Chapter 121: Don't Misunderstand

Now, she was a little dazed, but it seemed she was starting to come to her senses. Since she couldn’t see Gao Zhusheng, did that mean Fu Siya had already dealt with him? Then, the troubles at the auction would be over? Mu Yinyin found this somewhat... incredible.

She looked at Fu Siya, not in a hurry to leave, her gaze filled with scrutiny. Fu Siya seemed uncomfortable under her stare; he furrowed his brow and said coldly, “Don’t overthink it. I’m only doing this for our cooperation.”

In an instant, Mu Yinyin understood and, somewhat surprised, asked, “So, what did you do to him?”

“Sent him away.” His tone was indifferent, revealing little emotion.

Mu Yinyin’s eyes paused; with those words, she could be certain Gao Zhusheng would no longer cause her any trouble. She looked earnestly at Fu Siya and said, “Thank you for what you did this time. I will remember the favor. But rest assured, I would never be so vain as to think you have any feelings for me.”

Fu Siya showed no reaction to the first part, but after she mentioned feelings, his expression darkened completely. Mu Yinyin guessed he probably didn’t want to hear anything about emotions or relationships, yet he had no other apparent thoughts. Seeing that Fu Siya had nothing more to say, she remained silent and walked out.

After closing the door, she picked up her phone. Seeing countless missed calls, she immediately called Jiang Ling back. Jiang Ling answered quickly, “Yinyin, how are you now?”

A faint smile curved Mu Yinyin’s lips. “Sorry to worry you. I’m fine.”

Jiang Ling frowned deeply. “It’s my failure. I let Fu Siya take you away yesterday.”

Mu Yinyin smiled softly and spoke gently, “Yesterday, it was the doctor Fu Siya found who saved me. You really don’t need to worry so much. It’s just that I wasn’t clear-headed yesterday, and after receiving medication, I fell back into a coma and couldn’t talk to you immediately.”

Jiang Ling’s eyes flickered in surprise, apparently not expecting this. But the next moment, he thought it made sense. Fu Siya and Mu Yinyin’s relationship was strained; they divorced because of problems. So, given her condition, it was natural to seek a doctor’s help.

“Where are you now?” Jiang Ling didn’t ask too much over the phone.

Mu Yinyin glanced around quietly before replying softly, “I’m at the hotel where Fu Siya is staying. I’m heading back now. Are you at the hotel?”

“Yes.”

He had seen Fu Siya take Mu Yinyin away. Though worried, he understood she was safe now. Helpless, he had no choice but to return to the hotel—that was the only option.

“Okay, I’ll head back now.”

Mu Yinyin didn’t say more and ended the call. Jiang Ling stared at his phone with a complicated expression. For days, he had been berating himself for his incompetence—he couldn’t protect the woman he loved, helplessly watching her leave with another man. Why was he so useless?

At this moment, Jiang Ling was trapped in a vicious cycle of despair and self-deprecation.

But sometimes, it just wasn’t that simple.

What he saw as weakness, others saw as strength—he was an exceptional man. Many things depended on the situation.

Take last night’s incident: they were at a disadvantage from the start. When you’re asking for help, you must meet the other party’s demands before discussing anything else.

Fu Siya was different; he acted as he pleased. His status was far superior to Gao Zhusheng’s. Gao was terrified of him and dared not resist, ultimately forced to give up under pressure.

Moreover, Gao Zhusheng had been severely punished after yesterday’s events. Fu Siya held leverage over him, leaving Gao utterly powerless—he had to slink back home, utterly defeated and humiliated.

An hour later, Mu Yinyin finally arrived.

Entering the suite, she saw Jiang Ling rise immediately from the sofa and quickly approach her, worry plainly etched in his eyes.

He placed both hands gently on her shoulders, his voice slightly trembling, “Yinyin, how are you now? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I’m sorry—I was truly powerless yesterday.”

Mu Yinyin shook her head right away. “What does this have to do with you? Don’t overthink it.”

“If I had been capable, I wouldn’t have let you negotiate with that beast...” Jiang Ling’s voice was filled with guilt and helplessness.

Mu Yinyin softly shook her head again. “Boss Jiang, this really isn’t your fault. Don’t torture yourself. Look at me—I’m fine now. The doctor arrived just in time yesterday.”

Jiang Ling frowned deeply. “How severe was the drug? Why did it cause you to fall into a coma?”

A slow, sardonic smile lifted Mu Yinyin’s lips, her eyes sharp with irony. “Gao Zhusheng probably wanted to be safe rather than sorry. The stronger the drug, the more obedient I’d be, right?”

“Gao Zhusheng is gone now.” Jiang Ling pressed his lips together and said slowly.

His mood was indescribably heavy, yet he could do nothing. The deep guilt left him helpless.

Mu Yinyin’s eyes flickered subtly; she nodded. “Yes, Fu Siya told me about this.”

“He did it?”

“He said it was for our cooperation—helping me this once.” When Mu Yinyin spoke of Fu Siya, no emotion surfaced; it sounded as if she were talking about a stranger.

Jiang Ling’s gaze grew more complicated. If only he were better, perhaps he could have handled this situation himself.

Not wanting Jiang Ling to remain so gloomy, Mu Yinyin continued, “If that’s the case, then we can move on to the next step.”

“The others should be easier to negotiate with. Some won’t bid much anyway.” Jiang Ling’s voice was calm; he kept many things bottled up inside.

“We still need to be cautious. Some might act behind the scenes. There are unfair auctions, secret bids—things could catch us off guard. We’ll keep investigating these days. We can arrange to meet the next person soon.” Mu Yinyin’s expression grew serious; this matter was too critical to take lightly.

Jiang Ling nodded and looked at Mu Yinyin. “The people coming up won’t have Gao Zhusheng’s twisted personality, so you don’t need to appear. I’ll handle it.”

Mu Yinyin opened her mouth to say something but, thinking of Jiang Ling’s self-reproach just now, she finally nodded. “Alright, you go.”