He inquired about inter-provincial armed escort services, only to be met with ridicule, forcing him to abandon the idea reluctantly.

It turned out that unless millions or even billions of valuables were involved, that high-end industry wasn't accessible. Only a handful of companies in each province held the necessary inter-provincial armed escort qualifications. He was merely transporting a large stone weighing over five tons, not some rare gem or national treasure. Even if he was willing to pay the commission, they wouldn't even bother with him.

Left with no other choice, he had to escort it himself. The journey was grueling, enduring sun and wind, rising early and working late, traversing mountainous provinces like Yunnan and Sichuan—it truly wore him out.

Seeing how much more attentive he was to that piece of Black Ox Stone than to any other rough jade, Qi Fei felt a touch of bewilderment. However, knowing Wang Zhuo’s skill and luck in stone gambling, since he placed such high value on that large rough stone, she too looked forward to what results might surface after cutting it back home.

Crawling along, they finally arrived back in Jiangzhou after five days.

This round trip had taken him and Qi Fei more than half a month. Unbeknownst to them, the year was drawing to a close. The streets were adorned with festive lights everywhere; merchants hung golden bells outside their doors, and small Christmas trees were placed inside lobbies—it was almost Christmas.

This left Wang Zhuo, a man from the North, somewhat unaccustomed to the atmosphere. The temperature in Jiangzhou now felt like late autumn in the North. Having just returned from Yunnan, he didn't feel the chill of winter, whereas in previous years, Christmas back home was always surrounded by ice and snow, but here in Jiangzhou, it was still raining.

First, they delivered the Black Ox Stone to the factory, where he met Qiu Lu for a brief chat. Afterward, Wang Zhuo drove toward Nanjing Road.

Midway there, he pulled the car onto a deserted side road running alongside a high factory wall. After parking, he shamelessly pulled Qi Fei into the back seat.

Qi Fei’s right hand had only had its stitches removed three days prior; now, she only needed to be careful to keep it dry and avoid large movements while it slowly healed. Her hand still struggled a bit with chopsticks during meals, and her handwriting was slanted—it wasn't flexible yet.

Thus, Wang Zhuo felt justified in demanding other things from her…

Qi Fei was truly helpless against this persistent fellow. Every time she steeled her heart to refuse, she couldn't withstand Wang Zhuo's soft persistence. Over time, this little rogue had become so accustomed to it that if she didn't let him have his way once a day, he wouldn't even dream of sleeping at night.

Qi Fei felt utterly submerged. In front of this little adversary, her days were no different from usual, but once night fell, he did as he pleased with her body—stopping just short of breaking through that final barrier,