Chapter 548: Ruobing, Don’t Do Anything Rash!

Chapter 548: Ruobing, Don’t Do Anything Rash!

“Have you arrived yet?”

Gazing out at the brilliant sea of city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, Li Ruobing stood with her arms folded across her chest. Clad in a black dress and striking high heels, her voice was as cold as the depths of winter.

“We’re about to exit the expressway,” a man’s respectful voice replied through the receiver.

“Have all the contacts been established?” Li Ruobing asked. “Any intelligence on An Menglan’s whereabouts?”

“Nothing definitive yet…” the man reported. “However, Boss, according to chatter online, a massive swarm of entertainment reporters has already converged on An Menglan’s company, and paparazzi are staking out several of her residences in Modu. Everyone is desperate to capture the first images of An Menglan following her public confession… She may still be at the company, having never left. Once we exit the expressway, we’ll head straight there.”

“Mm. Keep a sharp eye on her and stay completely alert! I want to know with absolute certainty where she spends the night!”

“Understood!”

The call ended.

“Bitch! I was planning on letting you off easy, and you still dare to…” Li Ruobing muttered under her breath, turning back toward her desk.

In truth, she wasn’t particularly enraged; she had long since accepted the reality that Wu Chen kept other women. Her understanding of male-female relationships had always defied convention.

The crux of the matter was that regardless of whether An Menglan’s provocation was deliberate or inadvertent, she had done it!

Whatever theories Li Ruobing might entertain about the underlying context, she had to teach An Menglan a lesson!

It had nothing to do with An Menglan’s motives.

She could never establish a precedent of letting someone challenge her without consequence! If she overlooked it due to extenuating circumstances this time, what about the next? In this arena, Li Ruobing refused to grant anyone the slightest leeway to test her bottom line!

That was why, after she saw the news online, she had dispatched a team by car straight to Modu!

A drive that normally took three to four hours was nearly completed in just over two.

Click, click, click.

Her heels tapped crisply against the floor.

Returning to her desk, Li Ruobing took her seat and glanced at the time displayed in the lower-right corner of her monitor: 8:12 p.m.

“Still hasn’t called me. Does he honestly believe he has me wrapped around his finger forever?” Li Ruobing mused with sour irritation.

She was madly in love with this terrifyingly powerful man; the stronger he was, the deeper her devotion grew. Domineering by nature, she yearned to be subdued by an even more formidable will, intoxicated by the psychological gratification it brought.

Yet at times… she felt she was entitled to a sliver of reassurance.

An Menglan had whipped up such a monumental storm across the internet, yet Wu Chen hadn’t even called to check on her! What was that supposed to mean? Had that wretched woman won him over?

Perhaps because this was the first time another woman in his life had challenged her so openly, even Li Ruobing felt an uncharacteristic flicker of insecurity!

After all, across nearly every metric, An Menglan was in no way inferior to her. An Menglan’s temperament might be pliable, but that very vulnerability made men ache to protect and cherish her!

“Playing the fragile little damsel, are you? Scheming little bitch!” Li Ruobing scoffed under her breath with a cold sneer.

For the first time since meeting Wu Chen, she found herself visualizing what he was like in private with his other women! She had never spared a thought for what went on between Wu Chen and Wu Yurong. Whether Wu Yurong wished to vie for favor remained a private affair; given her stature and the demands of her reputation, Wu Yurong was destined to remain Wu Chen’s lover in the shadows.

An Menglan, however… might be another story!

She had to nip those possibilities in the bud!

“Just what on earth are you so busy with? Something more important than me? You can’t even spare a minute to call? Or are you playing games with me? Fine, let’s see who breaks first… Let’s see how long you can hold out!”

Li Ruobing understood Wu Chen better than any woman alive.

And this time, her deduction was dead on!

Wu Chen truly was playing a little game, deliberately holding back from calling!

It had mutated into a contest of wills: who would call first, and who would be the first to yield! Whoever took the initiative would be cast as the one who cared more—the one who was easier to handle!

Li Ruobing glanced at the unfinished documents on her desk.

After a moment’s contemplation, she picked up her phone once more and opened a WeChat group.

It was an all-women group. Li Ruobing was the group owner, and the members consisted of Su Qingying, Mu Qianqian, and Zhuang Xiaodie! Ever since An Menglan published that Weibo post, the chat had quickly become lively, though not a single message offered words of comfort to Li Ruobing. None of them believed Li Ruobing was the type of woman who required comforting.

“Ruobing, don’t do anything rash! We can’t let this spiral out of control!” Su Qingying urged.

“Hubby’s such a playboy!” Mu Qianqian blasted Wu Chen as well. “Hmph! If he can’t keep her in line, Sister Bing should take over! Teach her a lesson!”

“…An Menglan transferred fifty percent of the shares to me,” Zhuang Xiaodie chimed in.

“Qianqian, stop stirring the pot. Keep it up and I’ll screenshot this and send it to Hubby—see if he doesn’t spank you!” Su Qingying warned playfully.

Li Ruobing did not reply with a single word. She had even declined Su Qingying’s invitation to have dinner together.

In truth, she wasn’t being overly emotional; this wasn’t an agonizing torment to her. She simply didn’t want Su Qingying and the others knowing what she was truly thinking.

Besides… the reactions in the group brought her genuine satisfaction.

They were all remarkably obedient!

“My dearest Mr. Wu, you really have the heart to leave me hanging, don’t you? Let’s see when you finally call!” Li Ruobing murmured in a chilling tone, curling her lip.

She set her phone aside, picked up her papers, and resumed her work.

Modu. Inside the private suite at Jingcui Garden.

The banquet was still in full swing: drinking, chatting, more drinking, more chatting, puffing cigars… They all wore the guise of drunken men, yet were merely tipsy at most. While alcohol prompted enthusiasm, chatter, expansive gestures, and booming voices, their minds remained clear, perfectly capable of navigating momentous affairs!

Around 9:30 p.m.

Wu Chen and Li Maoren sat together, trading a few quiet whispers.

A moment later…

“Boss An—” Li Maoren, who had imbibed the least, addressed An Huaiguo.

“Boss Li!” An Huaiguo responded instantly. He had been conversing with Gu Hongtu about cigar collecting, but snapped his attention over at once.

“Boss An, how much do you know about the Ding family?” Li Maoren asked.

“The Ding family?” An Huaiguo froze for a second, his eyes instinctively darting toward Wu Chen.

After all… Ding Ruilong, that notoriously perverse third-generation scion of the Ding family, was engaged to Li Ruobing, the eldest daughter of the Li clan’s primary branch—Li Maoren’s own flesh and blood! It was common knowledge! The matrimonial alliance between the Ding and Li families was hardly a secret, which was why the two clans had already undertaken some cooperation over the past three years, standing as de facto allies.

He looked at Wu Chen, of course, because of his romantic entanglement with Li Ruobing.

“There are some problems with the Ding family,” Li Maoren stated bluntly, dispensing with pleasantries.

Under specific conditions, the An family could be easier to trust than the great mainland families. That was because the An family had no fallback position, or at least fewer alternatives, on the mainland! The moment their shared interests were locked in, An Huaiguo’s reliability would surge to an entirely different plateau!

Before anyone realized it, the clock crept past ten.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Wu Chen announced, rising to his feet and exiting the suite.

Yet he did not head for the restroom.

After passing through the side corridor where the restrooms were situated, Wu Chen walked to the window at the far end of the hallway, retrieved his phone, and glanced at the screen.

Li Ruobing’s patience had nearly reached its breaking point!