Inside the apartment, Ding Hao stared at Yang Yuqi, who was still reclining on the sofa, his eyes filled with undisguised lust. The girl remained unconscious; the effects of the ether would last for at least an hour, during which time Yang Yuqi was practically unaware of anything. Due to the violent movements during the kidnapping, her clothes were extremely disheveled. Her pink fleece sweater was pulled up from her gray plaid skirt, along with her floral shirt, revealing a section of snow-white skin. Paired with her modern attire, she looked sexy and provocative.
With no one to restrain him, Ding Hao's lust was aroused again by Yang Yuqi, and he couldn't help but have lewd thoughts. He glanced at Zhou Ping, who was pacing around in circles, and said, "Zhou Ping, let me take this girl into the bedroom first and let me cool off." With that, he strode towards Yang Yuqi.
Zhou Ping was taken aback and quickly blocked his way, angrily shouting, "What time is it? You still have the mind to think about that? Do you only think with your lower body?"
Ding Hao was still a little afraid of Zhou Ping, and said defiantly, "What are you afraid of? Zhou Ping, when did you become so timid? It's just a girl. Haven't you done enough of forcing yourself on her? As long as you put the money on the table, which girl wouldn't willingly let you play with her? What's so special about Yang Yuqi? She's just a little pretty. I think she's still a virgin. If you don't take advantage of her, that kid Ling Yun will get her for free."
Zhou Ping said impatiently, "What am I afraid of? The question is, why did we bring her here? Isn't it to lure that kid out? Let me tell you, Ding Hao, I still have something on him. If you sleep with this girl and anger Ling Yun, and he really takes me to court, I'll make sure you regret it. Stop thinking about women all day long. Use your brain, okay?"
Ding Hao's face turned pale after hearing his reprimand. He gritted his teeth and thought to himself: Zhou Ping, what the hell are you so arrogant about? You're just relying on your parents' power and money. If my parents weren't under your parents' control, what the hell would I be afraid of? What a coward.
He snorted and walked past Zhou Ping to the chair opposite Yang Yuqi's sofa, plopped down, and said angrily, "Then you have to let me get something out of it, Zhou Ping. I'm the one who arrested the person, and I'm the one who hired the thugs. From beginning to end, you didn't do anything. Zhou Ping, it's Ling Yun who has leverage over you, not me. Do you think I'm doing this for you just to get a scolding from you?"
Zhou Ping realized he might have gone too far with his words, so he softened his expression, walked over, patted Ding Hao on the shoulder, and said in a lower tone, "Old Ding, why are you talking like that? Don't you trust me, Zhou Ping? We've been friends for years, my business is your business. Don't worry, when Ling Yun comes back, we'll use this girl to threaten him. As long as I get that IOU back, everything will be fine. No matter how powerful Ling Yun is, can he handle bullets? Then you can do whatever you want with this girl. Old friend, just bear with it for a couple of days."
Ding Hao wasn't very bright to begin with, and he wasn't willing to think things through deeply. But when Zhou Ping swayed him like this, he immediately stood up and beamed with joy: "Really, Zhou Ping, you have to keep your word. I've been pursuing this girl for a long time. If I can have one night of passion with her, it would be worth dying for."
Zhou Ping smiled slightly, but inwardly he thought with disdain: Ding Hao, you're not much of a prospect either. You'll probably spend your whole life sleeping around with women.
"I just don't know if this trick will work. If Ling Yun doesn't like Yang Yuqi, then all our efforts will have been in vain." Zhou Ping thought for a moment and then said worriedly. His face suddenly turned pale, and the unease he had just felt was vibrating strongly in his heart again, as if it was telling him something, bringing Zhou Ping an extremely uneasy feeling.
"I don't see any problem," Ding Hao said nonchalantly, his anger completely extinguished after his earlier outburst. "They always go to Bingyan Cafe for secret rendezvous. I've heard it several times. If Ling Yun liked her, why would he go on a secret rendezvous with her? Zhou Ping, you've never been in love, you don't know as much about these things as I do..." In the blink of an eye, Ding Hao forgot about the scathing rebuke he had received and began to proudly recount his romantic history.
