Chapter 32: Terminating the Partnership

A long leg clad in tailored trousers swept through the air like a lightning strike, planting a brutal kick squarely into the auction house owner’s side. The sheer impact hurled her across the room, slamming her heavy frame hard against the concrete wall.

Hearing the violent crash, heavy footsteps thundered outside as security rushed the room. Leading the charge were several imposing female bouncers built like brick walls, immediately launching a aggressive assault straight at Qingning.

Their sheer physical size and aggressive momentum briefly pushed Qingning back into a defensive posture. Yet, the operative’s expression remained entirely stone-cold. She executed precise evasive footwork, systematically repelling incoming strikes while maintaining an absolute defensive perimeter around Murong Fanghua.

“Kill her! Kill both of these bitches!”

The auction house owner screamed like a manic patient, clutching her bruised ribs as she barked vicious orders to her crew.

Murong Fanghua, meanwhile, sat comfortably on the leather sofa, casually sipping her tea. A subtle frown touched her lips—the brew was bitter, nowhere near the refined quality of her family’s reserve.

Spitting a stray tea leaf back into the porcelain cup, she reached into her jacket pocket, retrieved a sleek silver digital voice recorder, and tossed it onto the carpet right in front of the injured owner.

The owner’s eyes locked onto the device in confusion. But before she could speak, a frantic, terrified male voice burst from the high-fidelity speaker:

“Waaah! S-Save me, honey! Please save me! No! Stop it! Don’t touch me—!”

It was undeniably her husband’s voice, choked with absolute terror.

With a trembling, bloodied hand, the owner picked up the recorder, rewinding and replay-testing the precise acoustic frequency just to be certain.

“STOP! ALL OF YOU, CEASE FIRE!”

Summoning every shred of her remaining strength, the owner roared across the room, forcing her towering security detail into an instant, dead halt.

“What… what the hell have you done to him?!”

She glared at the two women before her, her teeth grinding so hard they threatened to shatter.

“In the future, I suggest you manage your emotional volatility before initiating business negotiations,” Murong Fanghua remarked smoothly, casually smoothing down her lapel. “And refrain from rushing into a foolish refusal so quickly.”

“Now… can we finally sit down like civilized adults and hold a proper conversation?”

Murong Fanghua lifted her eyes, casting an icy, detached look over the bloodied woman. Her tone remained completely unhurried, as if the kidnapping of a man carried zero moral weight to her.

“All of you… get out! Clear the room!”

The auction house owner bit her lip until it bled, holding her broken hand as she barked the retreat order. The towering bouncers exchanged utterly bewildered glances, but submissively withdrew from the suite.

“Please, take your seat.” Murong Fanghua gestured casually toward the executive chair opposite her.

The owner dragged herself into the chair. She was fully aware that a single impulsive move now could cost her husband his life; these intruders clearly weren’t here for a simple extortion racket.

“What do you want to know?”

“Nothing extravagant. I simply require full disclosure regarding the male s*ave acquired by Mu Yuchen.”

“A s*ave?! You broke my fingers and abducted my husband… for a single male s*ave?!”

The auction house owner felt a wave of absolute, choking humiliation wash over her. It was entirely absurd. To unleash this level of geopolitical force and personal terror over a single boy… it defied all logic!

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“You people are out of your goddamn minds!” The owner shook her head in sheer disbelief. She felt like the unluckiest woman alive, running headfirst into a pair of wealthy, high-tier lunatics.

“Heh.”

Murong Fanghua let out a soft, amused sigh. She had heard that exact label tossed at her at least a dozen times—eight of them coming directly from her own parents. But if hunting down the singular thing her heart craved meant she was insane, then this world was clearly crawling with lunatics.

Meanwhile, back at the villa, Du Xiaowen sprinted through the front door at breakneck speed, leaving the entrance wide open as she darted straight down toward the basement stairs.

However, the second she burst into the subterranean bunker, her movement froze.

Positioned on the bed was Mu Yutong, wrapped in a tight, intimate embrace with Ye Feng.

Du Xiaowen’s jaw dropped in absolute shock, but her feet remained glued to the floor. She made zero effort to turn around or leave.

Mu Yutong turned her head, her sharp eyes mapping the breathless secretary standing in the doorway.

“Why are you back here at midday?”

“B-Boss… Boss gave me explicit authorization to return for the lunch hour,” Du Xiaowen stammered out softly, lowering her head in submissive panic.

“Heh.”

