Chapter 96: New Product Launch

Yuan Xiaoying spoke with an air of immense authority, as if she were the King of Qin unifying the six states.

She said with a straight face, "Do you get a sense of achievement, like having the entire world in your grasp?"

"When you put it that way, I really do feel like I'm pointing out the landscape," Liu Jingye chuckled.

"That feeling must be incredibly refreshing, right?" Yuan Xiaoying said triumphantly. "Don't you feel now that you've chosen the right person to follow? That you have a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and immense pride? In your heart, don't you love me deeply, feel madly obsessed with me, and adore me?"

Liu Jingye’s forehead was covered in black lines, and he squeezed out a single word with difficulty: "Yes!"

"Then from now on, follow me wholeheartedly. I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury and excitement," Yuan Xiaoying declared.

Liu Jingye smiled bitterly. "Sister, are you planning on taking me to a Sichuan restaurant?"

"You can pick any restaurant in this area; everyone has to give us a discount," Yuan Xiaoying said domineeringly. "Just bask in the glory of being with me. How is it? Doesn't it feel great to be a family member of a high-ranking official?"

"It's the family member of a high-ranking official," Liu Jingye corrected. "‘Descendant’ implies the generation of the children."

"What’s the difference? Don't be so pedantic!" Yuan Xiaoying intentionally took advantage of the situation and chided him instead.

Liu Jingye said gloomily, "It doesn't matter to you because you're the one gaining the advantage. If I asked you to call me uncle, would you be willing?"

"Sure, Uncle. This young lady pays her respects to you," Yuan Xiaoying immediately crouched down in a bow and said in a dainty voice, "Uncle, please have a seat. This young lady will go prepare some wine and dishes, wait for your brother to return with the steamed cakes, and then we shall drink a few cups with you to welcome you home."

Cold sweat poured down Liu Jingye’s back, and he laughed awkwardly, "Then I shall trouble you, Sister-in-law. Please return quickly; this vast house feels so empty without you."

Yuan Xiaoying blushed and asked, "Uncle, what do you mean by that? Could it be..."

Liu Jingye replied, "Sister-in-law, you are a perceptive person. You should know the saying: nothing beats dumplings for taste, and nothing beats a sister-in-law for fun. Please don't blame your junior for being reckless."

"Not at all, not at all. I like it wild." Yuan Xiaoying leaned into his arms, looking charming and seductive.

Liu Jingye burst into laughter. He had never felt so relaxed; his loud, uninhibited laughter was incredibly liberating.

"We really are a perfect match, able to talk nonsense together," Yuan Xiaoying laughed. "At the very least, we can make each other laugh and cheer one another up. That is already quite rare."

"Indeed. I truly hope every day can be this happy," Liu Jingye said sincerely.

Beyond the happiness, there was the sweetness and bliss of new love. Yuan Xiaoying clung tightly to his arm, leaning her entire body against him.

Liu Jingye was momentarily at a loss, constantly telling himself to relax and adapt to Yuan Xiaoying's enthusiasm. Since the girl was being so generous, why should he be coy?

The two walked happily down the street, looking like conjoined twins. Liu Jingye remarked, "It’s so peaceful."

Yuan Xiaoying immediately said proudly, "That goes without saying. Under the administration of Director Yuan, everywhere is a prosperous age of peace, with music and dance, the people living and working in contentment, and all industries flourishing."

"I was talking about your chest being flat!" Liu Jingye said.

Yuan Xiaoying was furious: "Go to hell!"

Yuan Xiaoying unleashed her signature moves: the "Extinction Kick," the "Shadowless Hand of No Offspring," the "Root-Removing Sweep"...

Even though Liu Jingye parried them one by one, he was still quite startled and roared, "If you're going to play for real with me, then I won't be able to hold back with you in the future!"

"I don't care! A well-chosen cucumber ensures the husband doesn't go soft!" Yuan Xiaoying continued to chase and strike him.

"Damn it, how dare you hit me? I'll kill you!" Just then, a shout of abuse rang out.

Yuan Xiaoying was furious. "You dare curse me?"

Liu Jingye quickly raised his hands and said, "It wasn't me, it was him!"

Yuan Xiaoying turned to look and saw two young men wrestling in front of a small restaurant by the roadside. One was grabbing the other’s hair and pounding his face, while the other was shielding his face with one hand and waving a beer bottle wildly with the other. The battle was intense.

The restaurant owner hid to the side in fear, and passersby gathered around to watch the spectacle.

The two men cursed and fought, quickly spilling from inside the restaurant to the outside. One had blood gushing from his nostrils, while the other had been struck in the head by the beer bottle, his face covered in blood, looking hideous.

They were near madness, like wild beasts in a life-or-death struggle, each determined to land a fatal blow.

Many people were watching, but no one dared to intervene for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

"Heh, Director Yuan's territory—truly a prosperous age of peace and music everywhere," Liu Jingye mocked.

Yuan Xiaoying glared at him, annoyed. This was a direct slap in the face to Director Yuan. She said coldly, "Stop the chatter and go pull them apart. I'll take the one without a weapon; you deal with the one holding the bottle!"

"Why? I'm not a police officer."

"You're a family member, that’s why!"

