close to his face and said, "If I say you die, you die; if I say you live, you can't die."

If Qiao Xiaotian died, Wang Xiaoqiang definitely wouldn't get off easily; if he didn't die, he might end up in prison. Wang Xiaoqiang didn't want to both suffer because of Qiao Xiaotian. Finishing his words, he pressed his right hand on Qiao's chest, channeling the life-giving energy of the Wood Element into his heart.

Immediately, the failing heart began to beat strongly again, his breathing strengthened, and gradually, his face, previously as pale as gold leaf, began to regain its color...

Under severe respiratory distress, Qiao Xiaotian suddenly felt a cool surge enter his heart. Then, his breathing started to stabilize, and his body, growing increasingly cold, felt warmth again. He weakly lifted his eyelids, staring at Wang Xiaoqiang in amazement.

"I hope this will be the end of it. Xia Mi is my friend, and you can't entangle her any longer... I can save you, and I can just as easily kill you." Wang Xiaoqiang gave him a cold smile and then withdrew his hand. Naturally, he wouldn't waste a considerable amount of Spiritual Energy on such a miscreant, just enough to spare his life.

Qiao Xiaotian trembled all over at his words and didn't dare to meet Wang Xiaoqiang's gaze any longer.

Just then, the sound of a siren approached; the ambulance had arrived.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood up and walked out of the Emperor's Hall. He saw Mr. Jason and President Tanimoto still standing outside, and of course, Zeng Jiye hadn't dared to leave either, and there were Chef Wang and Xia Mi as well.

Wang Xiaoqiang glanced at Jason, Tanimoto Ichiro, and Zeng Jiye, saying, "Everyone has seen what happened today. If the police get involved, I hope you will tell them the truth. Otherwise, the Qiao family's fate will be yours."

The three shuddered at his words. The display of martial power that Wang Xiaoqiang exhibited at the Emperor's Hall was too intimidating. Just the thought of how he had sent Qiao Xiaotian flying with a kick made their hearts pound.

Seeing the three nod, Wang Xiaoqiang was about to leave with Wang Dakui and Xia Mi when a woman arrived before the medical team did.

This woman, in her mid-twenties, dressed modestly with no revealing parts. Despite her conservative clothes, they could not hide her tall and voluptuous figure. Her makeup, though light, could not conceal the charm on her face, nor the deep, wildness in her eyes.

The person was none other than Qiao Hui.

When Qiao Hui arrived at the entrance of the Emperor's Hall, Jason, Tanimoto Ichiro, and Zeng Jiye circled around her, eager to report Qiao Xiaotian's injuries and recount the recent events, but as they opened their mouths, nothing came out.

Qiao Hui pushed open the door of the Emperor's Hall, peeked inside, and when she saw her brother and two bodyguards lying weakly on the ground, with no blood on Qiao Xiaotian, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Her wild eyes swept coldly over the crowd outside the door. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang about to leave with a man and a woman, she couldn't help but shout, "Stop right there! No one leaves until things are made clear!"

"Alright then," Wang Xiaoqiang stopped, turned his face to Qiao Hui, and sneered, "Since you want to hear about how that Qiao Shaoqiang debased a woman, I don't mind sharing. Xia Mi, tell her, describe everything that Qiao scum did..."

Qiao Hui glanced at Xia Mi, recognising her as the manager of Dihao Hotel. Realising the situation, Qiao Hui immediately knew what had happened. When she saw Xia Mi about to speak, she frowned and gestured for her to stop, "Manager Xia, no need to elaborate. I just want to know who injured my brother..."

"It was me, Wang Xiaoqiang!"

"Wang Xiaoqiang..." Qiao Hui murmured, her wild eyes sharpening on him. She had just heard his name from Zhong Ping's lips.

Wang Xiaoqiang looked at her and advised, "Take care of your brother from now on. He's lucky to have met me today; otherwise, he would've been long gone."

The crowd felt a mix of confusion and awe at his boldness – he had just beaten someone up and now he was giving advice.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Hui didn't get angry at Wang Xiaoqiang's words but asked urgently, "Wang Xiaoqiang, do you know Zhong Ping?"

His question caught Wang Xiaoqiang off guard; he stared at Qiao Hui, immediately realizing that this woman knew Zhong Ping and that Zhong Ping had mentioned his name to her. Thinking of this, he was somewhat annoyed at Zhong Ping for blabbing, and coldly denied it, "I don't know her."

From Wang Xiaoqiang's brief hesitation, Qiao Hui could tell he wasn't being truthful. But as the medical team approached, she didn't have the time to question further. She gave Wang Xiaoqiang a deep look, as if to imprint his image in her mind, then went in with the medics to the Emperor's Hall.

Wang Xiaoqiang returned to Wang Dakui's office with Wang Dakui and Xia Mi. They both looked at him strangely, not expecting such boldness and martial power from him. Feeling a bit self-conscious under their gaze, Wang Xiaoqiang turned to Chef Wang and said, "Chef Wang, I came today to deliver the vegetables. Why don't you go check them?"

However, Chef Wang turned away angrily, "Little Qiang, let's not talk about this now. I've decided not to work at Dihao any longer. I'm resigning today..."

Before he could finish, Xia Mi also interjected, "I'm quitting too, effective today."

Wang Xiaoqiang had heard how Zeng Jiye, for the sake of business, did not hesitate to sacrifice the dignity of his employees in the Emperor's Hall. Agreeing with their decision, he said, "Good for you. With your cooking skills, Chef Wang, you can excel anywhere; and Xia Mi, with such good presence and eloquence, you could be a lobby manager at any hotel."

Chef Wang didn't disagree with Wang Xiaoqiang's words, knowing that with his skills and reputation in the provincial capital's culinary world, he would receive a chef-level treatment in any hotel. But Xia Mi didn't feel she had such high qualifications and, getting older, was also considering settling down, so she didn't want to continue in the hospitality industry.

She shook her head, "I will not pursue a career in catering anymore."

"What do you plan on doing then?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked, his tone tinged with regret.

"I'll think about it," Xia Mi responded, crossing her arms like a wounded bird, forlorn. She'd been in this job for seven years and now, leaving the industry, had no idea what else to do. Moreover, with her low educational background, it wouldn't be easy to start over in a new field. When would she ever make a name for herself again?

"Xia Mi, if you can't find anything, you could do sales for me. My company is opening soon, and we need someone to run the business," Wang Xiaoqiang suggested after some thought.

Her eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Okay, but I'm afraid I might not be capable."

With just an elementary education, I managed just fine. With your image and eloquence, you're overqualified for sales," Wang Xiaoqiang insisted.

"Look, Little Qiang is offering you a great opportunity. Don't turn it down," Chef Wang hinted to Xia Mi to accept, noticing Wang Xiaoqiang's kind gesture. With his products in high demand, selling them would be effortless. Eventually, it would be the buyers approaching Xia Mi, and she wouldn't even need to make the effort; it was essentially a salary for nothing.

"So, Little Qiang, how can I ever thank you?" Xia Mi understood Chef Wang's signals.

Wang Xiaoqiang was about to say that friends don't need to thank each other when Chef Wang interrupted with a tease, "How else to thank him? Offer yourself to him, haha!"

Xia Mi's face flushed red, her heart pounding. She glared at Chef Wang and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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