In less than a minute, Xiang Shan dragged the short-statured driver over and forcibly shoved him back into the driver's seat.
The car started up again, heading toward downtown Jadeport, leaving behind a crowd of groaning locals.
"Here's your fare."
Twenty minutes later, Ian tossed the driver a hundred yuan and walked into the Jadeport Hotel with Xiang Shan.
Watching the two figures enter the hotel, the driver let out a heavy sigh. That man was terrifying—he'd knocked out over twenty people in less than a minute.
Ian had booked the hotel room online for ten days.
Today was the 16th. They had to wait for the 18th, when the Blackfield Public Auction would officially open.
After spending two hours reading Eastern medicine texts in his room, Ian tossed them into his storage ring, then went next door to call Xiang Shan to the hotel restaurant for dinner.
With the Blackfield Public Auction about to open, Jadeport was flooded with jewelers from the Yanhuang Republic, as well as wealthy people hoping to try their luck.
As a result, more than eighty percent of the restaurant's guests were Yanhuang locals.
While waiting for his food, Ian grew bored and started scanning the restaurant.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up—there was a beautiful woman sitting at the next table.
She wore a dark professional OL outfit, had long legs, black stockings, high heels, and a flawless, stunning face—the very picture of a wealthy, beautiful young lady. And she couldn't be more than twenty-two.
At the moment, she was discussing the upcoming Blackfield Public Auction with a serious look, talking to a middle-aged woman seated across from her.
Although they spoke quietly, Ian's hearing was sharp enough to catch every word.
From their conversation, Ian gathered that the two women were from a domestic jewelry company, here to buy rough stones at the Blackfield Public Auction.
They also kept mentioning someone named "General Chachai."
Before coming to Jadeport, Ian had asked Nathan Nangong to gather intel on Blackfield's warlords and the auction organizers.
If he remembered correctly, General Chachai was one of Blackfield's five major warlords, and also one of the main hosts of this auction.
After finishing their work talk, Wendy Jiang asked worriedly, "Sister Zhu, when exactly will Doctor Ning arrive?"
Grace Zhu said gravely, "Don't worry, Director Jiang. Doctor Ning has already replied—he'll arrive before noon tomorrow."
Wendy relaxed a bit at that. "If Doctor Ning can cure General Chachai's hidden illness, we'll have a much better shot at getting a bigger share of rough jade this time."
Grace Zhu nodded in agreement. "Doctor Ning is one of the top two miracle doctors in the Yanhuang Republic. With him on the case, General Chachai's problem should be as good as solved."
"Let's hope so!" Wendy nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling that things might not go so smoothly.
Just then, a young man strode into the restaurant, flanked by two bodyguards. He looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a dark birthmark covering nearly half his left cheek.
Normally, someone like that would be pretty self-conscious.
But this guy didn't show a hint of insecurity. Instead, he wore a cocky little smile as he scanned the room, finally locking eyes on Wendy—and marched right over.
Wendy sensed something and instinctively looked up. The moment she saw him, her beautiful face darkened, a hint of gloom flashing across her features.
"Wendy, we meet again!" The young man stopped by the table, looking down at her, his eyes openly filled with lust.
"Young Master Song, please show some respect. You may call me Director Jiang or Wendy Jiang, but don't call me Wendy like we're close." Wendy made no effort to hide her disgust—it showed plainly on her face.
"Please, Young Master Song, have a seat." Grace Zhu stood up, her expression tinged with obvious wariness.
The young man sat down across from Wendy without hesitation, his eyes roaming even more brazenly. "Come on, Wendy, don't be so distant. Sooner or later, you'll be marrying into the Song family. Or do you want me to start calling you 'wife' ahead of time?"
"Gross!"
Wendy snorted coldly and stood up to leave, but the young man's two bodyguards blocked her way.
The young man just smiled. "Wendy, I know you're here in Blackfield to buy rough jade. Need a hand? The Song family knows all the local generals."
Wendy's face changed dramatically—she couldn't miss the threat in Felix Song's words.
"You're despicable."
Felix didn't mind at all. "You even look good when you're angry, Wendy. But you got me wrong—I'm genuinely trying to help!"
"No thanks!"
Wendy slipped past the bodyguards and hurried off. Watching her retreat, Felix's lips curled in amusement as he muttered, "Wendy Jiang, do you really think you can escape me?"
Watching from the sidelines, Ian couldn't help but shake his head.
After dinner, Ian and Xiang Shan returned to their respective rooms.
To show respect for Doctor Ning, Wendy left at ten in the morning with Grace Zhu and four company security staff, driving two cars to the airport to greet him.
Doctor Ning's flight was scheduled to arrive at eleven thirty.
After waiting half an hour, the time reached eleven thirty, and the airport broadcast announced that Doctor Ning's flight had landed.
But after waiting twenty minutes, Doctor Ning still hadn't come out of the gate.
Wendy frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. "Grace, call Doctor Ning's assistant and see what's going on."
Alright, Director Jiang.
Grace Zhu nodded and dialed the number, but it was switched off. She tried Doctor Ning's phone—also switched off.
Director Jiang, both Doctor Ning and his assistant's phones are off. Maybe they forgot to turn them on after landing?
Impossible! The plane landed twenty minutes ago. Why wouldn't they turn on their phones? Wendy shook her head, her bad feeling growing. She instructed the four security staff: "You four, go inside and look for them!"
Less than half an hour later, the four security guards returned. They hadn't found Doctor Ning.
Director Jiang, what should we do now? Grace Zhu asked anxiously.
Suddenly, Felix Song's disgusting face flashed through Wendy's mind. She gritted her teeth. "It must be that despicable Felix Song!"
Grace Zhu's face changed dramatically. With Felix Song's personality, he really could do something like this.
Doctor Ning is the key to this negotiation. Now that Felix Song has taken him, it's clearly to force Wendy's hand.
Let's go back to the hotel!
After a moment of silence, Wendy strode quickly outside, her high heels echoing—a sign of her unsettled mood.
Sure enough, on the way back to the Jadeport Hotel, Wendy got a call from Felix Song. She wanted to hang up, but in the end she answered.
Wendy, I brought Doctor Ning back to the hotel for you. How are you going to thank me?
Felix Song, what exactly do you want?' Wendy couldn't help but roar into the phone after hearing his shameless words.
Isn't it obvious what I want? By the way, I've reserved the hotel's Western restaurant for tonight and set up a candlelight dinner. Hope you'll join me.
Keep dreaming!
Wendy angrily hung up the phone. She was so furious her chest heaved up and down.