Chapter Ninety-Two: Intolerable Bullying

This kind of unrestrained and blatant pursuit is precisely what gives people the greatest headache.

Qin Yang acted decisively, but from start to finish, he never let anyone see his face. He needed to rely on this final safeguard to protect himself; otherwise, if the accusation of assassinating a national official stuck and the entire country found out, he would have no choice but to spend the rest of his life in exile. This counterattack infuriated Jiang Nanyan. He hadn’t expected Qin Yang to dare launch such a ruthless attack at a time like this.

“Qin Yang has assassinated a national official. I’m issuing a warrant for his arrest, and this time I want the whole nation to know,” Jiang Nanyan muttered, his eyes blazing with violent agitation as he recalled Liu Yan’s indifference. The woman he had pursued for more than a decade had suddenly decided to marry a good-for-nothing playboy. What made it even harder to understand was that, even with her entire family opposing the match, Liu Yan stubbornly clung to her decision.

He had to capture Qin Yang. Jiang Nanyan needed to prove to Liu Yan that the man she favored was destined to be defeated, that only he, Jiang Nanyan, was worthy of her.

“But we can’t be certain it was Qin Yang,” said Qian Haoran, the soldier who had previously taken a shot in the dark. “According to the evidence collected at the scene, there’s nothing that directly proves Qin Yang was the murderer. The two survivors have lost their memories and are incoherent, so we can’t conclude it was Qin Yang. Besides, based on our assessment, it would have been nearly impossible for him to acquire weapons of mass destruction.”

“Are you disobeying my orders?” Jiang Nanyan fixed his gaze coldly on him. “I am the highest-ranking commander. You must follow my orders unconditionally.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Qian Haoran replied frostily.

“Then carry them out.”

“Wait.”

At that moment, Ling Suyun suddenly pushed the door open, looked at Qian Haoran, and said, “I disagree with your approach.”

“Ling Suyun, you have no authority to override my orders,” Jiang Nanyan said icily.

Ling Suyun shook his head. “I just received authorization to act jointly with you. As long as it’s within principle, I have the right to veto your actions. From this moment, I will take over as chief commander for this operation.”

“You?” Jiang Nanyan narrowed his eyes.

“That’s right, me,” Ling Suyun replied gravely. “In three minutes, you’ll receive a call from higher-ups confirming the order. From now on, you and I will be cooperating and supervising each other. I hope you will cooperate fully.”

“You went to the capital?” Jiang Nanyan calmed down instantly, asking in an even tone.

“Yes,” said Ling Suyun. “These past few days were enough for me to make a round trip and secure the authorization.”

“Very well,” Jiang Nanyan sneered. “It seems my grandfather’s grave illness and coma have emboldened those people. Fine, I’d like to see what storms they think they can stir up when I get back.”

While this situation was just beginning to improve, Qin Yang, still hiding out in an unleased house, was smoking a cigarette, eyes fixed on the latest message from Ji Liehu on his phone. There was precious little information on Jiang Nanyan, but at least there was an outline: a military family, grandfather a decorated general whose protégés now commanded two-thirds of the national armed forces—his influence was nearly absolute. Jiang Nanyan himself worked for national security, though his exact position was unclear and his résumé was brief, only noting his age and a few details. This gave Qin Yang a headache; he hadn’t expected Jiang Nanyan to have such a formidable background. Had he ever offended such a figure?

He racked his memory but couldn’t recall ever crossing anyone from the capital. So why did this group keep coming after him? Was it really all because of Liu Yan? But was it worth all this trouble?

He shut off his phone.

Qin Yang took a fierce drag on his cigarette. “Damn it, these bastards have gone way too far.”

“Aren’t you the one going too far?” the butler retorted unceremoniously. “If you hadn’t made such a scene, would they be bored enough to hunt you down? No matter how arrogant you are, your reach ends here. To those far away, you’re nothing but a clown. And who told you to get tangled up with Liu Yan? Now you understand what it means for a beauty to be a curse, don’t you?”

“She was the one who got close to me,” Qin Yang grumbled. “I’ve met her less than three times, spoken with her fewer than ten times in total. If you insist on saying there’s a relationship, it’s only slightly more than strangers.”

“Come on, everyone knows she’s your fiancée,” the butler said.

“Well, that’s hardly my fault,” Qin Yang protested bitterly. “I was doing just fine as a driver in Haitianshi, dabbling a bit in the black market. Instead of looking for problems in their own lives, they insist on pinning the blame on me. Isn’t that going too far?”

The butler replied with a sigh, “But that’s how it is. Sometimes, a man’s pride over a woman is unimaginable. Do you think they’ll ever suspect their own lack of charm? Especially when compared to you, with your notorious past? Frankly, given your previous reputation, most people think Liu Yan would have to be blind to want to marry you. And since they don’t believe she’s blind, the only explanation, in their minds, is you.”

“Are you just looking to get on my nerves?” Qin Yang asked coldly.

“I’m analyzing their psychology, not insulting you,” the butler replied.

“He’s right,” Yu Wenrou interjected softly. “Qin Yang, they’re already blinded by obsession, convinced that you’ve manipulated everything. So...”

“I’ll find a chance to call off this engagement,” Qin Yang spat, glancing at the darkening sky. He gathered his weapons and prepared to go out for one last night’s work. The police search was intensifying; armed police and special forces had been deployed, but now, by Ling Suyun’s order, their weapons had been changed to non-lethal rounds. Even if Jiang Nanyan wanted to intervene, he was powerless to defy orders.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhihao’s fiery death had nearly caused Wang Ye to faint at the scene. Driven mad by grief, he put intense pressure on the Fengyang police, even hinting that if necessary, they should switch to live ammunition to kill Qin Yang. Wang Ye had only one son, and now that son had died so tragically—how could he possibly let Qin Yang off? The Fengyang police, aware that their deputy director had been assassinated at home (even if there was no direct evidence against Qin Yang), all knew in their hearts that he couldn’t be innocent. Their hatred for Qin Yang was intense. Zhao Debiao, though not particularly accomplished, was still a deputy director, and for someone to kill a member of the police force right under their noses was blatant provocation and contempt.

Liu Ming tried to rein in this unprincipled vendetta, but it was useless—especially as several officers had been injured on duty, which only fueled the Fengyang police’s burning anger.