A flash of anger crossed Zhou Ping's face. He thought to himself, "While I was in love, you were probably somewhere peeping into the girls' restroom." He suddenly remembered Xia Zhen. It seemed that the school beauty also had a close relationship with Ling Yun. If he forcibly brought Xia Zhen over, perhaps Ling Yun would be more obedient. Although Yang Yuqi was very pretty and also close to Ling Yun, Zhou Ping always felt that something was amiss. If Ding Hao hadn't kept patting his chest and guaranteeing it, Zhou Ping would have thought about it more carefully.
Of course, he wasn't worried that Yang Yuqi would call the police after waking up. Due to his privileged background, with parents who were social elites and extensive social connections, Zhou Ping wasn't concerned about being threatened by the law like an ordinary person. He always considered himself an elite member of high society and believed in the jungle law of Western society, so naturally he didn't take kidnapping Yang Yuqi, which seemed like a casual and ordinary matter, seriously.
If this pretty girl wakes up and expresses dissatisfaction or anger, it's simple: first, use money to dispel her negative emotions. If money doesn't work, then use power and social connections to force her to submit. Living in this circle, Zhou Ping already knows how to use his connections and money to serve himself. This is an inevitable path for those in power, and in walking this path, the interests of many people must be sacrificed. Clearly, Yang Yuqi is one of them. Moreover, Zhou Ping doesn't mind having some fun with this girl after dealing with Ling Yun. At least when it comes to beautiful women, he's one of those horny wolves.
"If only I could capture Su Bingyan and Chen Jiaxuan as well, then all three women together would be enough to vent my anger." Ding Hao had finally finished recounting his romance when, for some reason, he remembered what happened at Bingyan's coffee shop, and suddenly became furious.
"Did Chen Jiaxuan and Su Bingyan offend you too?" Zhou Ping asked in surprise, unaware of Ding Hao's humiliation.
Ding Hao blushed and recounted what happened at Bingyan Cafe that day. He then said resentfully, "If you hadn't called and stopped me that day, I would have already had someone deal with Ling Yun."
Zhou Ping sneered: "You should thank me for stopping you, you know? The few scoundrels you invited are probably not even worth a finger of Ling Yun's."
Ding Hao looked at him in surprise: "You're not bragging for him, are you? Ling Yun is just a student, how could he be so amazing?"
Zhou Ping snorted: "Even the underground boxing champions couldn't defeat him in one move. Do you think he's powerful? You even said you'd find some gangsters to beat him up to vent your anger. How ridiculous! If you'd seen how powerful he is, you wouldn't think that way. Apart from a pistol, you can't take him down just by having more people."
Ding Hao was even more surprised: "Even the underground boxing champion is no match for him. My God, Zhou Ping, this Ling Yun doesn't look impressive at all, but he's so powerful. What does he do? I thought he was just an ordinary student."
Zhou Ping was about to say, "How would I know?" before a lazy voice interjected, "Would you believe me if I told you I learned kung fu from Bruce Lee?"
Ding Hao and Zhou Ping were taken aback and turned to look at the door. Suddenly, the locked apartment door opened, and a young man leaned lazily against it, looking at them with a half-smile. It was none other than Ling Yun, whom they couldn't forget.
"Ling Yun!" the two exclaimed in unison, their expressions changing drastically after exchanging a glance. Ding Hao was simply panicked and at a loss for what to do, only looking at Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping was naturally not as clueless as him. He was quite meticulous, and after being taken aback, he managed to calm down. Countless questions immediately arose in his mind: How did Ling Yun know about this place? And how did he know that Yang Yuqi had been kidnapped? The two hired thugs had only left for less than ten minutes, and Ling Yun had already arrived. What did this mean? Did Ding Hao accidentally leak the information?
Thinking this, he couldn't help but glare fiercely at Ding Hao. Seeing Zhou Ping's look, Ding Hao became more astute, spreading his hands helplessly and saying, "Boss, believe me, I really don't know what happened!"
