Chapter 34: Save Some Face for Yourself

Of course, he held no grudge against her for abandoning him in the wilderness. If she hadn't left, would he have wanted to be stuck with her? That was definitely not something Xing Haotian wanted to happen. Furthermore, if not for Li Meiyu, he would never have met Wei Zi, and for that, he was actually grateful to her—even if their beginning had been rather disastrous.

"Minister Li, please don't mind. Miss Li is quite fine, but we didn't click. We went out to enjoy the scenery and then parted ways; there is no such thing as being abandoned!" Xing Haotian said, his expression cold and stern.

"Ah! Haha, is that so? Xiao Xing, what's this? Won't you invite me in for a seat?" Li Pingsheng’s eyes darted around. Naturally, he wanted to get into Xing Haotian’s villa, primarily to get his daughter inside and create an opportunity for the young couple to be alone.

Seeing the gift in Li Pingsheng’s hand, Xing Haotian found it difficult to refuse him entry. However, he thought of Wei Zi inside and figured this would be the perfect way for Li Pingsheng and Li Meiyu to lose hope.

"Minister Li, Miss Li, please come in," Xing Haotian said, his stern face showing a faint, mocking smile that only added to his masculine charm. His eyes, though glowing with a fiery intensity, remained indifferent. He was truly weary of dealing with people like them.

If he hadn't ended up in the military and followed the path of a mercenary, he wouldn't have bothered entertaining them—not even for the highest official in the land. But, as fate would have it, the Huatian Kingdom had made the most prudent decision to recruit this "demon king" and transform him into a savior.

Xing Haotian led the two into the villa. Only then did Wei Zi become aware of the noise. She looked up, her gaze colliding directly with Li Meiyu and Li Pingsheng.

Li Meiyu’s eyes widened immediately. Beautiful women are natural rivals, and although Li Meiyu was a tier below Wei Zi in appearance, that only fueled her hostility; Wei Zi was simply too stunning.

The afternoon sun poured through the windows, bathing Wei Zi in light as she stood in her pristine white dress. Her long hair flowed loosely, and her small, delicate face was tilted slightly upward, revealing a perfect jawline. Her eyes were moist, shimmering like dew drops—reminiscent of a fawn’s eyes. One look was enough to stir intense jealousy.

Finance Minister Li Pingsheng also noticed Wei Zi. He hadn't seen such a pure and breathtaking girl in a long time, and his eyes lit up. It took him a moment to process the sight. Why was such a girl in Xing Haotian’s home?

"Xiao Xing? And this is?" Li Pingsheng asked slowly.

"A friend of mine," Xing Haotian said with a smile. "I met her after Miss Li left yesterday, and we’ve been together ever since."

"Together? How together? Did you sleep with her?" Li Meiyu glared at Wei Zi, consumed by a burning sense of jealousy.

She also considered another point: looking at this woman, there was absolutely no sign of her being disfigured or injured.

"Why is she perfectly fine?" Li Meiyu’s voice rose sharply. If she had known that nothing would happen after being with Xing Haotian, she wouldn't have run away. She would have latched onto him tightly—she would have dragged him to bed herself.

*Snap!* Wei Zi shut off her communicator, her face as cold as frost. The surrounding air seemed to drop dozens of degrees. Because it was summer, the sudden chill caused a mist to form around her; one could only imagine how angry she had been.

However, she couldn't be bothered to argue with a woman she didn't know. This was Xing Haotian’s business. True enough, once he had cleared the fire toxins from his system, women would be queuing up to throw themselves at him. That was fine; she believed that soon enough, Xing Haotian would forget her and move on to someone else.

Wei Zi sneered, glanced at Xing Haotian, and headed straight upstairs, slamming the door behind her.

Xing Haotian’s heart sank; he felt a sudden sense of unease. Was Wei Zi angry because of this? He had barely managed to get his foot in the door, and now he had gone and offended her. He groaned inwardly. Consequently, he had no patience left for Li Meiyu.

"Miss Li, please mind your tone and show some respect," Xing Haotian said.

"Respect? You want me to respect a woman who stole my man? You should have been mine!" Li Meiyu retorted.

"Ha!" Xing Haotian gave a cold laugh. "Miss Li, yesterday was the first time we met. Please, have some dignity."

"You’re insulting me!" Li Meiyu shrieked. As the daughter of the Finance Minister, she had been spoiled since childhood. Men flocked to her, and few ever defied her. Xing Haotian telling her she had no dignity drove her into a rage.

"Those were your own words, Miss Li. To be honest, I had a very rough time yesterday. You stole my combat vehicle, and I nearly died in the wilderness. If not for that young lady just now, you wouldn't be visiting my home today—you’d be paying your respects at my grave," Xing Haotian threatened. Endangering an S-rank powerhouse, especially a general, was no small matter. If Xing Haotian truly pursued the issue, Li Meiyu would not be able to bear the consequences, and even Li Pingsheng couldn't protect her.

Li Meiyu glared at him. After a few encounters, she felt nothing but disappointment and contempt for Xing Haotian. This man had no manners at all—he was nothing but scum.

Just as she was about to say more, Li Pingsheng pulled her back. His daughter was truly, hopelessly stupid.

"Xiao Xing, don't mind Meiyu. She’s still young and doesn't know better. Girls can be a bit headstrong. Since you have guests, Meiyu and I will take our leave. We won't disturb you any further," Li Pingsheng said.

"Safe travels. I won't see you out," Xing Haotian replied.

Li Pingsheng dragged Li Meiyu away, inwardly cursing his daughter for being more of a hindrance than a help. He had originally intended to use the fiscal budget to pressure Xing Haotian and extract some benefits, but instead, he had handed the man leverage. Now, he would have no choice but to approve the funding.

As they left and sat in their car, Li Meiyu remained deeply resentful. "Father, are we just going to leave it at that?" she asked, her heart burning with indignation.

Li Pingsheng looked at her, lamenting her lack of foresight, but he couldn't bring himself to scold her too harshly. Meiyu’s mother was a formidable woman with a high status in the political arena and strong clan backing; they had spoiled their daughter rotten. Besides, he had to admit, he couldn't bear to be truly angry with his precious daughter. Aside from her promiscuous private life, she was usually sweet and obedient.

"Don't worry, Meiyu. We’ll find another way to handle Xing Haotian. The most important thing is to get our hands on his latest medical report. If he’s truly safe, with my daughter’s charms, a greenhorn like him will be easy prey," Li Pingsheng said.

In the eyes of these politicians, Xing Haotian was just a grassroots soldier with no family power or vast connections. To them, such a man was merely a pawn.

If Wei Zi knew what Li Pingsheng was thinking, she would have laughed out loud. Xing Haotian simply disdained playing their power games. If he ever chose to rebel, not even the full might of the Huatian Kingdom could stop him.

Was Xing Haotian really as useless as they thought? If he were, how could he have gone on to become the Marshal of the Huatian Kingdom six years later?