Chen Jie frowned and said, "What do you mean? Which organization has chosen me?"
Lin Shuang replied, "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Lin Shuang, the Deputy Leader of the Dragon Group! Our Dragon Group is a special department of Great Xia, which is what ordinary people refer to as 'a certain relevant department'."
"The duty of our Dragon Group is to deal with exceptionally unruly martial arts experts. That Eight-Level Great Gale was originally a target I was meant to apprehend. I didn't expect you to incapacitate him, which has greatly helped us."
"Chen Jie, I am here to see you for two reasons: first, to invite you to join our Dragon Group and execute a special mission, and second, to discuss the matter of your protective artifact."
Chen Jie frowned. "Protective artifact?"
"Precisely. We hope that you will exclusively supply the protective artifact to our Dragon Group and not sell it to others! This item holds far greater strategic significance than its superficial profit. Therefore, it should not fall into the hands of ordinary people."
Chen Jie smiled, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but my purpose in creating protective artifacts is quite simple: to sell them nationwide and amass wealth! As for joining your Dragon Group, I have no such intentions. Give me the marriage contract, and you may leave."
Seeing that Chen Jie had brought up the marriage contract again, Lin Shuang felt a pang of displeasure.
She said urgently, "Joining the Dragon Group is a mission, and more importantly, an honor! How can you refuse? Furthermore, your protective artifact..."
"There's no need to say more. I'm not interested!" Chen Jie flatly refused.
Lin Shuang became anxious. Chen Jie's attitude ignited her competitive spirit.
She quickly said, "You have offended the Shadow Sect, an extremely mysterious organization! Our Dragon Group can help you resolve this matter! Moreover, we can offer you many conveniences and privileges in your daily life!"
"My intentions are clear. I will handle the Shadow Sect myself. Leave the marriage contract, and please excuse yourself," Chen Jie insisted.
"You..."
Lin Shuang's heart stirred, and she said, "It's not impossible for you to break off the engagement with me, but joining the Dragon Group is my condition! Otherwise, I will not agree to annul the engagement!"
Chen Jie knitted his brows.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Lin Shuang continued, "If you don't wish to be bound, I can apply to the higher-ups on your behalf. You can simply serve as a special consultant to our Dragon Group, how about that?"
"If I become a special consultant, I can break off the engagement with you, is that right?" Chen Jie asked.
Lin Shuang's face fell.
Another mention of breaking the engagement.
She replied, "Yes, that's right!"
"Then I will consider it. You may leave now," Chen Jie said.
What?
He needed to consider this?
Keep in mind that their Dragon Group was far stronger than certain martial arts associations, and even the Shadow Sect held them in great awe.
Yet, Chen Jie was actually contemplating rejecting the protection of the Dragon Group! And it was with the annulment of the engagement as a condition that he grudgingly agreed to consider it.
For a moment, Lin Shuang felt deeply discouraged.
"Then consider it. Our Dragon Group has shown you our utmost sincerity this time, and you will soon feel it. I'm leaving."
Lin Shuang walked away, secretly annoyed and extremely displeased.
"Master, do you really intend to join this so-called Dragon Group?" Lin Mengjiao asked.
Chen Jie gave a wry smile. "It's not easy to break off these ten engagement contracts. If I can annul one of them, it's not entirely impossible to consider."
Not long after Lin Shuang left, she made a phone call and said with a sigh, "Team Leader, he refused!"
A man's voice, filled with astonishment, came from the phone. "What? Even you couldn't convince him?"
Lin Shuang said dejectedly, "Team Leader, he didn't agree to any of the conditions I proposed. I think we should give up!"
"Impossible! Both the strength Chen Jie has demonstrated and his protective artifact hold profound strategic significance for our Dragon Group. We absolutely cannot give up on Chen Jie!"
The man said sternly, "Did you mention that after joining the Dragon Group, you would execute missions together with him?"
Mentioning this brought a surge of anger to Lin Shuang.
Let alone executing missions with her, she had proposed breaking off the engagement as a condition, and only then did Chen Jie grudgingly agree to consider it.
She felt that if someone else had gone instead of her, the success rate might have been higher.
However, she wouldn't tell the Team Leader these thoughts. She simply replied, "I did!"
"It seems Chen Jie is quite upright. This is exactly the kind of talent we need. How about this: let's proceed with plan B. Let Chen Jie see our sincerity!"
Upright?
With a stunning beauty by his side, and another fiancée he was about to marry, how could such a person be upright!
Lin Shuang thought of Lin Mengjiao's alluring face, which was no less beautiful than her own, and pondered with resentment.
Clearly, before they came to find Chen Jie, they had already investigated his background thoroughly.
...
"Is Chen Jie here?"
Another voice came from outside the door.
A middle-aged man alighted from his car and stood at the entrance of Chen Jie's villa.
Chen Jie and Lin Mengjiao had not yet returned indoors and spotted him at once.
"Yang Wanli?" Chen Jie looked at the approaching man.
This person was Yang Wanli, a subordinate of Yang Siqing.
"It is I! My young lady requests that you visit her residence." Yang Wanli said.
"Very well, I was just thinking the same thing!" Chen Jie nodded and walked out.
This surprised Yang Wanli, but he didn't say much, and immediately led Chen Jie toward the Yang family's residence.
Not long after, the two arrived at the Yang family home.
The Yang family was not well-known, but the mansion they resided in was no less luxurious than the Wang family's.
At this moment, the Yang residence was brightly lit.
In the main hall sat Yang Siqing, Zhang Xinyan, and several men.
"Father, this is what happened. My treasure was indeed embezzled by Chen Jie."
Yang Siqing looked weary and disheveled, like a woman who had walked out of the mountains.
That's right, it was only now that Yang Siqing, along with a group of her subordinates, had returned from Wutai Mountain.
They had lingered for so long because they wanted to find the treasure Chen Jie had hidden on Wutai Mountain in one fell swoop.
They had all seen Chen Jie and Lin Mengjiao leave empty-handed, so they were certain that Chen Jie had hidden the item somewhere.
However, after searching for more than two days and nights, they had found nothing.
Yang Siqing's undergarments had not been changed for days.
After searching for so long, she finally gave up.
Upon arriving home, her first action was to inform her father, Yang Ding Tian, of the matter.
"Hmph, does he really think that because he is the future son-in-law of our Yang family, he can disregard us?" Yang Ding Tian said angrily. "We must retrieve the treasure from the mountains!"
"However, Chen Jie's strength is considerable. If we resort to force, it might be more of a loss than a gain!" Yang Siqing frowned.
"Siqing, I can help you!" a young man beside her said with a confident smile.
Yang Siqing's eyes brightened. "Young Master Chang, what method do you have?"
This Young Master Chang was none other than Yang Siqing's suitor, Chang Shaoliang.
Although Yang Siqing did not like him, he indeed had many connections, and even many of the Yang family's businesses were related to Chang Shaoliang.