Yuan Xiaoying rushed forward, nearly twisting her ankle in her high heels. Liu Jingye called out from behind, "A policeman's wife is called a 'police sister-in-law,' but what is a policeman's husband called? A 'police brother-in-law'? A 'police uncle-in-law'?"

Yuan Xiaoying had no time to respond. She steadied herself and reached out to grab the two men, but they were so ferocious and focused that they shoved her arm away with ease.

"Stop right there, both of you! I'm a police officer!" Yuan Xiaoying shouted.

Unfortunately, they acted as if they hadn't heard a thing, continuing their bloody fight, determined to destroy each other.

Wearing a long skirt and high heels, Yuan Xiaoying found it truly inconvenient to intervene and nearly got hit several times.

Liu Jingye could no longer stand by. In an instant, he appeared behind the man with the beer bottle, who was flailing wildly while his hair remained firmly gripped by his opponent.

Liu Jingye delivered a kick directly to the back of the man's knee. He collapsed onto one knee, the bottle shattering on the ground and cutting his own hand. Liu Jingye then threw a punch at the other man's chin, sending him flying backward, though he still managed to rip a clump of hair from his opponent's head in the process.

"We are in public, how can you use such violence?" Yuan Xiaoying chided; police officers were supposed to enforce the law civilly.

Liu Jingye shrugged. "I'm not a police officer. I was already holding back; not using the 'Extinction Kick' is a favor to you."

Both men fell to the ground, faces covered in blood, looking miserable. Just as Yuan Xiaoying was about to approach, the two suddenly jumped up and, as if united by a common goal, attacked Liu Jingye together.

"Damn it, looking for trouble!" Liu Jingye cursed, flying a kick into one man’s abdomen. The man doubled over in agony, curling into a ball and dry-heaving incessantly.

Then, Liu Jingye swiped away the hand of the other man, who was trying to grab his hair. These low-level thugs seemed to only know how to pull hair—pathetic.

Liu Jingye let out a cold, disdainful snort and slammed a fist into the man’s sternum. The man stumbled back two steps, then sat down hard on the ground, mouth agape, seemingly unable to breathe for a moment.

Liu Jingye’s strike had been heavy, compressing the man's lungs; any harder, and he would have gone into shock.

"Enough, enough..." Yuan Xiaoying hurriedly stepped forward. Originally, she had intended to restrain the thugs, but now she had to restrain Liu Jingye. He was the true predator; a terrifying killing intent radiated from him.

"Calm down, sweetheart. Don't be angry, I'll play with you later," Yuan Xiaoying whispered in his ear. Liu Jingye chuckled bitterly, but the gesture perfectly smoothed away the killing intent in his heart.

"Nobody move! I am a police officer!" Yuan Xiaoying turned to shout at the two thugs. In reality, they had already lost the ability to fight, but Yuan Xiaoying was stunned to notice that although they had been beaten severely by Liu Jingye, their eyes were glazed over, and they appeared to be mentally incoherent.

Soon, police from the station arrived, and under Director Yuan’s personal command, the two thugs were taken away.

"I can't continue the walk," Yuan Xiaoying said apologetically.

"It's fine. A family member should support your work. I want to go over and take a look; I have a feeling these two aren't in a normal state," Liu Jingye said.

"Then let's go together."

Yuan Xiaoying waved her hand, and they returned to the station. In the interrogation room, the two men had been bandaged, but they looked lethargic, their eyes unfocused, still muttering curses under their breath.

"Director Yuan, these two look like they’re on drugs," one officer remarked.

"Take them for a blood test. Once they sober up, question them thoroughly about where they got the drugs and where they took them," Director Yuan ordered.

Soon, the doctor arrived and confirmed that they were indeed in a state of mental confusion, but the blood test showed no toxin reaction—they hadn't taken any known drugs.

"What’s going on? Could they be suffering from mental illness?" Yuan Xiaoying asked, surprised.

The doctor explained, "Some psychiatric medications can cause hallucinations and confusion, also with no toxin reactions. But those are prescription drugs that ordinary people can't easily buy. Judging by their condition, besides the confusion, they have severe violent tendencies, which typical medication wouldn't cause."

Liu Jingye, who had been watching from the side, interjected, "Could it be a new type of drug? One that doesn't trigger traditional toxin tests, perhaps not even a known drug, but something newly emerged that can induce hallucinations or even worse effects in humans?"

The doctor was stunned and nodded. "That possibility cannot be ruled out. Many substances can cause hallucinations or numb the nerves, but such things are usually strictly regulated by the state and wouldn't hit the market."

"Maybe it's not a drug, or it's a new variety not yet on the restricted list?" Liu Jingye suggested. "There are many biotech companies now producing so-called health supplements, especially those from imports or foreign-funded enterprises. The country is still quite lenient with them."

The doctor was taken aback, completely stumped by his questions, and could only say helplessly, "What you're saying is very possible, but I don't know the specifics."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Yuan Xiaoying pulled Liu Jingye aside to ask.

Ever since the doctor’s confirmation, Liu Jingye had been suspicious. His mind went back to the drug manufacturing formula hidden in Yuan Xiaoying’s earring—a brand-new process that could significantly increase the potency of drugs based on existing ones.

But since the doctor found no toxin reaction, there was only one other possibility: a new product had hit the market.