Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Netherworld

  Back in the private room, Qian Xiaohong was nervous and serious. She sat back in her original seat, holding the beer on the table and drinking non-stop. Lu Xiao Ying and others were singing, Lan Yu Tong just sat on the sofa, watching them screaming and laughing loudly. He smiled, from his father's death, he and his sister had become enemies, now they were reconciled as before. This happiness was so sweet.

  At this time, he saw Qian Xiaohong drinking wine continuously, seeing her drink so fiercely, and still crying while drinking, the atmosphere was different from when she just came, this change happened only after she went out for a while.

  "What's wrong?" He then drew near to Qian Xiaohong and asked in a soft voice, "Drinking like this is not good for your body. Is there something bothering you that you can tell us? We will definitely do our best to help you, just as you have done your best to help me."

  "I'm in a bad mood!" Qian Xiaohong muttered, "Let me drink, anyway the feelings of this world are all fake, except for ours." She smiled bitterly and continued to tilt her head back, drinking beer from the bottle in big gulps.

  Lu Xiaoying was also tired from playing, so she came back and sat down beside Qian Xiaohong. Seeing that Qian Xiaohong was quietly pouring wine only for herself, Lu Xiaoying asked in confusion: "What's wrong with you?"

  Qian Xiaohong let out a loud cry, she didn't respond to Lu Xiao Ying's words, instead she raised her head and took several big gulps.

  Others also came and advised Qian Xiaohong not to do so, it's bad for her health, but Qian Xiaohong couldn't listen, soon she got drunk.

  Her mood made everyone not want to play anymore, so they all settled the bill and went home dejectedly. Lu Xiaoying and Lan Yuxing sent Qian Xiaohong back together.

  Back in the apartment, Qian Xiaohong rushed into the bathroom and vomited. Not long after she came out, she saw several people staring at her with puzzled expressions. She let out a sigh and said: "You all think it's strange, don't you? You're all wondering why I suddenly changed like this, right?"

  Everyone nodded, unsure whether it was curiosity or concern, and the three people's six eyes stared at her. Lu Xiao Ying asked: "What happened?"

  "That bastard Zhang Mingyu?" Qian Xiaohong gritted her teeth and said, her eyes almost spewing fire. If Zhang Mingyu were in front of her, she would definitely tear him in two.

  "How did you know he was cheating on you?" Lu Xiao Ying asked with a furrowed brow.

  "I saw him at the nightclub tonight, he was being affectionate with an old rich woman and they went to the bathroom together. I happened to see them when I came out," said Qian Xiaohong.

  "I had also heard that you have a boyfriend, named Zhang Mingyu. I know this Zhang Mingyu is idle every day, specializing in deceiving girls to get their money. He once cheated the daughter of the head of the Urban Management Bureau and was beaten up afterwards, and was even detained for three months. I wanted to tell you before, but seeing how serious you were, I thought you wouldn't believe me, so I didn't say anything." Lan Yutong said.

  "I also saw him with a woman being affectionate, I wanted to tell you, but was afraid you wouldn't believe," said Lu Xiao Ying.

  "Oh," Qian Xiaohong's eyes widened as she stared at the three of them and said, "So you all knew about it a long time ago. Why didn't you tell me?"

  "It's just that I'm afraid you won't believe me," said Lu Xiao Ying, "I'm sorry!"

  "What's the point of saying sorry?" Qian Xiaohong suddenly looked down at the ground, sneered and said, "I treated you as friends, but you were willing to watch me being deceived and hurt. I don't want to see you guys." She said with hatred, grabbed her bag and ran out of the apartment.

  Others were chasing behind, but Qian Xiaohong used the Cloud-Piercing Technique and vanished in an instant.

  The midnight sky is like a dense ink rendering, dark and profound.

  Lu Xiaoying and Lan Yutong siblings looked for Qian Xiaohong on the street for a long time, but couldn't find her. Lu Xiaoying thought that Qian Xiaohong was hiding on purpose, and they would be wasting their efforts if they continued to look for her. So with worry and some regret, they each returned home.

  Qian Xiaohong shot out of the house like an arrow, using her Cloud Piercing Technique to flash away and disappear into the night. She drifted around on the dimly lit streets for a while before suddenly seeing that a coffee shop was still open. Next to the coffee shop was a bar, so she floated down and headed towards the bar next to the coffee shop. She didn't want to go to the coffee shop; it brought her a lot of sadness, making her feel the falseness of love and hatred.

  She wasn't a heavy drinker, but at this moment, getting drunk might actually improve her mood. Alcohol was sometimes a good thing; at least it wouldn't deceive your body. However, this coffee shop made her think of Zhang Mingyu, their first meeting, his polite demeanor, and the happy times they shared together. At the same time, she also thought of Zhang Mingyu's ugly smile when facing the old rich woman, and his hypocritical appearance. So, she ordered another bottle of foreign wine to drown herself again.

  "May I sit here?"

  The irritable her was trying to anesthetize herself as much as possible, when suddenly a man's voice entered her ears, which was a harsh and vulgar sound.

  "Impossible!" She raised her head at the sound of the voice and gazed at the newcomer with a pair of drunken eyes, her expression full of disdain.

  But when she looked up and saw the man who was speaking, they were both shocked. It turned out that the person standing in front of her was the one who almost made the Lan Group go bankrupt, her former boss Qiu Xiaoqian.

