Chapter 332: "What Grudge Do I Have with You?"

He's here, he's come to save me!

Kong Xiaolin's heart was racing with excitement, almost leaping out of her throat, and her whole body was trembling slightly. Tears welled up in her eyes, continuously rolling.

Every woman dreams of having a hero who will come to rescue her on a rainbow. But such legends are rare; not everyone can be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. In modern times, there's no such thing as the Monkey King, no Zhi Xian, no至尊宝 (Supreme Treasure).

But at this moment, Kong Xiaolin felt that he was indeed such a hero. He was the one who had made her willingly leave the South Lake Hotel to manage the nightclub, who had created the South River Stock Market, who was fearless of the Military Region Chief of Staff, and who had exposed the billion-dollar economic scam in Jiangnan. This person could be no one else but Zhou Ming.

At this moment, Zhou Ming stood in the doorway. Kong Xiaolin gazed at him with adoration, feeling his figure was so majestic, with a bright light illuminating him, making her feel as though her soul was melting. She forgot everything around her—her identity as a strong woman, the interrogation room, and Tao Guoling. All she wanted was to nestle into Zhou Ming's embrace and savor that warmth meant for a delicate woman.

However, as the saying goes, good things don't last forever. Even the most beautiful moments can be interrupted by those who unwittingly cause trouble, and Tao Guoling was clearly one of those people.

Seeing Zhou Ming standing at the door, Tao Guoling instinctively took a step back. Although he hated Zhou Ming, he was now even more afraid of him and only dared to show off in front of Kong Xiaolin.

"Zhou Ming… how did you get here?" Tao Guoling asked.

Zhou Ming gave Kong Xiaolin a reassuring look and then naturally responded to Tao Guoling, "Of course, I came to save my woman."

Hearing this, Tao Guoling suddenly remembered that Kong Xiaolin was still shackled to the interrogation chair. He immediately considered using Kong Xiaolin as a hostage to threaten Zhou Ming. However, Zhou Ming had already anticipated Tao Guoling's plan. Before Tao Guoling could act, Zhou Ming pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. "I advise you not to have any ill intentions."

Tao Guoling was initially startled but then sneered, "Who are you trying to scare with a gun? If you have the guts, just shoot me…"

Before Tao Guoling could finish the word "me," Zhou Ming pulled the trigger. With a loud bang, a bullet shot through Tao Guoling's palm.

The excruciating pain surged into his brain, and Tao Guoling screamed in agony like a pig being slaughtered. He covered his palm and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

However, Zhou Ming and Kong Xiaolin ignored Tao Guoling's howls. Zhou Ming walked over to Kong Xiaolin, unlocking the handcuffs and the chair restraints. Apologizing for being late, Kong Xiaolin gently shook her head, indicating it was not too late.

Though few words were exchanged, both felt each other's sincerity.

Zhou Ming then helped Kong Xiaolin out of the interrogation chair and led her towards the exit. Just as they were about to leave, they heard Tao Guoling's gasping voice behind them, "Stop! Where are you going?"

"Of course, we're leaving. Do you want us to stay and listen to you sing?" Zhou Ming turned around with a smile, looking at Tao Guoling. "But I'm sorry, I'm really not interested in your whining."

Tao Guoling didn't care about Zhou Ming's taunts. He glared at him and said, "Why did you come to South River? Why are you involved in the internal power struggle of the Luo family? Why are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing this?" Zhou Ming sneered, "Young Master Tao, don't you think your question is very laughable? I came to South River to make money. You pushed me into the Luo family's power struggle, didn't you? Or did you forget that you led people to smash up my nightclub?"

Tao Guoling seemed not to have heard Zhou Ming's words and continued to speak for himself, "Our Tao family and the Cao family have always been close. My father once served as Cao Shuai's horse handler and fought for him. Now that the Cao family is facing problems, with Cao Lao Da and Cao Lao San having conflicts, what's wrong with us getting involved? But what does this have to do with you, Zhou Ming? I was originally the eldest son of the Tao family, the son of the Military Region Chief of Staff. Everyone in Lingnan would call me Tao Ge. But after you came to Lingnan, I've completely lost my place. Now, I've become 'Little Tao' in the eyes of others!"

Zhou Ming shook his head, not wanting to engage in further conversation with Tao Guoling. Tao Guoling was only thinking about himself, as if the entire world should accommodate his grievances, without considering why things had turned out this way or what actions he had taken.

