CHAPTER 698: THE DEAL PART-6 (NEED EDIT)

Lin Fang was taken aback, not by her plea but by what he was witnessing.

She wasn’t just experiencing the effects of the drug that was giving her a high sex drive. Her entire body started transforming.

Then, her pupils flared crimson. Lin Fang froze as he saw her skin grow pale, her veins darkening faintly beneath it, and her nails extended into faint, sharp crescents. He took a step back in alarm.

"Alpha," he muttered under his breath, "what the hell is happening to her?"

Alpha’s calm voice echoed in his mind. "She’s not just human. You’re looking at a dhampir — half vampire, half human. That drug must’ve triggered her blood instincts. Be careful. Dhampirs are quite sexually aggressive during the night. And that drug only increases her sex drive even more..."

Lin Fang clenched his jaw, realizing the full weight of the situation. Vivian’s breath came in ragged, trembling waves, her body trembling as she fought for control. "Get out," she groaned, clutching her temples. "I can’t— I’ll lose it."

He knelt beside her, his voice low and steady. "You’re not going to lose it. Focus on me. Breathe."

Her gaze locked on his — glowing red, intense enough to make his skin prickle. "Why the hell do you come near... Damn it... I don’t think I can control it anymore..."

Vivian’s hands found his coat with frightening strength, and she pulled him down. Then her lips slammed into his in a desperate, urgent kiss.

Lin Fang froze — shock and instinct clashing inside him. Desire flickered for a heartbeat, but Li Liu’s face flashed through his mind, and the line he drew for himself snapped tight. He shoved away hard, creating distance. The wolf mask hid the flicker of something unreadable on his face.

"Vivian—no." His voice was flat, steel under silk.

She lunged again, more frantic this time. Lin Fang didn’t wait. He moved with cold efficiency, not to satisfy urge but to stop it. He stepped inside her reach, caught her wrist, and with one practiced motion applied a precise, nonlethal choke hold for a second to cut her struggle without hurting her — enough to drop her to the bed, breath slowing, muscles going lax. He then laid her gently on her back, turning her head to one side, checking her airway.

Alpha’s voice was in his head like an icicle. "You did well to restrain rather than escalate."

Lin Fang knelt, palms hovering near her temple, and poured a careful thread of mana into her, trying to nullify the drug effects.

The morning light crept thin through the curtains. Vivian woke with a groan, a dry taste in her mouth, and the slow fog of yesterday sliding away like mist.

She blinked, and the room snapped into sharper focus: the neat crease of the sheet, the distant hum of the city, and a dark shape in a chair nearby.

Lin Fang slept in a rigid, almost awkward pose, jacket folded over his knees. He looked like he’d fought all night and finally given in to a tired slump. For a second, Vivian allowed herself the absurd comfort of realizing she was wearing a shirt that wasn’t hers — his shirt. The cotton smelled faintly of him and something like rain.

Then memory hit like a cold hand. Her face drained of color. She sat bolt upright, clutching the shirt at her chest.

Lin Fang stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked, then saw her, and the tired line on his face softened. "Hey," he said, low. "It’s okay. Nothing happened last night."

Vivian’s breath came out ragged. She tried to form a smile, swallowed, then let out a long, shaky apology. "I’m— I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to deal with that."

He waved a hand, half-annoyed, half-gentle. "Don’t be. You weren’t in the right condition. You didn’t choose that. Nothing happened afterward, and that’s what matters."

She let out a small, shaky laugh of relief. After the pause, she pushed her hair away and asked, "So... what now? I threatened him last night, but even if I want him gone, I can’t just have him killed. I don’t have solid proof. If I drag my parents into this, they’ll demand paperwork, stakes, proof. His father has eight percent in our company — that’s over a billion credits. My parents won’t move on words alone."

Lin Fang sat forward, elbows on his knees, thinking. He watched her closely, the sunlight carving his jaw into shadows. "What about the hotel CCTV?" she asked, hopeful and suspicious at once.

Vivian shook her head. "I doubt it. They wouldn’t leave behind an obvious evidence in the banquet hall."

Lin Fang’s mouth tightened. He tapped his fingers once. "When I got to the room," he said, voice flat, "Mark had a smartphone recording. He intended to have something to blackmail you with. That phone—he could have used it as leverage. People like him plan for revenge. They do it meticulously."

He met her eyes as he continued. "I think he meant to use the footage later. If the recording exists intact, that’s gold for him. With me ending up dead in the hands of his goons, he was confident that no one would be able to save you."

Vivian rubbed at her temple, "Then I guess we’ll have to force the truth out of the people who helped him."

Lin Fang stood and reached for his jacket. "I’ll go now. I’ll look at the hotel feed and see if any staff logs or blind feeds exist."

She watched him for a second, gratitude and something fiercer flickering across her face. "Be careful," she said, almost softly.

As he left, Vivian got up and walked into the restroom.

She stared at her reflection, water dripping down her cheeks, a faint flush lingering from last night’s chaos. Her eyes lingered on the curve of her jaw, the sweep of her lashes, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

Lin Fang... she murmured under her breath, voice barely audible. A gentleman.

The memory of the previous night replayed vividly, and how he had responded. Even when she had tried to tempt him under the control of a drug, he had pushed her away and maintained a gentlemanly manner.

And during the outing, his patience had never wavered. Her teasing, her mood swings, the awkward moments of embarrassment — he bore them all quietly, calmly.

A small, genuine smile tugged at her lips. "He’s trustworthy... at the very least. Someone I could count on. Someone I could... " She shook her head slightly, feeling the heat of the thought, "friendship, yes... friendship first."

She took a deep breath, splashing her face again to clear the last traces of thought.

With a determined nod to her reflection, she whispered, "Alright... let’s try our best, Lin Fang."

Elsewhere...

The alley smelled of old beer and rust. Mark stumbled out into the narrow corridor, the city’s neon bleeding against the wet stone. He clutched the envelope tight, the picture of Vivian folded inside like a promise he thought he could buy.

A shadow moved in the corner of his vision. Before he could turn, something struck the back of his neck. The world tilted; his legs gave way. He hit the ground hard, his head ringing. A thin, glassy dart stuck out from the small of his back, slick with a dark stain.

A hooded man stepped from the deeper shadow, lowering the silenced pistol in one gloved hand. He crouched beside Mark and drew a phone. His voice was calm, businesslike as he put the call through.

"Target down," he said into the line. "The buyer took the advance. He’s out cold in the alley — tractable. The dealer’s identification confirms it was a commission to Scorpion."

A crisp woman’s voice answered on the other end, cool and deliberately distant. "Good. Scorpion’s been a nuisance. Can your crew take care of them?" Her tone had the casual cruelty of someone used to ordering violence.

The man’s eyes flicked to the street entrance. "Kill or capture?"

"Kill them all if possible," the woman said. "But the one who met Mark — capture him. Alive. I want him talking." There was a beat. "If you need more resources, name your price."

The man hesitated for a fraction, then spoke. "Three million to take out eight men, capture one A-rank. High risk."

A slow click on the line. "Five. Five million if you bring me that one alive. Do not fail." The voice hardened into command. "And one more thing about Mark — don’t kill him. I want him intact. I want him exposed."

"Exposed how?" the man asked, wary.

"You’ll get the instruction later. But do not destroy him." Her voice was flat and final. "Make him lose everything that matters to him. Reputation, influence — everything. If he stands in my way after tonight, he will be finished in the court of public opinion. And if he resists?" A small, cold laugh. "Then make sure he regrets it."

The man’s jaw set. "Understood. Five million. Take out Scorpion tonight. Capture the contact who met Mark. Mark will be used as leverage."