Chapter Eleven: Is the Forbidden Fruit Sweet?

The crowd turned toward the sound, and at the doorway, Qin Feng strode in with his hands in his pockets. The moment they saw him, their expressions instantly darkened.

They had assumed the person here to reprimand them would be some high-ranking official’s son, but upon seeing Qin Feng, dressed plainly and unremarkably, they were taken aback.

“Who let this idiot in? Does he even belong here?” someone barked.

Others chimed in, “He’s completely clueless. This banquet was personally organized by Lord Hu. You weren’t invited, and yet you trespass—do you want to die?”

“Security! Get this nobody out of here immediately!”

In the blink of an eye, Qin Feng found himself surrounded by the security guards who had rushed over at the sound of the commotion. Yet his expression remained calm, utterly indifferent.

However, Xu Banxia’s face changed completely. She quickly said, “Qin Feng, what are you doing here? You’d better leave now!”

She knew well how ruthless Lord Hu was. As a gang leader, his hands were stained with countless lives. Qin Feng’s reckless intrusion was undoubtedly a direct affront.

Sure enough, Li Yuanhu’s face grew even colder.

Xu Banxia’s earlier refusal to dance had already displeased him, and now this brash young man openly mocked him. With his temper, he could hardly keep his cool.

“Director Xu, do you know this man?” Li Qinian asked with keen interest.

Xu Banxia hesitated briefly, then nodded, “He’s my subordinate.”

“A subordinate?” Li Qinian said with a meaningful smile, “This man barges into the banquet uninvited and insults us. I doubt your relationship is merely professional.”

His words were diplomatic, but everyone understood the insinuation. Xu Banxia’s face gradually turned pale.

“Hmph!” Huang Chunlian sneered. “Doctor Xu, aren’t you going to explain? You’re about to become Lord Hu’s concubine, yet you have a shady relationship with this pretty boy. Surely you don’t intend to make a fool of Lord Hu?”

At those words, Li Yuanhu’s gaze sharpened, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at Qin Feng.

Xu Banxia clenched her fists and immediately retorted, “Stop slandering me! He’s just my subordinate!”

“So how did he know you would be here?” Li Qinian pressed on.

“I…” Xu Banxia was at a loss; she didn’t know how Qin Feng had found this place.

“Can’t explain, huh?” Li Qinian smiled slyly, then turned to Qin Feng. “Kid, you better give us a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, I doubt you’ll walk out of here alive.”

At that moment, the door to the private room was suddenly slammed shut, as if to trap the dog before beating it.

Qin Feng scoffed, refusing to reply. His eyes swept the room and quickly spotted the thugs from earlier in the day, the ones he had intimidated.

“What are you all standing around for? Speak up!” he commanded.

The thugs trembled and hurried to Li Yuanhu’s side, stammering, “Lord Hu, this is the guy who injured the blond-haired one.”

“He also forced us to reveal the banquet’s location…”

“What did you say?” Li Yuanhu snapped to his feet, furious.

He stared at Qin Feng. “So you’re the one who hurt my men?”

“Exactly,” Qin Feng said coolly. “Trespassing on the hospital, causing trouble on purpose. I was merciful to let him live.”

“Too arrogant!” Li Yuanhu growled. “In that case, you should know that when you hit a dog, you must watch out for its owner. You broke eight ribs of the blond guy—today, I’ll break eight of yours!”

Xu Banxia immediately panicked. She hadn’t expected things to escalate so far. She remembered the blond from earlier vividly, but never imagined Qin Feng would take revenge for her.

“Come on, break him!” Li Yuanhu ordered, and the hotel security prepared to move.

Suddenly, Xu Banxia shouted, “Wait! You can’t touch him!”

Li Yuanhu turned cold eyes on her. “Doctor Xu, what do you mean?”

“Are you protecting him?” he sneered.

Xu Banxia took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. “He’s my subordinate. Those blond guys harassed me first. I instigated him to retaliate.”

“If you want revenge, take it out on me!”

Li Yuanhu’s eyes narrowed, burning with fury. It was clear she was determined to protect the young man. Such devotion was unheard of in a mere superior-subordinate relationship.

Li Qinian applauded mockingly. “How touching. Doctor Xu, if you think there’s nothing going on between you two, even a fool wouldn’t believe it.”

“You, Xu Banxia,” Huang Chunlian spat, “pretending to be innocent when you refuse to dance, yet secretly hooking up with men behind the scenes—so fickle. You shouldn’t be a doctor; you’re better suited to be a harlot!”

The words brought her an unspoken satisfaction.

“You!” Xu Banxia’s face turned deathly pale, her heart aching with humiliation as tears welled in her eyes.

Then—

“Smack!”

A crisp slap rang out. With a fierce motion, Qin Feng struck Huang Chunlian across the face.

She flew backward, crashing onto the next table, turning it upside down. The dishes and food spilled all over her face.

“Ah!” Huang Chunlian screamed sharply.

Everyone exchanged stunned glances, dumbfounded.

No one expected Qin Feng to resort to violence so quickly, and his movements had been too swift to fully register.

Li Yuanhu’s expression darkened. “No wonder you dared provoke us—you’re a martial artist. But if you think your modest skills are enough to challenge me, you’re utterly foolish.”

“Foolish?” Qin Feng shot him a disdainful glance. “I think the real fool is you, an old man wearing a green hat without even realizing it.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Li Yuanhu’s eyes widened in fury.

Qin Feng turned to Li Qinian. “You said I have some kind of relationship with Doctor Xu. Honestly, I don’t—mainly because I don’t fancy her.”

Xu Banxia’s eyes widened in shock, her cheeks burning with anger.

Before she could speak, Qin Feng continued, “But I’m certain you do have something going on with that woman you just beat up.”

That woman was, of course, Huang Chunlian.

“You damn liar!” Li Qinian was horrified and shouted, “She’s my stepmother!”

“Oh?” Qin Feng smirked. “So you knew she was your stepmother?”

“Then why did you mess around?”

Boom!

At that moment, everyone was stunned into silence by Qin Feng’s words.

Li Qinian and Lord Hu’s concubine…

Were involved?

The realization caused a collective intake of breath; no one dared utter a word. The room fell into an oppressive silence.

“Lies!”

“You’re treading on thin ice, kid. Keep it up and I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Li Qinian trembled with rage, cursing wildly.

“Oh, getting nervous now?” Qin Feng chuckled, noticing the others’ silence. “I suppose you haven’t heard this yet.”

“Let me share another secret with you.”

“Before this banquet, they had a private conversation…”