"Zhou Ming, I'm asking you, what grudge or resentment do I have with you for you to treat me like this? I only warned you not to interfere; I haven't actually wronged you in any real way. Did I injure you, or violate your woman, or destroy your entire family? Why do you want to go so far as to ruin me? Now you're even pointing a gun at me. What grudge or resentment do we have? If you're so bold, then just kill me now! Come on!"

Tao Guoling shouted at Zhou Ming, "You came just in time today, but next time, I will definitely make your woman cry for her life. I'll use my dick to slap her face. If you have the guts, kill me now. If you don't, you're not a man…"

Before Tao Guoling could finish, Zhou Ming raised his foot and kicked him hard in the face, sending him sprawling. Before Tao Guoling could react, Zhou Ming hit him on the head twice with the gun butt. Afterward, Zhou Ming looked at Tao Guoling with an innocent face and said, "Young Master Tao, you can't blame me for this. It was you who asked for it. Honestly, I've never heard such despicable demands in my entire life."

Zhou Ming's words were sincere, but neither Tao Guoling nor Kong Xiaolin doubted them.

After dealing with Tao Guoling, Zhou Ming held Kong Xiaolin's hand and started to leave. But after taking a few steps, they heard Tao Guoling's voice behind them again, "Zhou Ming, I'm asking you again, what grudge or resentment do we have? If you're so bold, just kill me. What are these few hits supposed to mean? What grudge or resentment do we…"

Tao Guoling's final word of grievance got stuck in his throat. It wasn't because Zhou Ming turned around and aimed the gun at him, but because he saw Zhou Ming's serious expression.

"Young Master Tao, I advise you not to be shameless," Zhou Ming said. "Some things you may not know—your worthless life was saved by your father. Otherwise, just based on what you've done, you would be sentenced to death ten times over. Now, you still haven't repented and are shifting the blame onto me. What grudge or resentment do we have? You're the one who should be asking yourself what grudge or resentment you have. Are you a machine that repeats insults?"

"You say you want me to kill you, I can fulfill your wish. Since I came here with a gun and even fired it, you should understand that I am well-prepared. If I wanted to kill you here, it's just a matter of pulling the trigger," Zhou Ming continued. "Yes, I did promise your father to let you go, but that was a past matter. If you really anger me this time, I will indeed kill you. So, think carefully."

After saying this, Zhou Ming took Kong Xiaolin and left the interrogation room. This time, Tao Guoling didn't make a sound. It wasn't because he understood Zhou Ming's words, but because from Zhou Ming's wolf-like eyes, he felt that Zhou Ming was really capable of killing him.

As Zhou Ming and Kong Xiaolin left the interrogation room, Zhou Ming noticed the red marks on Kong Xiaolin's delicate face. He understood immediately what had happened and gently stroked her face, feeling deeply guilty. "If I had come earlier, you wouldn't have had to suffer this."

Zhou Ming's words were heartfelt. He genuinely felt remorseful for not protecting a woman well despite being determined to achieve great things in this life. Although she hadn't suffered any fundamental harm, she had been slapped by Tao Guoling, which Zhou Ming could not tolerate.

Kong Xiaolin's heart was filled with sweetness from Zhou Ming's warm words. At that moment, she felt she was the most important person to Zhou Ming. This feeling made her heart tremble. She felt everything she had done for Zhou Ming was worth it, even if she had to die for him, she would have done so willingly. She shook her head desperately, saying, "I'm not suffering at all. I'm willing to do anything for you, Zhou Ming!"

Zhou Ming shook his head. "You shouldn't say that. Seeing you like this makes my heart ache. If anything else happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself. But since you've suffered for me, let me kiss it better."

Without waiting for a response, Zhou Ming leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Ah!" Kong Xiaolin exclaimed, "How shameless!"

This caught Zhou Ming off guard. He looked at Kong Xiaolin, unsure if she was truly angry or just teasing. Even though Zhou Ming had been reborn, understanding women's feelings remained a challenge for him.

But before Zhou Ming could react further, Kong Xiaolin took the initiative. She wrapped her arms around Zhou Ming's neck and turned to kiss him on the lips.

So that's what she meant by "shameless"?

Zhou Ming suddenly understood, but this thought was fleeting. As Kong Xiaolin offered her soft, sweet tongue, Zhou Ming forgot everything else and focused entirely on the passionate kiss with this enchanting woman in his arms.

However, just as Zhou Ming was deepening the kiss, his hands and feet becoming a bit unruly, the atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by a loud cough.

Both Zhou Ming and Kong Xiaolin turned to see Du Peng standing awkwardly nearby, scratching his head. He said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but now really isn't the time for you two to be affectionate, and this isn't the place for it either."