Hearing that it was her older sister’s direct order, Mu Yutong didn’t bother arguing. She untangled herself from Ye Feng and prepped to vacate the space, but right as she stood, a pale, trembling hand reached out and gripped her wrist tightly.

Ye Feng’s jaw was clenched tight. He hadn’t anticipated Du Xiaowen’s sudden arrival, and recalling the woman’s feral, violent history in this very room, an intense wave of terror seized his frame. His instinctual reflex was to anchor onto Mu Yutong, desperate to keep her in the room as a buffer.

“Hmm?!”

Mapping his frantic grip, a wicked smirk curled the corner of Mu Yutong’s lips. She leaned down, pressing her mouth directly against his ear canal, her breath running hot against his skin.

“Can’t bear to see me leave, little pet?”

“I…”

Ye Feng’s face flushed a violent crimson. He couldn’t formulate a coherent response. Did he genuinely harbor an attachment to her? Absolutely not. It was merely the desperate survival instinct of a helpless target reaching out for a shield in a room full of predators.

“Relax. She won’t dare break you today.”

Leaving him with those words, Mu Yutong stepped off the mattress and walked right up to Du Xiaowen.

“You had better exercise some restraint today,” she warned, her voice dropping into an dangerous register. “If you end up putting him back in a hospital bed, neither I nor my sister will allow you to leave this estate alive.”

“U-Understood…” Du Xiaowen squeaked out a quiet assent.

Without another word, Mu Yutong brushed past her and exited the basement. She had zero interest in witnessing another woman use the boy. If she had her way, she wouldn’t let Du Xiaowen lay a single finger on him—but unfortunately, she didn’t hold the ultimate authority in this household.

The moment the bunker door clicked shut, Du Xiaowen lifted her head, exposing a face completely flushed with dark, unbridled lust.

“Can you… can you please be gentle today?”

Ye Feng stared at the approaching secretary, attempting one final, desperate plea for mercy.

Unfortunately for him, Du Xiaowen’s cognitive rationalization had completely collapsed under her desire. Ignoring his words, she pounced forward like a wild beast, pinning him flat as she initiated another round of chaotic, relentless taking.

Stepping into the central living room, Mu Yutong poured herself a glass of warm water and sank deep into the main leather sofa, closing her eyes in an apparent display of leisure.

What she failed to realize, however, was that through the sheer curtains of the adjacent property, a pair of tactical binoculars was currently locked onto her position, recording every micro-movement.

“So… Mu Yuchen harbors some truly massive corporate ambitions, doesn’t she?”

Murong Fanghua sat back against the velvet armchair in her penthouse suite, casually dropping the dossier onto the glass table.

“Miss, a fresh report just came in from the perimeter team,” Qingning reported respectfully. “Mu Yuchen’s private secretary arrived at the villa a short while ago and immediately headed straight into the subterranean bunker. Shortly after her entry, Mu Yuchen’s younger sister emerged alone.”

“A subterranean bunker?”

Murong Fanghua’s brow furrowed, her hands tightening into pale fists against her lap.

“Mu Yuchen… oh, Mu Yuchen. To think you possess such an exquisite, delicate prize, yet you completely lack the capacity to cherish him—leaving him locked away in a dark basement to be trampled and degraded by common filth.”

A dark, dangerous edge coated her words as her jaw set tight.

“Since you don’t know how to treat a treasure… don’t blame me when I systematically tear him out of your hands.”

She couldn’t bear the mental image of that adorable, fragile boy being chained up like a common s*ave, serving as a shared toy for bottom-feeders.

RIING! RIING!

At the corporate headquarters, Mu Yuchen turned her head toward her personal device in surprise. Who would be calling my direct line at this hour?

Setting aside her executive pen, she picked up the phone. Mapping the caller ID, her confusion deepened—why was the director of the underground auction house contacting her directly?

A deal of their scale shouldn’t warrant a direct personal call out of the blue. Curious, Mu Yuchen accepted the line.

“My apologies, Director Mu. I am calling to inform you that our strategic partnership must be terminated immediately.”

The mature, raspy voice of the auction house owner came through the speaker the second the line connected.

“What?!”

“I am deeply sorry, Director Mu. My firm will cover the full contractual breach penalty fee as outlined in our agreement.”

“Wait, you can’t just—”

TU-TU-TU…

Before Mu Yuchen could demand a logical explanation, the line went dead. She stared blankly at the dark screen, her mind completely reeling.

What the hell was happening behind the scenes?

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