How bad could his injuries be, anyway, when he was still standing there, prattling on and on? If it hadn’t been for Tangtang, Tan Jian would likely be in a much worse condition.
Yao Tang silently took out a packet of tissues and wiped her fingers clean.
From a distance, Chauffeur Wang stared at the scene before him in a daze.
His knees shook with fear, and he felt an overwhelming need to flee.
But where could he even run to?
He had so many men with him, but even all of them combined were no match for this slip of a girl. He doubted he could escape, even if he sped off in his car.
Chauffeur Wang leaned against the tree, his face ashen.
He had betrayed the Cabinet.
And traitors to the Cabinet never met a good end. He knew that he would be tortured ruthlessly for his actions.
Before he knew it, Yao Tang was already upon him, sneering.
Chauffeur Wang felt naked and vulnerable under her menacing gaze. And then she spoke, and while her voice was young and soft, her tone was nothing short of demonic.
“I told you to stop the car, didn’t I? Why didn’t you do as I said?”
Her question was barely above a whisper, but Chauffeur Wang trembled from the weight of her words.
He broke under the pressure of it all and proceeded to kowtow at her feet.
“Please, Miss Yao, I beg of you! Please let me off. I didn’t mean to betray the Cabinet. These people captured my family and used them to threaten me. I had no choice! Please, you must believe me!”
The man sobbed as he brought his head to the ground repeatedly.
But no matter how much he begged for mercy, none of the three people present was convinced.
They didn’t seem swayed by his miserable pleas at all.
And why would they? At the time of the attack, he didn’t look like a man whose hand was forced.
In fact, he had sported an arrogant expression, just as one would when they had taken the initiative to take part in some promising venture.
“You deserve what’s coming for you! You set us up for an ambush!”
Tan Jian strode over indignantly and spat at Chauffeur Wang.
There was no justice in letting him off so easily.
However, they weren’t in a position to deal with the traitor. This was under the Cabinet’s jurisdiction, and only the elders could decide his punishment.
That didn’t mean that they couldn’t let out their anger, though. President Tan was just as outraged as his son, if not more, and he made sure to land a few kicks of his own on Chauffeur Wang.
“The Cabinet has treated you well, and you return their good favor with treachery! You’re aiming for something else, aren’t you? A greater position, perhaps? Tell us who put you up to it!”
“No, it’s all my fault! Please, I’ve already learned my lesson. Please just let me go.”
Chauffeur Wang continued to kowtow, his face mottled with despair. “I’ll do anything to repay you, anything you need! Please don’t kill me, I’m begging you.”
Soon, blood was dripping from his forehead and stained the patch of ground that it touched.
“Tell me,” Yao Tang finally said, “does Elder Chen’s disappearance have something to do with the information you leaked?”
Her conjecture hit the nail n the head.
When he heard this, Chauffeur Wang grew even more fearful.
“No, it wasn’t me! It really wasn’t me!” He raised his head to reveal his bloody face.
“I’m just the Cabinet’s chauffeur. I didn’t even get the instruction to wait outside the restaurant until yesterday. There’s no way I would know the whereabouts of an esteemed Elder. This is confidential information that is kept within the inner circle.”
Chauffeur Wang seemed sincere enough, and he managed to dispel most of their suspicion.
But Yao Tang caught the implication of his words. “It’s not you, huh? So, you mean to say that there’s someone else in the Cabinet who leaked the information? That person must be in a high position. I wonder who could it be.”
Her cold, piercing eyes fixed on Chauffeur Wang’s.
The man felt a chill run down his spine, and his scalp tingled. He didn’t expect that she would pick up on his careless remark.
Now, they all knew that there was a traitor in the Cabinet.
Chauffeur Wang had no plans of tattling, but he didn’t dare defy Yao Tang, either.
“I… I really don’t know, I swear!” They stared at each other for a few more beats until he felt cold sweat beading on his back.
“Every time that man came to me, he was wearing a cloak. Once, when I handed something to him, I noticed a scar on the back of his left hand. He had a code name, too. It’s… He’s called…”
Chauffeur Wang racked his brain desperately, hoping that he could provide enough useful information to spare his life.
“Oh! That’s right, he is called the Viper!”
As soon as he uttered the word, a man clad in black suddenly appeared with a dagger. He lunged at Chauffeur Wang, aiming for his neck.