CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288: SIMPLY A CAPITAL TRAITOR

Qingyue just said he detests Sang Ning.

Sang Ning suddenly recalled how, during the previous show recording, Qingyue’s face was filled with undisguised disgust toward her and Chu Xi. At first, she thought he might have an abnormal disposition, which explained his extreme misogyny, but the reality proved Qingyue’s orientation was not an issue.

So where exactly did this inexplicable hostility toward her come from?

"Qingyue, why do you hate me and Chu Xi so much?" Sang Ning asked the question lingering in her mind.

"No particular reason!" Qingyue’s face was unpleasant. Clearly, he was refusing to answer her question.

To be precise, he didn’t just hate Sang Ning and Chu Xi—he hated all women equally.

The indignities he had suffered at the hands of Duan Wenhu and the previous benefactors had distorted his psyche entirely, redirecting his animosity toward the entire female gender.

But in front of so many people, Qingyue was absolutely not going to lay his soul bare to Sang Ning. He relied on eating off Duan Wenhu’s plate—offending her publicly and letting others spill the secret would ruin him.

"Come on, someone efficient—strip one piece of Sang Ning’s clothing, and I’ll reward you ten thousand yuan," Qingyue refused further communication and shifted the conversation back to its original track.

The goal today was to completely destroy Sang Ning’s reputation, so she’d be forced out of the entertainment industry.

The allure of money always has the power to easily dismantle most people’s moral boundaries.

Upon hearing the offer of ten thousand yuan for removing a single piece of clothing, everyone in the factory rushed forward toward Sang Ning, even the driver who had been defending her earlier couldn’t resist and showed eagerness.

Sang Ning let out a cold laugh—money truly corrupts humanity.

"Stay away from me!" Sang Ning shouted with all her might.

Her voice echoed through the empty factory, piercingly sharp.

The shout momentarily froze the approaching crowd.

"Stop!" Qingyue raised his arm and clenched his fist in a halting gesture.

The driver turned to Qingyue with an expectant look: "Boss, are we negotiating for a higher fee?"

Qingyue: "...?? Higher fee for what?"

"For emotional damage during the undressing. This girl has quite a loud voice—it’s definitely hurting our ears a bit," the driver explained.

Sang Ning: "..."

"Let her do it herself." Qingyue rolled his eyes at the driver, clearly annoyed. What kind of idiots were working for him?

Sang Ning didn’t make a move, instead holding her ground and glaring directly at Qingyue.

"Don’t look at me with that virtuous, sanctimonious expression," Qingyue said with disgust. "Compared to Wen Jiu, you’re already lucky—at least you’re not being outright assaulted."

"?" Sang Ning picked up on something wrong and narrowed her cold gaze at Qingyue. "What are you implying? Was what happened to Xiao Jiu before your doing?"

Perhaps bolstered by the presence of the gathered crowd, Qingyue showed no fear. He didn’t even care if Sang Ning discovered the truth.

"She got lucky and survived, didn’t she?" Qingyue replied with a breezy tone. "Sang Ning, you should count yourself fortunate. This time, you’re dealing with a group of relatively civilized people. If it were the gangsters who attacked Wen Jiu before, God knows how many rounds they’d have taken on you by now."

From the moment she had been dragged from the private room to the factory, Sang Ning believed she’d managed to keep her composure fairly well. But upon hearing Qingyue’s words, her fury exploded like a rocket, igniting her rage to its peak.

No joke—at this moment she really felt like committing murder!

"So I should thank you for granting me autonomy then. Could you untie my hands for me while you’re at it?" Sang Ning’s tone was eerily calm, but her expression had completely frozen over.

Qingyue instinctively sensed danger: "What are you planning?"

Sang Ning’s voice turned mechanical, devoid of emotion: "Aren’t you asking me to undress myself? How am I supposed to do that with tied-up hands? Bite the ropes off?"

Qingyue didn’t respond—he wasn’t sure why, but he had an ominous premonition that letting Sang Ning free would result in her attacking him like a rabid dog.

"Afraid, Qingyue? With so many people here to watch me, how could you not keep me in check?" Sang Ning sneered coldly, her words brimming with mockery.

"Mr. Qingyue, don’t worry—we’re all trained professionals here. If you untie Sang Ning’s ropes, it won’t matter. Even if you gave her wings, she wouldn’t manage to escape," the driver chimed in confidently.

Sang Ning genuinely started to wonder if this driver was secretly on her side.

Qingyue glanced around at the towering men, every one of them seemingly capable of taking on ten opponents. He finally loosened his guard.

To be honest, wasn’t Sang Ning supposed to be prideful and aloof?

It thrilled Qingyue to see her humiliated, forced to compromise her principles in the face of his coercion. For him, this would bring a twisted sense of accomplishment.

"Alright, untie her ropes," Qingyue commanded the driver.

Following the order, the driver stepped forward to untie Sang Ning’s bindings.

As the ropes were about to fall to the ground, Sang Ning heard the driver whisper softly in her ear: "Go easy with your punches later, alright?"

Sang Ning looked at the driver in confusion—with genuine suspicion. Was he really her ally?

The factory was so vast that even the slightest sound seemed amplified. Qingyue was immediately annoyed and questioned the driver: "What are you mumbling about over there?"

The driver looked back, grinning and gesturing: "Nothing! I just told Miss Sang Ning to calm down while she undresses herself later."

"This is none of your business!" Sang Ning suddenly shoved the driver aside, stepping forward with fierce determination.

Qingyue was startled by the killing intent surging from Sang Ning. He involuntarily took a step back, his voice trembling: "What... what are you trying to do?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Sang Ning replied with a rhetorical question, her body moving at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Qingyue. Before he could grasp the situation, she unleashed a solid left hook on him. "I’m here to beat you up, of course!"

Under the force of the punch, Qingyue’s left eye quickly turned black and swollen—a standard panda eye.

To ensure symmetry, Sang Ning followed up with a right hook to his other eye.

A perfect pair of matching bruises appeared!

Sang Ning’s movements were so fast that by the time anyone else reacted to Qingyue’s cries, she had already punched both his eyes. The factory workers stepped forward, intent on stopping her and protecting Qingyue.

But just as they moved, the driver shouted to halt them: "Guys, put down your weapons and be just a little Zen, alright? It’s our first time kidnapping someone—we don’t need to take it too seriously and end up screwing ourselves over."

With the crowd frozen in hesitation, the driver continued brainwashing them: "Think about it—Sang Ning was the one who attacked. We haven’t done a thing! When the cops show up, the first person they’ll arrest is her."

Qingyue moaned in pain, his agonized sobs muffled by the swelling. Hearing this, he glared at the driver, his two inflamed panda eyes practically seething.

Traitor!