Zhou Ping leaned back calmly against a set of classic-style cabinets, his hand silently opening a drawer beneath the cabinet and taking out a pure silver Desert Eagle. He immediately felt much more at ease. This was a handgun he had always treasured, one he rarely used, but unexpectedly, it came in handy now.
It wasn't that he was being overly cautious, but rather that Ling Yun's astonishing skill in discerning the truth had left an unforgettable impression on him. Without his pistol, Zhou Ping figured ten of him wouldn't be able to handle the boy before him. Of course, Zhou Ping didn't know Ling Yun was a superhuman; if he had, he would have already thrown away his pistol and begged for mercy.
Ling Yun slowly approached, seemingly oblivious to Zhou Ping's subtle movements: "Don't blame him, Zhou Ping. He really doesn't know what's going on. It's quite a coincidence. I've been out on business these past few days, but just as I was about to return to school today, I discovered that someone dared to kidnap a student from Jinghua University in public. I was very curious, so I hailed a taxi and followed them, and that's how I ended up here. That's when I discovered that the kidnapper was also one of our outstanding students from Jinghua University, isn't that right, my two senior brothers?"
"What the hell are you being so arrogant about, Ling Yun?" Ding Hao regained his composure. He had actually believed Ling Yun's words. Although Zhou Ping had already mentioned how powerful Ling Yun was, Ding Hao had never actually seen him. Seeing Zhou Ping holding a gun, his courage grew, and he became increasingly emboldened. He clenched his fists and approached Ling Yun: "Last time, I let you get away with it because I had something to do. This time, you won't get so many advantages."
With his gun in hand, Zhou Ping had regained his composure and gave a sinister smile: "Ling Yun, if I had known you were going back to school today, I wouldn't have bothered having Ding Hao bring this girl here. But since you're here today, it saves us the trouble of looking for you. You can probably guess what I want. As long as you hand over the IOU, our debt will be settled, and you can take this girl with you. From now on, we'll keep to ourselves, how about that?"
Ling Yun, seemingly oblivious to Ding Hao, slowly walked towards Zhou Ping step by step: "Zhou Ping, if you want an IOU, you can just ask me directly. Why drag Yang Yuqi, a girl who has nothing to do with this, into this? I remember I made it very clear back then that as long as you don't bother me, I won't threaten you with a note. But now, it seems you've broken the rules on your own initiative. I don't think playing this game is very interesting. Yang Yuqi is my friend, and using her to threaten me will certainly have an effect, but you also seem to have parents and relatives. If I use them to threaten you, do you think that's interesting?"
Seeing that he was completely ignored, Ding Hao flew into a rage. Taking advantage of the pistol Zhou Ping was holding, he swung his fist at Ling Yun's face, shouting rudely, "What are you pretending for? I'll teach you to pretend!"
Ling Yun gently grasped his fist, applying slight pressure. Ding Hao instantly felt as if a red-hot iron clamp had gripped his fist, the excruciating pain causing him to scream in agony, a sound like a pig being slaughtered. Ling Yun lightly pointed a finger at his throat, and Ding Hao's voice immediately went hoarse, only managing muffled whimpers through his pursed lips. The muscles on his face twitched in agony as he desperately tried to break free from Ling Yun's grasp, but his fist felt as if it had been melted into a block of iron, rooted to the spot.
A wisp of smoke rose from Ling Yun's palm, and the air smelled of burning flesh. Ding Hao's face had turned a deep purplish-red, and large drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. He gasped for air as if suffocating, his snot, tears, and saliva mixing together in a disgusting mess that dripped down his face, twisting his entire face into a grotesque contortion.
Zhou Ping, his face pale, looked at the agonizing Ding Hao, his body trembling involuntarily, a chill running down his spine. Ding Hao's pain seemed contagious, involuntarily spreading to him. Seeing Ding Hao's condition, Zhou Ping was already filled with dread.
