Chapter 43: You Have a Fiancée Now

“Jiang Ling! Stop it!” Gu Shenshen scrambled to her feet and rushed forward, grabbing Jiang Ling with all her strength just as he was about to continue the violence.

When Jiang Ling was yanked back by Gu Shenshen, he spun around abruptly. His bloodshot eyes blazed with fury.

“You’re just as shameless!” he spat, cursing as he spun around, raising his hand as if to strike Gu Shenshen.

No matter how stubborn Gu Shenshen could be, she was still only a woman. The disparity in their strength meant she was easily flung aside by Jiang Ling.

His heavy fist came down like a stone, and the mere sight of it made Gu Shenshen’s heart pound with terror.

But the punch never landed.

Zhou Ci’s hand caught Jiang Ling’s fist in midair. The lazy indifference he’d shown that morning had been replaced entirely by a chilling hostility.

Jiang Ling shuddered instinctively at the sight of Zhou Ci, withdrawing his fist by reflex.

Even in his drug-fueled madness, he remembered all too well how this lunatic had once pinned him to the ground and beaten him senseless.

Zhou Ci’s cold, merciless gaze fell on him, edged with cruelty. “Did you not learn your lesson?”

Jiang Ling drew a deep breath, lifting his eyes slowly. “Mr. Zhou, this is a family matter. It has nothing to do with you.”

Zhou Ci shoved the door open and glanced inside at Shen Qiqi, instantly noticing the visible bruises on her body.

“Your family matters are none of my concern. But she belongs to me.” Zhou Ci raised a hand and pointed at Gu Shenshen lying on the ground, his voice low and emotionless.

Jiang Ling looked at Gu Shenshen in confusion, frowning. “Doesn’t Mr. Zhou already have a fiancée? What is she to you, then?”

At those words, Gu Shenshen, still sitting on the floor, froze for a moment and instinctively looked at Zhou Ci.

The man’s face remained expressionless. “She’s my secretary. What do you think she is to me?”

Jiang Ling bit his lip, then cautiously stepped back. “I’m sorry…”

Before he could even finish, Zhou Ci’s fist struck him squarely, sending him crashing to the floor.

Zhou Ci, capricious as ever, stepped forward and looked down at him with contempt. “And who do you think you are to question me?”

He didn’t finish the obscenity, but the way he looked at Jiang Ling was no different from how he’d look at a dog, as if he could kill him with a single punch at any moment.

His brutality was rarely seen in public.

Gu Shenshen had witnessed it a few times and thought, if circumstances allowed, she would keep her distance from him.

“You!” Jiang Ling glared, seething with anger but too afraid to retort, forced to swallow his frustration.

Worried that Zhou Ci might lose control, Gu Shenshen hurriedly got up and grabbed his hand.

“That’s enough. Let’s go.”

She then cast a cold glance at Jiang Ling. “If you ever lay a hand on her again, next time I’ll let Zhou Ci beat you to death.”

Jiang Ling stared at her, jaw clenched, silent. Under the mounting pressure, he finally nodded.

Zhou Ci let Gu Shenshen lead him away. The two entered the elevator, one after the other.

“Jiang Ling isn’t a man of his word,” Zhou Ci murmured after watching her for a moment.

“I know,” Gu Shenshen replied.

Zhou Ci frowned slightly. “Then why did you ask me to leave?”

Gu Shenshen shot him a look, her eyes filled with the kind of exasperation one reserves for fools.

“Forget it. You don’t understand Qiqi, so there’s no point explaining. But thank you for showing up when you did.”

Zhou Ci regarded her, searching for deeper feelings beneath her calm facade.

But from beginning to end, her expression remained unreadable, emotionless.

“Gu Shenshen, did you not hear what Jiang Ling said just now?”

She nodded. “I heard. You have a fiancée now. When is the wedding?”