Chapter 145: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Xu An'an finished her preparations and headed to the coffee shop where she was scheduled to meet her interviewee. Upon arrival, she discovered it was an ultra-luxurious, high-end establishment. She had passed by several times wanting to go in, but her wallet had never allowed it.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you have a reservation?" the waiter asked politely.

Assuming that the person who set the meeting must have already made arrangements, Xu An'an replied, "There should be a reservation under a Mr. Fang."

The waiter checked the reservation book, but there was no record of any Mr. Fang. "I'm sorry, Miss, are you certain about the name? Perhaps you could give me the phone number used for the booking?"

Xu An'an provided the number. Still, nothing. With a line forming behind her, she retreated to the side in embarrassment and tried calling Fang Yueming to figure out what was going on. The call would not go through. Xu An'an felt a flicker of anger; the agreed-upon time had already passed. If she didn't get this interview done today, Fang Nini would certainly find an excuse to reprimand her. She couldn't help but wonder if the two of them were colluding to humiliate her. After all, it was Fang Nini who had dumped this assignment on her.

*Beep-beep!*

At that moment, a Bugatti supercar pulled up beside her. A man with dyed yellow hair stepped out of the driver's seat, his attire and swagger making him look every bit the street hoodlum or *nouveau riche* buffoon. Xu An'an stepped aside. To her surprise, this hoodlum was none other than Fang Yueming.

Xu An'an's mouth twitched violently. So much for the reputation of a polished, overseas-educated elite. Still, out of professional courtesy, she greeted him. "This cafe requires a reservation for entry. Perhaps we should go somewhere else?"

"What? You didn't make a reservation? You're the one interviewing me, lady! How can you fail at such a basic task? Do you look down on me?" Fang Yueming exploded, standing at the entrance and pointing a finger in her face.

Xu An'an leaned back slightly; Fang Yueming’s spit was flying everywhere, and there was a faint, foul odor emanating from him that she found unbearable. She nearly retched up her breakfast. "Sir, this is the location you chose, and it requires a reservation a week in advance. How was I supposed to book a table in three days?"

"Hmph, that’s a failure of your own competence!"

The passersby hadn't known the situation, but hearing this, they began to sympathize with Xu An'an. It was truly a miserable fate for a working person to encounter such an unreasonable individual.

Finding such absurdity intolerable, Xu An'an decided the interview was a waste of time. A man like this couldn't possibly have a single redeeming quality.

"Wait." Fang Yueming blocked her path. "How about this? We'll go somewhere else." As he spoke, he spent over twenty minutes bragging about his newly purchased car, acting as if he were bestowing a great favor. "You’re the first woman to ever sit in this..."

*CRASH!*

The Bugatti, which had been parked safely, was suddenly slammed and sent flying over two meters, crashing into a flower bed. The entire vehicle was totaled. Fang Yueming looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, his face turning deathly pale. "My... my car! I haven't even finished the installments!"

The onlookers were shocked and turned to look at the perpetrator. It was a Rolls-Royce Phantom, even more imposing than the Bugatti. Upon seeing it, Fang Yueming didn't dare make a peep; he realized some high-ranking power player was passing through, and he cursed his own blindness for not moving out of the way sooner.

The person who stepped out of the driver's seat was Jiang Li.

Xu An'an's eyes widened, her heart filling with pleasant surprise. Recognizing Jiang Li, Fang Yueming’s arrogance vanished, and he rushed over to curry favor. "I'm sorry, Second Master! I was blocking your way!"

After finishing his work, Jiang Li had asked his assistant, Wang, to track Xu An'an's location. Worried that she was overexerting herself at work, he had come quietly. That led to the scene just witnessed.

"Get lost."

Fang Yueming felt as if he had been granted an amnesty; he tucked his tail and ran, not even bothering with his beloved car. However, he didn't forget Xu An'an. A beauty like that was impossible to forget. Once in a safe place, he specifically called her, demanding she come to meet him, intending to vent his rage on her.

"Let me tell you, if you don't show up, you can kiss your job at the magazine goodbye!" Fearing she wouldn't come, he threatened, "I'll be honest with you, I have a deep connection with Fang Nini. One word from me, and you won't have a peaceful day at the office."

Xu An'an was silent for two seconds before agreeing to meet. Fang Yueming was delighted and waited, smoking a cigarette. Hearing footsteps approach, he turned his head, but before he could even see who it was, a fist carrying a fierce, brutal wind smashed into his face!

Before he could even scream, Fang Yueming was so terrified by the "god of death" before him that he nearly lost control of his bladder. He stammered, "S-Second Master?"

Jiang Li’s handsome face was cold and grim. "What? You’re trying to hit on my woman? Are you assuming I’m dead?"

Seeing Xu An'an beside Jiang Li, Fang Yueming felt like dying. He cursed Fang Nini a thousand times over in his heart for pushing him toward his own grave! He knelt down to beg for mercy. "Second Master, I truly didn't know Miss Xu was your girlfriend! If I had, I wouldn't have dared to do this even if I had a hundred guts!"

"It was... it was Fang Nini who told me to do it. She wanted me to take some provocative photos." As for who they were for, the answer was obvious.

Jiang Li’s expression darkened further. Just as he was about to land a vicious kick, Xu An'an stopped him. "Don't hit him anymore. We're still on the street." She added, "Besides, this person is still somewhat useful."

Jiang Li raised an eyebrow but didn't press her. "Fine. I'll spare his dog life for now, but if he doesn't cooperate, I'll have someone take care of him."

Hearing those words, delivered with nonchalance yet dripping with hidden murderous intent, Fang Yueming shivered uncontrollably.

The three of them moved to another location to talk. Fang Yueming sat across from them, looking like a quail, with tissues stuffed into his nostrils to staunch the flow of blood. Xu An'an studied him, calculating her next move.

Jiang Li picked up the menu. "It’s lunch time, let's just eat here."

"Sure, you order," Xu An'an replied, then turned her attention to Fang Yueming. "You know Jiang Fei, don't you?"

At the sudden mention of Jiang Fei, Fang Yueming’s eyes flickered with unease. Xu An'an pressed further. "The tattoo on the inside of your wrist—isn't it the initials of Jiang Fei's name? And Jiang Fei has the same one, in the same spot."

"Let me guess: you two are a couple, and Jiang Fei introduced you to Fang Nini."

With everything guessed correctly by Xu An'an, Fang Yueming surrendered and spilled the truth, which aligned almost perfectly with her hypothesis. Jiang Fei wanted to take down Fang Nini and use the opportunity to eliminate Xu An'an as well—a "killing two birds with one stone" scheme.

"Killing two birds with one stone. A clever tactic, indeed." Xu An'an curled her lips into a playful smile, though the cold glint in her eyes made Fang Yueming tremble to his core.