He forced himself to calm down, raised his Desert Eagle, aimed it at Ling Yun, and gritted his teeth as he shouted, "Ling Yun, I don't care if it's interesting or not, you'd better hand over the IOU to me right now and put Ding Hao down, or don't blame me for shooting you dead!"
Ling Yun smiled contemptuously, finally releasing Ding Hao's fist. With a gentle flick, Ding Hao involuntarily spun around, then collapsed to the ground, clutching his wrist tightly with his other hand. He groaned in agony, his fist numb, the skin charred black as if branded with a hot iron, with gaping wounds opening at the edges of his palm. Ling Yun was merely giving him a small punishment; had he used even a little force, Ding Hao would have been instantly disintegrated by the mental energy field, let alone his fist.
“Zhou Ping, I didn’t want to do this, but your tricks are too despicable. Today you can think of kidnapping Yang Yuqi to threaten me, so tomorrow you might very well target any innocent person. Fine, before you lose your memory, I don’t mind showing you my special abilities. Maybe you think I’m just good at fighting, but in this world, there are people called superhumans, you just don’t know it.” Ling Yun said slowly, walking closer step by step.
He slowly raised his palm, and a captivating silver light suddenly emanated from it. (QiS Jar eBook Download Paradise)
Zhou Ping stared in utter horror at the silver light in Ling Yun's palm, filled with unbelievable fear as if he had seen an alien. His hand trembled as he pulled the trigger, screaming wildly and hysterically, "Die, you charlatan! I don't believe you're some kind of superhuman!"
With a click, the Desert Eagle, fully loaded with bullets, suddenly jammed, and the trigger snapped back without any suspense. Zhou Ping looked at the Desert Eagle in disbelief, then at Ling Yun, who was closing in step by step, with extreme fear, as if looking at a terrifying monster. He gritted his teeth and raised his gun again to fire at Ling Yun.
The clicking, clicking, clicking of the empty gun echoed jarringly in the spacious apartment. Zhou Ping was about to throw the gun at Ling Yun and then flee, but an invisible force froze him in his motion, just as he was about to throw the gun. His wide-open eyes, filled with terror, reflected a blinding silver light, which grew larger and larger until it completely engulfed him in darkness. Finally, everything returned to calm.
With a thud, Zhou Ping fell heavily to the ground. Ling Yun bent down and said softly, "From now on, you don't have to be afraid anymore. I have returned the 100 million yuan IOU to you. You can live in a world as pure as a baby's, remembering nothing and having no lingering attachments. Although you have lost a lot of happiness, at least you will no longer harm others. Live a life free of ulterior motives until the end of your days. I wish you well."
After saying this, Ling Yun slowly walked towards Ding Hao, who had already stood up and was stumbling towards the door. This good-for-nothing wasn't stupid at this moment. After seeing Zhou Ping's miserable state, he realized that the end of the world was coming. He would rather die than live in an idiotic world like Zhou Ping. At this moment, Ding Hao had a deep understanding of how terrifying Ling Yun was. Although he still looked like an ordinary-looking boy, Ding Hao's gaze towards Ling Yun was like that of a terrifying demon.
He wanted to escape, but since the other party was a devil, how could a mortal, not God, possibly escape the devil's clutches? Another flash of silver light, and Ding Hao lay peacefully on the ground. After a night, he and Zhou Ping would automatically wake up, but from then on, they would lose all their memories and intelligence, completely reverting to the level of infancy, living an innocent and carefree childhood.
Ling Yun coldly looked at Zhou Ping and Ding Hao lying on the ground, feeling a huge gap in their state of mind. He didn't know why, but the stronger he became, the more distant he seemed from the mundane world. Many times, Ling Yun felt like an alien, looking at the vicissitudes and changes of the world with an extremely sharp and cold gaze.
Suddenly, Ling Yun remembered the Heavenly Eye, that inconspicuous bead, which seemed to resonate with and blend with his state of mind.
"What do you plan to do with Yang Yuqi? She really likes you." Gu Xiaorou's clear voice rang directly in Ling Yun's mind.