  "Old acquaintance," Qiu smiled, holding a cup of red wine and looking at her with a smile, "it's been a long time since we met. We can catch up on old times here, but why do you look like an enemy, not friendly at all."

  Qian Xiaohong didn't say another word, she lowered her head and remained silent.

  Chou Xiao Qian saw that she was no longer speaking and didn't care whether Qian Xiaohong agreed or not, so he shamelessly sat down.

  "How can you drink alone?" After sitting down, the two of them felt awkward due to the silence, so Qiu Xiaoqian decided to break the ice.

  "Why must I tell you why I'm drinking alone here?" Qian Xiaohong said with a cold smile.

  "That's not it," Qiu Xiaoqian smiled back at him, "but I can tell you if you want to hear."

  "Why should I tell you who I am?" Qian Xiaohong sneered again.

  Qiu Xiang smiled elegantly as she took a sip from her wine glass, then gently put it down and said: "Miss Qian, don't be so sharp-tongued. Do you still remember that I used to be your superior? The Lan Corporation has recently become active again, and this must be due to the indelible contributions of you and Lu Xiao Ying. By normal reasoning, you two should be very happy now, even if it's just drinking wine to celebrate. You should be with your inseparable friend Lu Xiao Ying, but instead, you're alone and melancholic - this doesn't make sense. So, I'm curious, why do you have to push people away? You and Lu Xiao Ying took away a large part of my company's clients, causing huge losses for my company. I see that you're not even angry with me, but instead, you treat me like an enemy."

  "So what? And if you really want to sit here, don't mention that bitch Lu Xiao Ying and the damn Lan Corporation in front of me." Qian Xiaohong sneered again, "I helped them save the Lan Corporation initially because I couldn't stand how you used despicable means to embezzle company funds. But now I realize that the grudges between your companies have nothing to do with someone like me who just earns a salary and eats. What I resent is that you took the money and left, leaving me to suffer." The last two sentences were spoken with a very helpless expression on Qian Xiaohong's face, followed by a long sigh.

  With this last sigh, Chou Xiaoqian seemed to have already figured out Qian Xiaohong's intention of drinking alone. So, he quickly analyzed in his mind: Qian Xiaohong must be heartbroken because of the unfair distribution of rewards in the Lanxi Group, or dissatisfied with the leadership style of other groups. If that's the case, if he can get this woman who is good at attracting customers to join the company, maybe she will bring back some clients who have switched to the Lanxi Group. With this thought, his smile became even brighter.

  "As a businessman, the first thing to consider is making money. If not, then don't do business and go serve in a nursing home instead. The business world is like a battlefield, as long as you win, it doesn't matter what methods you use. Even if my previous actions were questionable, that's just the way the business world is. Why must Miss Qian dwell on past matters? Besides, how I did things was between me and Chairman Lan Yutong. As for you and Lu Xiaoying, didn't I treat you well? High salary, easy work, and even expenses for entertainment at karaoke bars and nightclubs were reimbursed by the Lan Corporation. Can't you just thank me, Qian?"

  "I hate you!" Qian Xiaohong said, "You made the Lan Group unable to pay wages, making our lives difficult. In the end, you left with a flourish. If you had any kindness towards me, you should have taken us away with you. Now, you've used the Lan Group's money to start your own company, while we're still struggling to make ends meet. Do I not have reason to hate you?"

  She finally spoke her mind, Qiu Xiaoqian thought to herself, then quickly said: "So that's how it is? If you want to jump ship and come to my company, you can come find me. Why bother complaining? As long as you can come to my company, I'll not only make good use of you, but also give you a salary that's twice what the Lan Corporation pays."

  "Can I trust you?" Qian Xiaohong said, "Don't you hate me for taking away your clients?"

  "I resent you," Qian Chou said with a sigh, "but I won't hold it against you now that I understand. Since I didn't take you away back then, you took my clients to get revenge on me. Now that this is a misunderstanding, I won't blame you, but I also hope you can truly join our company."

  Qian Xiaohong took a sip of wine, her eyebrows furrowed, and after half a day of silence, she nodded and said: "It's settled then, I'll come to your company to work. I've also thought it through, my jumping ship to your company doesn't mean I'm betraying them, it's those cheap people who are treating me unfairly, I don't need to work myself to death for them, and the salary is low too."

  "That's great!" Qiu Xiao Hong was overjoyed when he heard what Qian Xiaohong had to say, and he raised his glass saying, "To our successful cooperation and taking down the Lan Corporation, cheers!"

  Qian Xiaohong raised her glass and clinked it against Qiu Xiaoqian's, then tilted her head back and downed the wine in one gulp. She then grabbed the bottle and poured herself another half cup of wine.

  Qiu Xiaoqian kept staring at Qian Xiaohong's expression, this seemingly gentle but actually sinister old fox was not completely convinced of Qian Xiaohong. He hoped that Qian Xiaohong could help him, but he also feared that Qian Xiaohong was a mole sent by the Lan Corporation to gather evidence of his embezzlement from the company. So, while drinking wine, his eyes quietly fixed on Qian Xiaohong's facial expression, looking for any unusual changes. After watching for half a day, all he saw on Qian Xiaohong's face was anger, and nothing else seemed out of place. It seemed that Qian Xiaohong had indeed fallen out with the Lan Corporation, as for why they fell out, he would find out one day.

  Then he burst into a silly grin!